How to Raise a Turtle

Turtles may not be as cute as dogs or cats, but they make great pets. Turtles can live for decades, so you must be ready to accept the long-term responsibility before you decide to buy a turtle. To keep turtles happy and healthy, you need to provide them with shelter, food, and good hygiene. Each species of tortoise has different needs, so you should ask the seller for specific instructions on caring for the turtle.

Table of Contents

Prepare suitable accommodation for turtles

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Prepare the turtle as wide as possible. Raise turtles in a large aquarium. As a general rule, the tank capacity will be 40 liters for every 2.5 cm of shell length. You should keep in mind the exact space requirements of your tortoise depending on the species.

If you have a baby turtle, you need to find out how big it will grow as an adult. Suppose you buy a baby turtle 10 cm long and a tank with a capacity of 150 liters, the tank will become too small when your turtle reaches 30 cm in size.
The tank must have a sturdy lid to prevent the turtles from escaping.
In addition, water turtles need water deep enough to swim. The water should be at least twice as deep as the turtle’s length.

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Spread peat moss or soil on the bottom of the tank. Mix the shavings and peat moss or sand and soil. Spread a layer of the mixture about 5-8 cm thick on the bottom of the tank. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Avoid spreading gravel on the bottom of the tank. Turtles can eat small pebbles and choke.

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Create a sunbathing area for turtles. Spread a layer of sand and soil or peat moss and shavings on one side of the tank so that it is higher than the other. Place smooth and wide river stones or driftwood on it. This area should be above the water and dry. ^{[2] X Research Source}

Make a slight slope on the peat moss or soil and river rocks so that it is not too steep for the turtle to climb easily.
Buy a turtle shelter at a pet store and place it on the sunbathing area. Your turtle will love it because it has a warm place to hide.
Remember that the water in the tank should be deeper if you have a water turtle. The turtle’s sunbathing area should be more than 2 times the turtle’s length to ensure it stays above the water at all times.

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Pour water into the tank. You can use tap water, as long as it doesn’t have a high concentration of chlorine. If you have a box turtle, you need to make sure the water level is shallow enough so that the turtle’s chin stays above the water when it is submerged in the water. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

Box turtles can drown in deep water. If you keep water turtles like pond turtles, don’t forget that the water should be at least twice the depth of the turtle’s length. ^{[4] X Research Sources}
Look for a chlorine test kit online, at an aquarium or home store. If the chlorine concentration in tap water is higher than 0, you need to use bottled water or buy a dechlorinator at the aquarium store.

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Use a reptile heater to warm up the sunbathing area. An important factor when keeping turtles is to create a temperature difference between one hot side and one cool side. Buy a reptile heater at a pet store; Be sure to buy the correct reptile type. Install a thermometer in the tank, and make sure the sunbathing area is between 29-32 degrees Celsius ^{. [5] X Research Source}

If using incandescent bulbs, you will need to purchase additional UVA/UVB fluorescent bulbs. UV light provides vitamin D to the turtle to aid in calcium absorption.
UV lamps need to be replaced every 6 months or a year.
You need to turn off the lights at night, but make sure the temperature in the tank is not lower than 16 degrees Celsius. If the air and water temperature in the tank at night is too cold, put the tank on the heating mat and buy a heater. water at the pet store. ^{[6] X Research Source}
You should keep the UV lamp about 30 cm away from the turtle.
Ideally, you should install the tank at least 2 weeks before buying the turtle so that the temperature in the tank and surroundings can be adjusted accordingly.

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Install a water filter to keep the water clean. Buy a water purifier used for the minimum volume of water that must be more than double the tank in use. Let’s say you are keeping a water turtle in a 400 liter tank and fill it halfway with water. Thus, the tank contains 200 liters of water and you should buy a filter for 400 – 600 liters of water. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

When you go to a pet store, you should ask the staff there about buying a water purifier.
Even if you have a water purifier, you still have to use a racket to pick up turtle droppings and other debris in the tank every day. For cleaner water, you should feed the turtle in a separate tank.

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Buy a smaller tank for backup. Spare tanks are useful when you want to move turtles. In addition, you will have to clean the main tank regularly and need a place to temporarily house the turtles in the meantime. ^{[8] X Research Sources}

Because it is only for temporary use, the backup tank does not need to be large, as long as your turtle has a place to crawl around. To keep your turtle warm, switch the heater to a backup tank when you put your turtle in it.

