Terrapins at home: content, nutrition

Many buy turtles as an exotic gift to a child. But after a while the baby gets bored? and he is thrown out or condemned to certain death.

Remember, before taking responsibility in the face of a river turtle, you should understand: this is a living pet, not a toy that can be played and thrown away. Therefore, if you decide to purchase such a home animal, you should know how to feed this omnivorous beast and how to contain it.

Where should I keep my pet?

Since the river bug is an amphibian creature, it must be maintained in a specially-equipped aquaterrarium.

In this place there must be water and land so that the animal can dry its shell and bask in the sun. Above the aquaterrarium you need to fix the heating lamp, at a height of 25 centimeters. The habitat should be equipped with an aquarium filter and heater. In addition, above the house is to install an ultraviolet lamp. Without it, the animal will start to hurt.

In such a house, the river bug will be cozy and comfortable, spending your leisure time and eating.

What does this bug eat?

The nature of many amphibious creatures is predatory. For this reason, river turtles eat dry food very poorly. Most often, the pet refuses this food. Therefore, it is not even worth buying food.

At home, feed a river turtle must be fresh or frozen meat. In order for the shell of the animal to be strong and durable, it is necessary to feed it to a pet - aquarium mollusks, which are always sold in pet shops. Experienced breeders of turtles, breed mollusks on their own in aquariums, to more often pamper their pets with a fresh delicacy. Mollusks are a source of high-grade calcium and various nutrients necessary for the normal functioning of the turtle.

At home, river turtles eat fresh fish. They are just crazy about fish. You can feed any fish to an animal, but so that it has few bones. Carcass, fish cut into pieces and give a turtle to its saturation.

In addition to fresh meat and fish with clams, the river turtle eats:

1. small insects: locusts, mosquitoes and beetles,
2. the larvae
3. invertebrates: earthworms,
4. crustaceans,
5. seaweed
6. plants.

Feed your pet need a balanced! Therefore, in the diet of a river turtle should be: fish, meat and mollusks with insects. Feed only fish or meat can not be! By the way, plant food is of little interest to this animal.

How is the feeding process?

This amphibian creature prefers to eat its food in water. Especially try to feed your pet with live insects so that she can warm up and hunt for prey.

Meat and fish are given in small portions. The turtle itself catches food and its paws, divides it into necessary pieces for eating.

River bug - a glutton. The animal eats a lot and often, and therefore, you will have to change its water every day so that the pet lives in a clean aquaterrarium.
It is advisable to change the water immediately after feeding, because at this time the turtle can be placed on its bank, where it can warm up and enjoy a full life.

If the cat refuses his favorite delicacy - urgently to a specialist, perhaps the animal is sick. Usually, when a river turtle lives in good conditions, it eats balanced and receives appropriate care - it does not get sick and lives to 25 years.

Turtle species

The Emydidae family includes about ninety-five species, united in thirty-three genera, which inhabit the freshwater bodies of America, Europe, Asia, and North-West Africa. Many aquatic representatives of the family have a bright color, beautifully painted head, legs and shell.

Today we will focus on two types of these animals, which are most often bred at home. These are Far Eastern trionyx and red-eared turtle. These are cold-blooded animals that need warm, balanced nutrition, with the obligatory addition of vitamins and minerals. About what to feed the terrapin at home, we will tell a little later.

As a pet, a red-eared or a marsh beget. They are distinguished by their small size and relative ease of care. Despite its small size, this reptile lives for quite a long time.

Watery red-eared turtle at home

Such an experienced pet and experienced and aquarists, and novices in this matter. Domestic aquatic turtles at home do not give special care to the owner. They are small and have a rather long lifespan.

The reptile got its name for two spots that are on the sides of the head. They may be yellow, deep orange or bright red. The length of the shell can vary from 11 cm to 60 cm. It depends on the age of the bug. It has an oval-rounded, streamlined shape. The entire shell is covered with horn-shaped plates-shields. The toes of the paws end in sharp claws and are connected by membranes. The head is covered with soft skin.

The main factors contributing to comfortable reptile maintenance at home are temperature, lighting (including ultraviolet radiation), water filtration.

