Turtles are fun and fascinating pets for kids. They look like dinosaurs, they live in their shells, what more could a kid want in a pet? Turtles also make great pets for children or adults who have allergic reactions to other, furrier pets. Turtles do require a little bit more knowledge and care on the part of the owner than what most people might assume, however.
1) Before you buy a turtle, it is important for you to be aware of the different kids of turtles out there. Different turtle species need different kinds of care. There are aquatic turtles, semi-aquatic turtles, and land turtles. The label semi-aquatic turtles can be a tad misleading, as some of them may not spend very much time in the water at all. Before you buy a turtle, find out what category it falls under so that you can give your pet the best of care. If you can’t provide adequate living conditions for, say, an aquatic turtles choose one from a different species. It is also important to make sure the turtle you buy is not an endangered species. Owning an endangered turtle is illegal. There are other turtle owning laws in various states so do the research before you buy a certain species. Don’t buy a turtle that is smaller than three inches long, as that is illegal.
2) While semi-aquatic turtles don’t live exclusively in the water, they do need access to water, as they enjoy water activities such as swimming and diving. Turtles prefer heated water, although of course you want to be sure not to burn your poor turtle. Never put a turtle into very hot or boiling water.
3) This may come as a surprise to many people but turtles are carnivorous and love to eat little pieces of fish and ground beef. In the wild turtles also eat water snails. Your pet turtles also eat vegetation. It can be fed salad greens, herbs such as parsley and basil, cabbage, green beans, broccoli, and carrots. A turtle will even eat fruit. They might enjoy eating berries and even bananas. Even though turtles move slowly and appear to have a slow metabolism, growing baby turtles need to be fed quite frequently. While adults can go for a few days in between feeding, babies should be fed twice a day.
4) Some turtles need lots of heat and bright light. If you had planned to put your pet turtle in a dark room that doesn’t get natural sunlight, you need a better plan. At the very least, make sure that the turtle’s room has plenty of bright artificial lighting.
5) Certain tropical turtle species are actually harmed by vibrations. Keep this in mind when you are deciding on a place to store the turtle’s home. A turtle should be kept safely away from refrigerators and TVs. It is also a bad idea to keep a turtle near a stereo speaker.
Whatever turtle you decide to get, it is a good idea to supervise its interaction with children, as some turtles will bite.
