Caring for turtles: 3 rules for caring for pet turtles

At first glance, turtles seem to be the ideal pet. They mostly stay in a tank, eat small scraps of food… what’s not to love? The problem is that turtle care is a bit more advanced than that. Turtles are unique animals that have their own quirks, and the more informed you are as an owner, the easier it will be to care for pet turtles.

1) Never overfeed your turtle: Turtles are like dogs when it comes to food. If you give them too much food and leave them alone, they will eat themselves to obesity. This is incredibly unhealthy and can lead to some serious conditions that require large veterinary bills to treat.

Turtles do not have access to endless food supplies in the wild, and if they did, they would eventually eat themselves obese. A good rule of thumb is to feed your turtle a piece of food no larger than its head and neck, then allow it to eat for 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes pass, remove the food and that is his daily diet.

2) Always keep the environment clean: This is for your benefit and that of the turtle. Turtles eat haphazardly and don’t care in the slightest about where they defecate. Rotting food bits and feces in the pool area create an unsanitary environment, not to mention a tank that will make your entire living room stink!

Be sure to get a powerful swim area filter rated for at least twice the water capacity and take out large ones every day to prevent the water from becoming acidic. Establishing an area in the turtles’ tank or even a feeding area outside the tank will reduce the amount of old food spilled.

3) Turtles do not like to be mistreated: This is particularly true with children who love nothing more than turning the turtle in all sorts of directions to explore the different sides of the shell. The problem is that turtles are easily stressed when handled.

When they are very small, it is actually illegal to sell turtles less than 4 inches long because the smaller the turtle, the more likely a child is to put it in their mouth and get salmonella poisoning. All turtles of all sizes carry the salmonella gene, so any time you need to handle the animal, be sure to wash your hands before and after.

Wash before touching the turtle to avoid contaminating it, and then wash afterwards so you don’t get contaminated yourself. Needless to say, turtles are NOT good pets for children, an adult must constantly maintain the turtles’ environment.

Caring for turtles is a lot like caring for other pets if you think about it. Any pet requires that you provide it with a safe and hygienic environment in which to live. There should be nothing in that environment that would allow the animal to harm itself. Turtles are very similar in this regard. You should keep in mind that turtles don’t necessarily know what’s best for them and don’t mind being tidy. As long as you are informed, you will do a good job caring for the turtles.