Another representative of aquatic turtles who like to keep at home aquarists. Trionix is ​​a soft-bodied reptile that has a long neck, which distinguishes it from other members of a large family. Her paws have three fingers with sharp and strong claws. The structural features of the trionix are due to the aquatic lifestyle. They spend most of their time digging into soft ground. It can be silt, fine sand or small stones. Thus they watch for prey.

We equip an aquarium

Terrapins at home in the first place in need of an aquarium. Home for them to become aquaterrarium. It should be horizontal, and its length should be at least twice the height, since for this species of reptiles, the area of ​​their “house” is more important than the size.

Turtles grow very quickly, so choose a spacious aquaterrarium so that your pet can move freely in it. The water part should occupy about 2/3 of the total area. It is advisable to make the “coast” of the basin flat, as in natural conditions, so that your pet can easily go to the island of land.

The content of the water turtle in the home should fully comply with its habits in the natural environment. It is necessary to know that in spite of the fact that this reptile is called water reptile, it does not spend all the time in water. She definitely needs an island of land where she can warm up and dry her shell.

Island land

The size of such an island depends on the size of your pet. It should fit freely there completely. It is necessary to take into account that the island should be of such a form that the water flowing from the tortoise does not stagnate on it. It should be made of non-slip materials. Today, such islands can offer you in pet stores. It will save your time on its construction.

For an aquarium, a filter for water purification and a UV lamp are needed. Without ultraviolet turtles poorly absorb calcium. The bottom of the aquarium spread pebbles or coarse soil. The reptile will definitely try the ground with his teeth, so the size of the pebbles should be larger than the head of a turtle. When buying, find out what breed it belongs to. The temperature of the water in the aquarium depends on this.

Lighting and ventilation

It is impossible to overpower the terrarium with light, but you should not save on lighting. Terrapins, contained at home, especially appreciate the sun. They are vital to additional ultraviolet radiation, since its deficiency can provoke the development of various diseases. Today, such UV lamps can be selected from a huge range of products from domestic and foreign manufacturers. They have different power and price category. The choice of lamp depends on the size of the terrarium, the number of turtles living in it, etc. A detailed consultation will be given to you by the pet shop sellers. But experienced aquarists recommend purchasing such devices with a five percent UVB.

Water turtles spend the whole day in the aquaterrarium. At home, your pet can only be deposited in another container with water at the time of cleaning or feeding. Do not let him go to the floor, as the animal may get some kind of infection or be injured.

Proper care of the water turtle at home involves the installation of a powerful filter. Even with it, you should not forget about the partial or complete replacement of water, at least once a week.

Aquaterrarium must be equipped with good ventilation. But do not confuse ventilation with drafts. These reptiles are very afraid of them, they can get colds.

What to feed water turtles at home?

This question worries many lovers of these cute animals. It should be noted that it should be approached very seriously. Your pet's health and longevity depend on 80% of how you feed a terrapin at home.

The diet should include lean fish, without sharp bones. It is cut into small pieces, depending on the size of your pet. One fish should not be limited. It should be alternated with seafood, aquarium snails. Do not give up turtles and beef liver or earthworms.

Occasionally, you can diversify the diet of chicken or beef. All products are raw. Adult turtles can add vegetable food to the menu. It can be lettuce, pieces of pear, cucumber or apple. But most often aquatic turtles in the home feed on special dry food, as they perfectly balance the content of all the necessary vitamins and trace elements.

Pets who have a length of less than ten centimeters should be fed every day, and individuals larger than this size should be fed no more than three times a week. A portion is made up of the amount of food that an animal eats in thirty to forty minutes. At the time of feeding, it is advisable to plant the animals in a special container with water so as not to clog the water in the permanent turtle house. We hope that you have learned that turtles are eating at home. These tips will help keep your pet healthy for years to come.

Water purification

Most often, aquatic members of the family eat perishable food. In addition, the natural excretions of animals severely pollute the terrarium. Previously, owners of such pets had to change the water several times a week. Now, due to the fact that today there are modern filters of various designs on the market, care for them has become much easier.

