Types Of Pet Turtles For Novices

Taking on a pet requires a certain level of commitment. For the most part, you will be responsible for the safety and well-being of another creature. Taking care of a turtle is no easy task. Choosing from among the types of pet turtles will entail careful thought. You will want to select a pet whose lifestyle can easily fit in with your own way of living. Here are three common types of pet turtles that you can consider rearing.

Box turtles

The box turtle is one of the more popular types of pet turtles that are found practically all over the world. Wherever there are damp, mossy areas, one is sure to find a box turtle inhabiting the land. These types of pet turtles are pretty territorial and are required to stay near their place of birth for their entire lifetime. As a matter of fact, if you try to remove a box turtle to another area half a mile from where it was born, it acquires the tendency to systematically search for its former habitat. It may not be able to find its way back to its old home but it will spend most of its life looking for it. This is one of those types of pet turtles that you will want to be cautious about because you need to create a living environment that is very similar to its old habitat. A box turtle is omnivorous so it can live off of insects, berries and various types of food products. They are ideal pets for people who live in the country because it is easier to recreate their natural habitat.

Slider turtles

Among the many types of pet turtles, sliders are probably the most controversial due to the salmonella scare in the 1970's. Apparently, young children have contracted the disease due to improper handling of slider turtles. However, through the years, these types of pet turtles have managed to redeem their popularity as they have always been known to make excellent pets. A slider can grow up to eleven inches long so you will probably need to replace your tank if you started with a ten-gallon aquarium for a baby turtle.

Slider turtles naturally live in swampy areas that have lots of mud such as shallow ponds and lakesides. These types of pet turtles love to bask in the sun for hours and are typically omnivorous. However they tend to minimize on their intake of meat as they grow older. You can try feeding your pet live goldfish, worm cubes and food sticks. It's also a good idea to feed it lots of lettuce and other types of vegetables.

Painted turtles

Painted turtles are probably the most beautiful types of pet turtles because of their colorful markings on their shells. The turtle usually has a dark olive to black skin color combined with red and yellow stripes on its legs and neck. It usually comes with a smooth carapace and can grow up to ten inches in length.
These types of pet turtles are generally aquatic. Compared to other species, they are a bit more complicated to take care of because they have specific habits that you need to take note of.

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Providing the Perfect Turtle and Terrapin Care

When it comes to caring for your pet turtle or pet terrapin there are a few basic things that you should know in order to make sure that you are providing your pet with the most quality care and to ensure that you will have your pet turtle or pet terrapin around to lead a happy and healthy life with you.

First, you should know all about the exact type and breed of the pet turtle that you have. Keeping turtles in your home requires special attention to dietary and living needs that are dependent on the breed of the turtle or terrapin.

Turtle care involves knowing whether your pet turtle or terrapin is a boy or a girl and if they prefer to live together in groups or alone. Some kinds of pet turtles prefer to live in groups of similar turtles, but usually they all should be about the same size and it is generally not a good idea to have some larger ones and some smaller ones.

One of the best ways to detect the sex of your pet turtle early on before they reach sexual maturity is by the length of the claws. Males tend to have much longer claws than females and it is typically noticeable.

Another basic care necessity of pet turtles and terrapins is diet. Most turtles prefer and need a variety of fresh foods that include dark, leafy greens. There are certain kinds of pet turtles that do prefer to eat worms, snails and other greens as well. All turtles need to have enough vitamins and minerals in order to retain health and these can be found in supplements that can be added to their diet and regular feedings once or twice a week.

You may also want to make sure that your pet turtle gets enough calcium in their diet so you can add a calcium block in your turtle's habitat for it to snack on.

You also need to provide the right kind of environment for your pet turtle, which can include providing both a dry habitat and a wet habitat if you have any kind of semi-aquatic turtle. The right temperature and lighting is also very important to the well being and health of your turtle. Keep the habitats of your pet turtles very clean and make sure that you are giving your pet turtles enough attention.

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Terrapin Turtles - A Step by Step Instructional Guide

Owning terrapin turtles as pets can be a very rewarding hobby, but the average owners know next to nothing about them or how to look after them.