Feed the turtles

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Buy food specifically for the species of turtle you are keeping. Most pet turtles need to eat vegetables and animal protein. Commercially available food can provide most of your turtle’s nutritional needs, but you’ll also need other foods to help keep your turtle healthy. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Feed the turtle more fish, invertebrates, and vegetables. Buy live or frozen guppies and minnows, worms, grasshoppers and crickets. Also, chop up vegetables like kale, lettuce, dandelion, and carrots for your turtle to eat. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Change the food so that the turtle eats well. You can feed your tortoise with ready-to-eat food 1-2 times a week, and 1-2 times a week with homemade food.
Food such as live fish and insects can help keep turtles excited.
To prevent the turtle from choking, you should cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces, smaller than the turtle’s beak.

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Feed the turtle 3-4 times a week. Most pet turtles need to be fed every 2 days, but you should check with the turtle dealer to be sure. Morning is the right time to feed turtles, as turtles are usually more active in the morning. The amount of food that should be given to turtles is a bit difficult to determine and there is no exact amount. ^{[11] X Research Source}

A general rule of thumb is to feed the turtle as much food as it can finish in 5 minutes. Observe when feeding your turtle for the first time to get an accurate estimate. Turtles are opportunistic eaters, and they often overeat if fed insatiably. ^{[12] X Research Source}
If you have a water turtle, put the food in the water. Water turtles cannot swallow when they are not in the water. Use a racket to pick up the food that the turtle has not eaten after 5 minutes to keep the water clean. ^{[13] X Research Source}
Feed the box turtle in a bowl, and remove the bowl after about 5 minutes.

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Add calcium to the turtle’s food every 2 meals. You can buy rock powder (calcium carbonate) online and at pet stores. Sprinkle a pinch on turtle food 1-2 times a week to meet your turtle’s calcium needs. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Turtles need a lot of calcium to keep their shells strong.
If you have a water turtle, you can also drop a block of calcium carbonate into the water for the turtle to gnaw on. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Caring for turtles always healthy

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Regularly check your turtle for signs of disease. Every 1-2 days check the turtle briefly, such as when feeding the turtle. Make sure the turtle skin and shell are smooth, without marks, blisters or darkening. Check the turtle’s eyes, nose, and beak for discharge or discoloration, and be sure to watch for unusual behavior. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Turtles are generally healthy, but they are prone to infections, malnutrition and eye problems. If you notice worrisome signs such as soft shells, wrinkled, cloudy eyes or blisters on your turtle’s skin, take your turtle to a veterinarian who has experience treating turtles.
Go online to find a good veterinarian in your area, or ask a turtle dealer or pet store for a recommendation.

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Use a racket to pick up turtle droppings from the tank every day. To keep the water as clean as possible, you need to clean up turtle droppings, food scraps, and other debris every day. Remember to wash your hands after touching the inside of the tank or when picking up the turtle. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Turtles carry salmonella bacteria that cause vomiting and diarrhea.

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Test the pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in the water every few days. Purchase an aquarium water test kit at an aquarium store or online. Make sure the water has a pH between 6.0 and 8.0 or almost neutral. The ammonia concentration should be zero, the nitrite concentration should be less than 0.5 ppm (parts per million), and the nitrate concentration should be less than 40 ppm. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

Turtles will drink water, so it’s important to check and keep the water clean. If the pH is not right, you can adjust it with chemicals that you can buy at the aquarium store. If your ammonia, nitrate or nitrite levels are too high, change the water and consider upgrading your water filter.

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Change 25% of the water in the tank every week. Use a bucket or siphon to drain ¼ of the water in the tank, then replace the same amount of new water into the tank. ^{[19] X Research Source}

The water in the tank has live beneficial bacteria; Whenever possible, you should avoid doing a complete water change.

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Clean the tank every 3 weeks. Move the turtle to the backup tank to clean the main tank. Leave ¼ to ½ of the water in the tank and drain any remaining water with peat moss or old soil. Scrub rocks, caves, and the inside of the tank with a solution of 1 part bleach to 10 parts warm water. ^{[20] X Research Sources}

Thoroughly rinse the tank and accessories, and be sure to thoroughly rinse the bleach solution. After you have thoroughly washed the tank and accessories, put everything back in place and fill the tank with water.
Remember to wash your hands and clean the sink or basin with bleach after washing the tank. Don’t forget that turtles carry diseases that can be transmitted to humans.

Advice

Make sure to always wash your hands after handling your turtle, after touching the inside of the tank, or when scrubbing the tank.
Specific turtle care depends on the species of tortoise, so you should ask your turtle breeder or pet store for your turtle’s exact needs.

Steps

Prepare suitable accommodation for turtles

Feed the turtles

Caring for turtles always healthy

Advice

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