For a small aquarium with small individuals, an ordinary internal filter equipped with a sponge will suffice. Such filters that are suitable for small reservoirs, today there are many. They do an excellent job with their task and purify water from small and medium-sized particles of dirt.

Recently, special devices have appeared and have become very popular, greatly simplifying the care of aquaterrariums. This is a "biological filter". They use special bacteria that remove nitrogen compounds.

In addition, in the pet store you will be offered specialized fillers, which, as a rule, are made by foreign manufacturers. They help keep the water in perfect condition for a long time and prevent the development of bacteria in it.

What should I look for?

If you do not care for your turtle properly, your pet may become sick. The owner should be very attentive to the appearance of symptoms such as:

• curve or soft shell,
• swollen or constantly closed eyes,
• peeling skin
• lack of appetite,
• runny nose

A sick pet moves a little, spends a lot of time on an island of land, often refuses to feed. In such cases, cases of delay can not be - it is urgently necessary to show the vet. For the treatment of the turtle, it will be necessary to find a specialist who deals with these animals, since it is difficult to diagnose them.

Care for the water bug should give pleasure to the owner, only in this case both the person and the animal will be satisfied. If you are too busy in the service, and therefore circumstances will not allow you to pay proper attention to the bug, wait a little longer with the purchase. Otherwise, the content of such a cute pet will turn into a boring duty for you, which will lead to illnesses and even his death.

Diet

In the diet of aquatic turtle must necessarily be present protein. It is vital for the health of your pet, therefore, it’s unacceptable to keep a predatory aquatic turtle on a vegetable diet. Experts recommend this proportion of animal and plant food:

• 70-90% in the diet should be food of animal origin, the priority should be given to fish and seafood, but with great pleasure reptile eat and meat, such as young mice and rats, with the rats preferred.
• Up to 20% of the diet may contain food of plant origin. You can feed a water turtle with lettuce, plantain, clover, seaweed, carrot tops and wheat germ.
• No more than 10% of the nutrition can be dry specialized feed containing vitamin D3 and other necessary trace elements and vitamins.

And now let's take a closer look at what to feed the aquatic turtle at home and make a list of suitable products.

Fish and seafood

The basis of the diet should be food, which is a habit for reptiles, i.e. one that your pet eats in its natural habitat, most of it is fish and seafood.

The fish should not be fat, and small in size. The ideal option would be if the turtle can swallow the fish entirely with bones and head. It is not necessary to give a live feed to a turtle, but experts recommend to keep the predator's instinct from time to time to release live fish to an aquarium (or a special feeder). Larger fish is better to cut into pieces and remove the scales. The following types of fish are suitable for feeding:

Caviar can also be offered to the turtle.

Fatty fish, before giving the reptile should be cut into pieces and pour over boiling water, then hold for some time in hot water. It is better to refrain from feeding the turtle with such fish:

Fish is recommended to alternate with other seafood, such as:

• Crustaceans (crayfish, crabs, squid) - in limited quantities and monitor the response to such food. Give only meat from the tail. Shell and internal organs throw away.
• Raw shrimp with shell. The shell contains a large amount of calcium, necessary for the turtle. You can give in unlimited quantities.
• Frogs. You can give in unlimited quantities. The frog must be small in size, purchased at a specialty store or bred specifically for feeding. To catch and give to food toads from the next rate is not worth it.
• Mussels, octopuses. You can give in unlimited quantities. Buy also in the store or from people who are engaged in the breeding of live food for sale.

Meat and Insects

Insects can be used as an additional food, feed insects on the aquatic turtle no more than once a week. For individuals under two years of age, from insect feeding should refrain. Insects can be stored in the refrigerator and offer reptiles after defrosting. Dry, live and stunned insects are also suitable. In any case, you should observe the reaction to such feed your pet.

For the diet of a turtle, the following types of insects are suitable:

• Grasshoppers and crickets. A rich source of calcium, it is better not to offer the pet live.
• Any non-venomous snail species. Excellent source of protein, can be easily grown for feeding at home. You can give in live.
• Cockroaches. Of course, catching a domestic cockroach is not worth it. Inquire about the presence of marble cockroaches in the pet store and offer them to your pet. Madagascar cockroach do not give a turtle.
• Worms The usual earthworm, well washed from the ground, and also a flour worm. Although some breeders do not recommend eating tortoises with worms, complaining about diseases of the gastrointestinal tract.

