Keeping Turtles can be one of the most enchanting experiences but many people keep them as pets not recognizing how to show them proper care. They can not survive unless you furnish them with the correct amount of space, light and shade and adequate moisture, so you ought to know exactly what they need to live, before you possess one. The best place to keep a turtle is in the open-air because they hibernate in the winter and if they are kept inside they won’t hibernate which can cause them to develop liver diseases. It is unwise to muddle up their regular way of doing things so when you create a pen outdoors, you are letting them live in the kind of surroundings they are used to.

Some people use refrigerators to keep their indoor turtles during their dormancy period. This is not warranted as the refrigerator might go through power fluctuations and their dormant period gets upset. This could be deadly so if you like to keep this pet indoors, never allow them to go into the dormant phase. In case you are very particular about holding the turtle inside, make sure that you build a tank with forty gallon capability where there are sufficient areas for land and water. Sixty six percent of the aquarium should be water and one-third should be land because you need a place where they can lay in the heat of a lamp. You should keep the tank around eighty degrees during the day and 70 degrees at nighttime. Because they are cold-blooded animals, they would need more time to acclimatize to temperature fluctuations. This is why never try to bring it out of the tank for playing as the temperature drop or rise adversely impacts on their immunity from disease. Not only should you ensure that you clean your hands after handling turtles, as some carry salmonella, but keep their living environment well sanitized too. Keep the water fresh and free from waste matter, so it could be a good idea to invest in a water filtration system to make this happen.

It is not a good idea to fill up the tank with water from the faucet, which contains chlorine, and fluoride and these puts the ph balance in disarray. The water in which they swim ought to be de-chlorinated and filtered out water must be provide to them for drinking. Although there are various types of turtle diets available in shops, but what they need to eat would mostly depend on the species, but they must never be given food more than two to three times a week. Do not put any wood chips or tree bark in your tank because if a turtle eats this, it can cause health issues plus it will also foul the water very quickly and cause molds or fungus to grow. Remember turtles need 12 hours of sunlight, so if you are holding your pet indoors, you have to put up a Ultra Violet lamp to provide the Vitamin D3, which one can get from sunlight. This is why we see them sunning themselves for endless hours and when kept indoors ensure that the tank is located at a place which does not see too many fluctuations in light and also provide them with a shady place for spending time when they need to. These are sold at pet stores, but you can also make one using wood or stones and if you decide to keep aquatic plants in the tank, just make sure they aren’t poisonous to them. The behavioral pattern of a turtle is very absorbing and then can provide good amusement for the whole family.