They are an excellent choice for a pet because they are generally low maintenance, relaxing creatures, and are ideal for families with young children, because they can be kept in a set area of your home, but be aware they do have a long life span and will require a life long commitment by the potential owner.

If the terrapin turtle is for a child you must take into consideration that they require a consistent maintenance regime and any child must be willing and able to commit to this responsibility.

They take less care than the usual pets such as cats and dogs, but they do have very specific requirements that you must be aware of before you buy to ensure your pet stays healthy and happy.

What is the difference between Terrapins and Turtles?

In the United Kingdom and some of it's territories they are known as terrapins which is given to any kind of small turtle like creature that can be kept as a pet, where a turtle is generally the larger species that lives in the sea and cannot be kept as a pet.

In all other countries they are known generally as Terrapin Turtles or Turtles.

Different Variations of Terrapin Turtles

There are four kinds of terrapin turtles: Terrapins, Turtles, Tortoises and Sea Turtles.

Because terrapin turtles can move and live on both land and water, many people are unsure whether they are reptiles or amphibians

They are actually from the reptile family and belong to a group of reptiles known as the 'Chelonia.group'

The ones that only live in water are known as aquatic and consist of sea turtles and fresh water terrapins. Sea turtles live in the world's oceans and can grow in excess of 6 feet and cannot be kept as pets.

Then you have the semi-aquatic terrapin turtles that live in both land and water.

The terrapin turtles that live only on land are called terrestrial and are known as box turtles in the US and tortoises everywhere else. It is important to remember that box turtles or tortoises cannot swim and will drown if put in deep water.

Other differences in terrapin turtles are in their shell structure, size and their limbs. Sea turtles are the largest of this species and have the hardest shells in the reptile world. Fresh water terrapins on the other hand are much smaller and have softer shells.

How Big will they get when fully grown?

Before you decide what terrapin turtle to get you must also find out how big it will get when fully grown. They can be as small as 6 inches or as large as two feet!

They need different types of habitat!

Creating the right environment for terrapin turtles really depends on a number of factors which needs to be researched well.

Find out how big the breed will get when fully grown, remember they all start out small. You really don't want the expense of buying a new habitat when they grow.

How many will you keep together? The more you have the larger the habitat will have to be.

You then need to decide if you will keep them indoors or outdoors and obtain the correct container to suite. This can vary from pond liners for outdoors to glass or plastic containers when kept indoors.

Whether kept indoors or outdoors the habitat that terrapin turtles live in has to be both wet and dry.

A very important factor that you must be aware of is that the temperature must be conducive for that species to ensure its well-being.

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Turtle Age - Tips to Help You Determine Your Turtle's Age

Turtle age - do you know how old your pet turtle is? Did you know that the average lifespan of a turtle kept as a pet is forty years? A turtle can even live much longer than that - up to 100 years, probably longer than its original owner! The turtle's longevity also varies according to the type or class to which it belongs in the animal kingdom. It is astonishing to know that the oldest turtle on record lived to be two hundred and fifty years old!

Let's examine some interesting facts about the turtle, and see if we can figure out how old your new pet is!

Studies show that turtles first appeared on the earth over two million years ago. This remarkable fact makes them one of the oldest-known creatures on our planet. Turtles have been called living fossils, meaning there has been little change in the species since their first appearance on earth!

Turtle ownership has become more and more popular over the years. Hence, it is now normal to have a pet turtle passed from one generation of a family to the next, so that, in some instances, the pet turtle can actually and amazingly outlive its original owners!

Determining the correct age of a turtle may not be definitive. For pet owners who have just acquired their turtles, their pets' ages cannot be known for sure, especially if they were just captured from the wild.

In the past, people have theorized that counting the rings or lines on the turtle's shell is a way of determining its age. Unfortunately, this is not a reliable method. The turtle's shell may be damaged over time, making the number of rings unclear. Layers of the carapace will fall off during its lifetime, and the turtle may go through growth spurts, developing more than one ring per year. As turtles mature, the markings or lines on their shells also become less-defined, or may even deteriorate. This, in turn, would make counting the rings difficult and unreliable. Therefore, we should use this method of turtle age determination only as an estimate of years.

