In the natural environment, the tortoise is forced to find food for itself, and in captivity the owner should take care of this. If he knows how to feed a swamp turtle, this will not be particularly difficult. Often a European marsh turtle becomes an inhabitant of a home terrarium. What to feed a beauty at home and how to care for her, you need to consult with specialists. For her, it is not necessary to create a special microclimate, because the reptile comes from Europe.
How to recognize a swamp turtle
The European Marsh Turtle (Emys orbicularis) can often be found in temperate countries. Reptiles are not threatened with extinction; therefore, it is not in the Red Book. When kept under terrarium conditions, turtles can fully reproduce. To do this, it is necessary to provide proper care and to know how swamp turtles are fed at different ages.
The body of the turtle is protected by dark olive, sometimes almost black carp (carapace). In European marsh it is ovoid-oval in shape and slightly flattened. The back of the carapace is more extended than the front. The body is covered with numerous bright yellowish spots. The reptile is one of the predators and lives in fresh water. The presence of a long tail facilitates movement in the water, and with the help of powerful claws on its paws, the turtle tears meat from food for food. But reptiles are not always in the water, they also need land. That is why turtles are classified as amphibians or amphibians.
Norms of feeding turtles
Despite the fact that reptiles are not picky about food, it is necessary to feed marsh turtles at home correctly, given the age. Small turtles, which are actively developing, are fed once a day, but algae suitable for food should be constantly present in the terrarium. A serving of food consists of two or three pieces of fish 1 cm 3 in size.
When the turtles grow up and their shell reaches a size of 9-13 cm, they are given fish in 1-2 days, the presence of algae is also necessary. A serving of food consists of two to three pieces of fish 2-3 cm 3 in size.
Adult formed individuals should be fed no more than 2-3 times a week. A single serving is selected individually, depending on the amount of food that the turtle is used to absorb.
What can eat swamp turtles
When purchasing a pet, you need to ask the seller what to feed the swamp turtle, because the health and well-being of amphibians depend on this.
Turtles are given raw food, the temperature of which should be close to the temperature of water and air in the terrarium.
Reptile food is conventionally divided into primary and secondary.
1. The main food. It includes animal products. Turtles are happy to relish:
- lean fish meat (haddock, cod, gobies, perch, pollock); moreover, the fish is given live or frozen and not peeled (for young specimens it is preferable to give small fish whole, and for adults - chopped in large pieces or whole fish);
- liver components: liver and heart of a chicken or calf;
- crustaceans and arthropods: daphnia crustaceans, worms, bugs with previously torn paws;
- marine animals;
- small mammals and amphibians.
2. Supplementary foods , which include dry and vegetable feed. The introduction of once every seven days is enough:
- dry food for turtles;
- vegetable feed, which consists of algae (water hyacinths, duckweed, pistachia, hornwort), finely chopped vegetables (carrots), wildflowers (clover, dandelion, daisies).
Vitamin complexes should be given only according to the indications of the veterinarian.
What should not be given to turtles
Consulting with the seller about how to feed a swamp turtle, you need to ask what it is contraindicated. There are products that are forbidden to feed reptiles or possibly, but in limited quantities:
1. The nutrition of amphibians can be diluted with certain types of products, but in limited quantities:
- Oscalate plants
- strumogenic plants that contribute to iodine deficiency, as a result of which goiter grows;
- foods with excess phosphorus, which prevents calcium from being absorbed;
- purine and alkaline additives;
- prickly insects, fatty foods;
- nuts.
2. Forbidden include feeding:
- poisonous plants;
- peel of citrus, fruit and berry seeds;
- canned food and dry foods for mammals;
- human food (porridge, cheeses, bakery products, sour-milk products, heat-treated food).
With the right diet, the European marsh turtle will live longer than if it is fed unbalanced and chaotically. The average age of reptiles living in the house is 60-70 years, but eighty-year-olds are also known.
Feeding rules
Knowing what to feed a swamp turtle at home is not enough, you still need to be able to do it correctly. Experienced breeders have developed several rules, adhering to which the owner will be able to enjoy reptile society for many years:
- Turtles up to the age of two and pregnant females are fed once a day, and adults 2-3 times a week.
- The main food is animal food. Marsh turtles are predators, therefore meat and fish are their main food. Do not feed the turtles with minced meat, it spoils the water.
- Turtles should be trained to take food with tweezers. They will feed by amusingly stretching their heads out of the water or on land. You should adhere to the feeding schedule, then the turtles get used to the desired regime and recognize the owner.
- Plant foods need to be introduced gradually when the turtles grow up. You can sometimes run a small fish into the terrarium in order to arouse the instincts of a hunter in pets and entertain them.
- Turtles do not need to drink. And once every 7-10 days it is advisable to arrange a day of ablution. It is necessary to clean the shell from plaque with a soft cloth.
Calcium must be present in the diet so that paw fractures do not occur and carapace is formed correctly.
Terrarium arrangement
European bog turtles spend a lot of time in the water, and this must be taken into account when keeping them in the house. The terrarium for the reptile needs to be selected spacious, with a volume of at least 100 liters. Breeders claim that the larger the terrarium, the larger the turtle will grow. It is better to take not a tall, but a wide aquarium and equip a land island in it, which usually occupies a third of the entire area. For these purposes, it is permissible to use a large stone with gentle edges and a beautiful snag.
For a comfortable existence in the terrarium should establish:
- a lamp for heating the air, which is installed over the island;
- an ultraviolet lamp that is needed to maintain health;
- water purification filters that keep the terrarium clean;
- special bottom soil, giving similarity to the bottom of the lake;
- edible algae so that the turtle can eat.
You should not choose algae with intense growth power, otherwise they will occupy the entire space of the terrarium.
Do I need a water change
The water in the terrarium should be constantly clean. The filter partially copes with this, but water should be changed regularly to prevent the development of diseases. Complete replacement of water and cleaning of the walls of the terrarium are carried out once every 1-1.5 months, and partial - as necessary. To ensure long-term preservation of the purity of the terrarium, it is necessary to give food to the pet outside it, and not to feed the marsh turtle directly in the water. Settled tap water is suitable for filling the aquarium.
Do turtles need hibernation
European marsh turtles hibernate under natural conditions for the winter. They need this in order to slow down the metabolic processes in the body, since reptiles are cold-blooded creatures and are not able to regulate heat transfer.
At home, they maintain a constant temperature of water and air, so there is no need to arrange hibernation for turtles. Some experienced breeders believe that such a procedure can harm pets, and it’s quite difficult to organize it.
If you know the principles of caring for the animal, how and what to feed the bog turtle, this will help to prevent content errors that could harm the pet. And then the reptile will compose the company to the owner for many years, possibly until old age. After all, European turtles are centenarians and can live up to 80 years.