How to care for a land turtle

Tortoises sometimes I think living toys. They are kept in the room or in the country, allowing the children to do with them whatever you want. This approach is wrong. Tortoise – a kind of animal with its own character and interesting group behavior. Make your darling feel nice and relaxed, she needs proper conditions and good nutrition.

Turtle house

The houses are often kept the Central Asian or Mediterranean tortoises. Other types are less common. In any case, it should be remembered that the turtle is the inhabitant of warm countries. Therefore, to keep it constantly on the open pasture is not necessary. Even if the apartment is warm, the turtle that may not be enough. It is best to buy her a terrarium, and it is more – the better. To define its parameters, multiply the length of the carapace of an adult animal five. This will be the length of the terrarium. The width can be about half that length. Height is not as important of a turtle crawling on the ground.

What to put in the terrarium

The bottom of the terrarium it is best to backfill with coarse sand or pebbles. Both need to pre-rinse well and dry. In one corner you can make shelter, where the turtle will rest at night or during hibernation. You can put some flowers or plants in pots. In the terrarium should be a small pool. Its depth is such that the turtle can stand on the bottom, and the water came up to her jaw. The pool should be such that your charge was free to go. In one corner of the terrarium, place a few "hot rocks" - rocks disguised as heaters. Make sure that the wire was not available the turtle, otherwise it is perfectly his claw. In another corner of the sand should always be moist. It must be periodically watered.

Lighting

Lighting depends on where it will be a terrarium. If you place it in a well lit room, an additional lamp is not required. Putting the turtle house in a dark room, put on the lid one or more small fluorescent lamps. In addition, you'll need a quartz lamp. Kvartsevanie need to in the body of a turtle was producing vitamin D. Deficiency of this vitamin causes a softening of the shell.

Food

The basis of the diet Mediterranean and Central Asian turtle is plant food. As for the other representatives of the turtle world, among them are predators and scavengers. The only thing that should be in the diet of any turtle – dairy products. In the body of the turtle is simply no enzymes which would be processed milk.

Walking

Sometimes the turtle can be released to wander around the apartment. To walk you have to prepare. There should be no gaps where the turtle can get stuck. Many women kind the turtle die in captivity for this reason. On a Sunny day turtle useful to wander on the fresh grass. But keep an eye on her. It is only in fairy tales turtles move slowly, they are actually extremely mobile.