Of the meat products can offer turtle chicken or other lean meat poultry. Occasionally, you can give beef. Chicken or beef liver will also be enjoyed by the turtle. Fatty meat such as lamb or pork should be discarded.

Vegetable feed

To feed a sea turtle at home with vegetable food should be no more than two or three times a month. Предлагать корм растительного происхождения следует исключительно взрослым особям, достигшим двух лет.

Связано это с тем, что с возрастом черепахи накапливают нужное количество белка и не требуют столь интенсивного роста, как молодые особи. It is also worth understanding that your turtle can refuse vegetable food, for example, trionyx will treat such food with contempt, and most likely will leave untouched.

As a vegetable feed, you can offer your pet plants that are suitable for feeding land turtles:

• Young leaves of dandelion, plantain, nettle.
• Sprouted wheat, young shoots of carrots.
• Young cabbage leaf or salad.
• Various seaweed, sea kale in a dry form.
• Cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkin.
• Apples, banana, pear.

Prohibited Products

The products that can not feed the sea turtle include:

• fatty fish and meat, as well as minced meat,
• dairy products (cheese, milk, cottage cheese),
• eggs and eggshells in any form,
• crab sticks and other preservatives,
• salty, peppered food.

Where to feed and how often

When asked how much to feed domestic aquatic turtles, the answer is the same as in the case of their land counterparts. For young individuals it will be enough once a day, better in the morning. For reptiles that have reached the age of two, you can offer food two or three times a week, and adults are also best fed in the morning, although for sea turtles this is not as important as for land turtles. If your little turtle loves to eat at night - do not deny her the pleasure.

To feed a water turtle at home is best in a separate container. This is due primarily to the fact that the remains of fish and other food of animal origin, will remain in the aquarium, thereby polluting it. If you do not drop the bug into a separate container, you will have to change the water in the reptile aquarium two or even three times a week. To avoid unpleasant odors and possible illness of a pet, the easiest way is to purchase a small aquarium for feeding the turtles, or another container, where to place the turtles during the meal. After the turtle eats, return it to the aquarium.

Now you know how to feed domestic water turtles, and we hope that this information will help your pet to stay healthy for many years.

The most common types of turtles

It turns out that there are a huge number of turtles in the world. They are both water and land, both predatory and herbivorous. And each species requires its own special care and creation of certain conditions for the pet. Perhaps the most frequently troubling potential host for turtles is how to feed a turtle at home. The list of products is quite extensive, with a huge number of options, but depending primarily on the type of turtle. The most common of these, which can easily be found in urban pet stores, are small aquatic turtles. Among them are slender, red-eared, painted, pilospinnye and others.

If the red-eared turtle appeared at home

Let's look at the example of a red-eared pet than to feed a turtle at home river. This species is quite omnivorous and feeds on a wide variety of food types without any problems. It should be noted that in this case, it is the diversity that plays an important role in nutrition, as it helps to maintain the overall health of the turtle. You can feed it not only with artificial feed, sold in the finished form in the store, but you should definitely add vegetables, food insects, small fish, invertebrates to the diet. Also the red-eared turtle loves aquarium plants very much. They are unpretentious, and the turtle will always have fresh food. But, besides the breadth and balance of the daily diet, an important role for the health of pets is played by the calcium content in food. Not only the durability of the shell, but even the lifespan of the reptile depends on this element. Therefore, it is important to take care of a balanced diet with a high calcium content, which is necessary for the formation and growth of the tortoise shell.

Can turtles and fish live together?

What to feed a little turtle at home? Young red-eared turtles are very omnivorous and voracious enough for such a small size. But as they grow and mature, they have the peculiarity of becoming herbivorous vegetarians. Although at any age these turtles will never give up live prey or have fallen, but feeding these long-awaited treats for them should be only occasionally, because overfeeding can cause discomfort, illness, and even lead to the death of the animal. With great pleasure, they eat insects, snails, small fish, worms, crickets and so on. When purchasing a bug, you must first prepare for this event and very responsibly examine all the information about the selected type.

