The Decision of Having a Turtle as a Pet

Any person that sees a turtle at the pet shop can’t resist the temptation to buy it. At the beginning, they are only a few inches long, but you need to remember that they grow pretty fast and they can live long enough if they are taken care of. In other words, don’t buy a turtle unless you are absolutely sure about your decision. In the pet shops, you will find many types, the most popular being the Florida Turtle (Chrysemys scripta elegans). The turtle has the size of an egg at first, and then it transforms into a little “monster” this is why you can buy a large aquarium since the start, if you want a turtle, so you will not have to change it after. It is preferred to choose a large aquarium, where you can put two turtles, and to watch them whenever you feel that you need to relax. It is a real pleasure to watch them swim.

The shell of a turtle is covered with scales, which change periodically and allow the turtles to grow. The new scales have different colors than the previous ones, and this can be observed especially for mature turtles. The growing shell is made not by multiplying the scales, as some might believe, but through dimension growing of those.

The turtles must be washed, and this is made by rubbing the shell with a toothbrush. Each scale must be washed separately, those from the shell and from the belly. For a healthy shell, you need to put a calcium blog that can be bought from the pet shop in the aquarium, and a source of light is also required for synthesizing vitamin D (the most important for the shell)

Turtles are reptiles. They reach their sexual maturity at the age of 2-5 years for males and at 5-7 years for females. You might wonder how you can determine if the turtle that you want to buy is a female or a male. Well, once the sexual maturity is reached, the males and females can be distinguished by a few simple to follow elements, such as the tale. The males have longer claws, and a bigger tale.

If you already have turtles, you noticed that, when they are scared, they withdraw in the shell, making a characteristic sound. The sound is given by the air that the turtles breathe, so they could fit in the shell. A turtle can’t leave the shell and survive.

Those reptiles are omnivores. Their food is bought from the pet shop. Amongst the common foods, the small and long worms called Tubifex are good. The turtles can also receive apples cut in small pieces, carrots and salad. Not all the turtles eat the same thing. Some are really pretentious, and they simply don’t eat carrots or salad. It is not a rule, and sometimes, turtles from the same species eat really different things.

The turtles need a certain temperature, and the aquarium must always be clean. The water must be changed every day, or you could buy a filter to spare you from troubles.