It is the responsibility of human beings to ensure turtles achieve long and healthy life spans in the wild by enacting and enforcing laws to protect their natural habitats. In captivity, pet turtles can suffer from illnesses and die if their requirements for proper nutrition and habitat are not provided by their owners.

Turtles have also been counted among the animals that are in danger of becoming extinct. This is brought upon by the loss of their natural habitat; whether by greedy poachers illegally removing them from the wild or by developers encroaching on their feral habitat.

The crucial fact to be considered, therefore, is not determining the turtle's exact age, but in ensuring that it will actually experience and enjoy a long life. This is where your task as a responsible pet owner comes in. With the proper nourishment and exercise, housing that comes as close to replicating the natural habitat of the turtle as possible, and protection from predators and improper handling, your pet turtle will be sure to live many years, and may even be inherited by the next generation in your family!

Karma Williams is a pet turtle care enthusiast who has raised turtles for over 23 years, and enjoys helping others get started in this amazing hobby. You can discover more about turtles by visiting the turtle age page of her website. Get your free 10 part Pet Turtle Care mini course, valued at $49, by visiting her PetTurtleCenter website and requesting it. Her newest eBook entitled "The Ultimate Guide to Pet Turtle Care" teaches turtle lovers everything they need to know about acquiring, caring for, and feeding pet turtles so that they stay healthy, contented, and will thrive for years and years to come!

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Baby Snapping Turtles - What You Should Know Before Getting One

Are you thinking of getting a baby snapping turtle? You may have seen one at a local pet store. It is also common for people to pick some of these turtles up from their backyards or surrounding areas. You may think it would be nice to keep the cute babies as pets. You should know though that there is a lot to keeping a snapping turtle as a pet. You should consider keeping them only if you are capable of doing so. Here's what you should know about snapping turtle pets.

Baby Snapping Turtle Growth and Size

The most common mistake of potential pet owners is that they think snappers stay cute. They are later surprised to learn that snapping turtles can become very large. On average, these turtles can grow up to 8-16 inches. There have been some however that have reached more or less 20 inches. Their average weight is 30 lbs. but some can reach to double the average weight. These turtles grow fast. From a mere 2 inches as babies, they can grow to their full minimum average length in two years.

It is when the turtles are at their maximum growth that they become difficult to take care of. Pet owners become even more alarmed when they find out that these turtles can live for very long. From the moment they are born, snapping turtles can live for four decades more. Unprepared pet owners eventually realize that they got more than they bargained for. They may therefore abandon their pets, leave them in zoos or put them up for adoption.

Baby Snapping Turtle Habitat

The maximum growth capacity of a baby snapping turtle is not your only concern. You also need to think about where it is going to live. In the beginning, your baby turtle may be comfortable with just a ten-gallon tank. You then have to add ten gallons for every inch that your turtle grows. You may have to prepare a hundred gallon tank.

Snapping turtles also can't be house trained like dogs and cats. Although they are enclosed in an aquarium or pond, they can quickly make their environment dirty. Aside from the large volumes of waste that they excrete, they also have the tendency to churn up their habitat bottoms. They can also muddle up the decorations and items that you have set up in the aquarium. This means that you will have to constantly monitor and clean their environment.

Baby Snapping Turtle Temperament

Snapping turtles are generally mild mannered when in their natural water environment. When the occasion calls for it though, they can bite people and eat other animals. They could also hiss and take an aggressive stance. A snapping turtle pet is capable of doing the same thing. It could bite you or other animals around it, including other snapping turtles. This means you may have to take the extra effort to provide a completely separate home for your snapping turtle.

These are only some of the basic considerations when taking care of a snapping turtle. It is already obvious however, based on these points alone that it is no joke to decide to take in a baby snapping turtle. Do think your decision over a couple of times. You certainly want to provide a clean and happy home for your turtle.

Don't end up with a turtle you don't want. Learn more about the Snapper Turtle and how to care for it at: http://www.TurtleTanks.Org/snapper-turtle.html

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