Guppy fishes - a delicacy for any turtle

If you own an aquarium with fish, it is not necessary to settle in the same turtle. She will simply eat all the inhabitants of the aquarium and remain the full mistress of the vacated territory, if, of course, this does not affect her life. But you can use fish, such as the same guppies, for feeding your pet. This will greatly please your beloved turtle. But you shouldn't get carried away either, otherwise your reptile will suffer from overeating.

Fresh vegetables are important in the diet of every living thing.

Being interested in how to feed a turtle at home is aquatic, few people think about the possibility of using not only store food. Fresh vegetables are very important even for reptiles and in the daily diet of a turtle there must be at least a small percentage of natural plant foods. Even if it seems to you that your tortoise ignores them, still continue to periodically place fresh vegetables on them, for example, such as slices of cucumbers or zucchini. They contain such essential fiber for turtles fiber, calcium, vitamins A and K.

The most familiar conditions

An excellent option for feeding pets is the most common and fairly common aquarium algae, because they are very similar to those that the turtle eats in natural habitat, that is, in nature. In addition, duckweed, eelthorn, lyudwigia, Ricciia, lettuce leaves, scalded dandelions or nettle, lumps of filamentous algae can be used. Vegetable feed is very important to feed not only young offspring, but already adult and even old turtles. Experts recommend a diet of seventy-five percent of vegetables and aquarium plants.

But it is important not only how to feed a turtle at home, but how often to do it. Small turtles need to be fed every day, but a turtle older than a year can be delighted with delicacies in a day or even two.

It is very important

In the diet of turtles must be present mineral supplements and vitamins. After all, your pet cannot find and obtain food for itself. He is completely in this matter depends on you. A turtle can get sick without getting the necessary substances for health and growth, which is why it is so important to know exactly what to feed a turtle at home and to regularly update its knowledge. Another nutritional characteristic of red-eared turtles is the inability to take dry food. She will always take away any food under water to swallow it, since turtles lack the ability to produce saliva. Therefore, before making such an acquisition, it is very important to study in advance how to feed the terrapin at home. On this depends the health and longevity of the animal.

Consider seller experience and competence.

It is necessary not only to know what to feed the turtle at home, but also not to confuse the type of the selected pet. After all, some sellers may, consciously or through inexperience, confuse a freshwater turtle with a land turtle, and then, clearly following the instructions on how to feed a turtle at home with water, if you have a land turtle instead, it will cause the animal to simply die in the water. The marsh turtle becomes the most frequent victim of such ignorance. It is slightly different in appearance, but in terms of food has its own characteristics, therefore, before you buy it, you need to know exactly what to feed the marsh turtle at home.

Experts recommend using only low-fat fish, such as pollock, hake. You can also include in her diet beef liver, but no more than once a week. The marsh turtle is a gourmet food and has a very positive attitude to mussels and shrimps. Also, those who are interested in how to feed a swamp turtle at home, do not hurt to know about the benefits of plant foods, such as dandelions, plantain leaves or lettuce. And naturally, in the diet of these interesting creatures can not do without vitamin and mineral supplements.

Meat is completely excluded.

More rare species of domestic turtles are tortoises. In order to understand how to feed a turtle at home overland, you need to firmly remember one thing - they are representatives of herbivorous reptiles. Never give them meat. They just get sick and die. The main food for those who do not know how to feed a turtle at home overland should be any edible vegetables and fruits. It can be cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, cabbage. Also in the diet you can include low-fat cottage cheese and hard-boiled eggs. A true treat for your pet will be the oat-flakes. It does not need to be boiled, just fill it with water, and your turtle will be in the seventh heaven.

Another thing you can feed a turtle at home is with earthworms and garden snails, from which you must first remove the hard shell. As in the case of aquatic turtles, the terrestrial at a young age must be fed every day with animal food, and adults are transferred to plant food and fed them every other day, but abundantly. Keep land turtles also need to be in a terrarium that has a container of water.

The turtle needs love too

It is very important to understand that a turtle is a living creature that requires care and attention, and not a toy that can be played enough and left to fend for itself. If you chose these reptiles, not similar to anyone, go responsibly to the question of how to feed a turtle at home. After all, the health and life of your pet depends on it. The more seriously you treat the conditions of its existence, the longer the turtle will be able to please you. Contact when buying a turtle to experienced sellers who can tell you what to feed a terrapin at home, and what a land turtle, so that later you don’t have to guess what your pet died from, because you fed it.

Nutrition Features of turtles

Depending on the type of food, there are three main subgroups of domestic turtles:

• Predatory species in most cases feed on meat, but approximately 10% of the diet should be compiled with a variety of products of plant origin. Such species include many aquatic turtles, as well as young red-eared and marsh turtles,
• Herbivorous species need plant and vegetable crops, as well as fruits, but rarely use a small amount of lean meat products for food. Such exotics include land Central Asian and Mediterranean species,
• omnivorous species eat the same amount of meat products and main plant crops. This group is represented by red-eared, marsh and red-legged turtles.

It is necessary to feed domestic turtles correctly, as the metabolism is perceptibly disturbed with an incorrectly formulated diet.. The quality of life of exotics deteriorates, and various diseases associated with the digestive system arise.

Herbivorous turtles

The main daily ration of the herbivore turtles include lettuce and cabbage leaves, as well as dandelion leaves and herbs, the amount of which should be about 80% of the total diet.

Vegetable products represented by zucchini, cucumbers, carrots and tomatoes can also be attributed to the main products, the amount of which can reach 15% of the daily menu. The remaining 5-6% should be bananas, pears and apples, berry crops.

Supplement for the main ration of herbivorous turtles are the products presented:

• champignons and other easily digestible types of edible mushrooms,
• plant crops in the form of sorrel, plantain, coltsfoot, lawn grass, thistle leaves, aerial parts of clover, peas and timothy grass, germinated oats and veronica,
• fruits and berries in the form of orange, mandarin, mango, plum, apricot, peach and melon,
• vegetables in the form of Bulgarian sweet pepper, beet, onion feather, carrot tops, squash and pumpkin, artichoke and horseradish, as well as main legumes,
• berries in the form of watermelon, strawberries and wild strawberries, raspberries and blackberries.

To supplement the daily diet also need to bran, raw sunflower seeds, dry yeast and dry sea kale.

Important! Veterinarians and experienced owners of domestic turtles recommend the use of special dry rations intended for feeding on land breeds produced under the well-known brands Wardley, Tetra and Sera.

Once a week it is mandatory to give a hard-boiled egg to homemade exotic, and once every four weeks - garden snails and slugs, or fairly large insects.

Predatory turtles

The main daily ration of the predatory tortoise includes low-fat varieties of river and sea fish, including pollock, hake, cod, saffron and perch species, as well as fresh beef or chicken liver.

Such products are given to homemade exotica about once a week. Adult pets eat pieces of fish with the addition of finely crushed ridge. Young individuals need to chop products into fairly small pieces.

Supplement for the main ration of the predatory tortoise are the products presented:

• raw seafood, including shrimps with shells, squids, octopus tentacles, mussels and oysters,
• crab meat, frogs, fodder hairless mice or lab rats,
• ground snails, large pond fish, ampullaria and coils,
• some insects, including bugs, fodder cockroaches, earthworms and meal worms, hairless caterpillars, bloodworms, shaker and woodlouse.

Vegetable components in the form of aquatic plants, fruits and vegetables, some types of cabbage are also necessary for domestic turtles for full development.

It is categorically impossible to feed a homemade predatory bug with the following products:

• beef fat meat
• pork,
• lamb meat
• sausage,
• pate,
• cheeses of any kind,
• milk and dairy products,
• bakery products.

It is interesting! A very good result is the use of special industrial rations for feeding, which can be loose, granulated, in the form of tablets or capsules, as well as flakes or fortified sticks.

Omnivorous turtles

The main daily ration of the omnivorous tortoise includes vegetable feed and animal products, given in equal amounts. Land omnivorous turtles need to be fed with animal food in the form of feeding mice, rats and frogs, insects, snails and slugs, and aquatic mice with fish menu and seafood.

Plant foods for land exotics include land plants, vegetables, some fruits and vegetables, and aquatic species prefer algae and any other non-toxic aquatic plants.

What, how and when to feed the turtle

It is recommended to feed the domestic turtle during daytime hours when the exotic pet is most active.. It is also allowed to give food with the onset of the evening, but always a few hours before the night’s sleep.

It is interesting! Despite the fact that domestic turtles belong to pets, which are quite capable of doing without food for several days, and sometimes several weeks, in order to preserve their health, they must be fed not only correctly, but regularly.

A hungry pet constantly and very actively examines the bottom of the terrarium or aquarium. If the turtle for too long refuses to feed, then it is very important to show the exotic to a qualified veterinarian.

Among other things, loss of appetite is observed in newly acquired or adapting to unusual conditions of animals.

It is important to remember that the transfer of exotics from one type of diet to another food must be performed gradually, at least for a couple of weeks.

If in one terrarium or aquarium there are several individuals of different ages at once, then it is necessary to control the feeding process without fail so that all animals receive a sufficient amount of food.

Land Turtle Feeding

Land species of turtles feed, as a rule, with fodder of plant origin:

• cabbage
• dandelion leaves and lettuce,
• fresh carrots,
• beetroot
• fresh apples and pear,
• cucumbers and tomatoes.

Периодически обязательно нужно рацион сухопутной черепахи дополнять вареным куриным или перепелиным яйцом. Кроме всего прочего, ежедневно таким экзотам должны даваться специальные кальциевые и витаминные добавки.It is necessary to feed such pets moderately to completely eliminate the risk of overfeeding.

Young and actively growing individuals are recommended to be fed a couple of times a day, and already an adult land turtle once a day. About once a week, it is desirable to arrange a home exotics fasting day.

It is interesting! Ground turtles willingly eat meat that needs to be doused with boiling water and cut into relatively small pieces.

Meat that has not undergone sufficient heat treatment can provoke the defeat of exotic salmonellosis. The young turtle must learn to take food from tweezers.

Water turtle feeding

For the feeding of young turtles of aquatic species most often used are the bloodworm, the shaker, the dried daphnia and gammarus, the earthworms, and also the special concentrates, which are intended for feeding the usual aquarium fish.

Large adult terrapins need raw or boiled chicken meat or lean beef. Occasionally you can feed the water exotic cooked for a couple of minutes fillet of sea fish.

Important! The diet of domestic turtles must necessarily include insects, represented by the larvae of the mealy Khrushchok, domestic cockroaches and various beetles.

Older specimens perfectly tolerate plant food in the form of virtually any algae, with the exception of elodea and poisonous limnophila, as well as pond duckweed, thoroughly washed with boiled water. Quite worthy replacement for algae will also be leaves of garden salad or dandelion leaves.

All feed is poured directly into the water. The amount of food should not be excessive, since uneaten food residues quickly rot in the aquatic environment, making the space of the aquarium unfit for living exotic.

Periodically, you can give the aquatic turtle live small aquarium fish. Guppies and swordtails, as well as goldfish, are best suited for this purpose.

Forage for turtles do it yourself

Very common and affordable, in terms of self-production, a treat for domestic turtles is the feed mixture, which is based on vegetable agar-agar or edible gelatin of animal origin.

Such food is not only able to completely solve the issue of complete feeding of the turtle, but also allows you to make the pet's diet as diverse, nutritious and healthy as possible.

To prepare you need to purchase the main ingredients presented:

• cabbage - 50g,
• apples - 50g,
• carrots - 50g,
• sea ​​fish - 145g,
• a pair of raw eggs,
• raw squid - 100g,
• dry milk - 150g,
• gelatin - 30g,
• clean drinking water - 150ml
• "Tetravit" - 20 drops,
• "Calcium glycerophosphate" - 10 tablets.

Gelatin should be dissolved in water, which will provide a basis for the nutrient mixture, to which you must add all of the above ingredients, as well as crushed tablets "Glycerophosphate Calcium" and "Tetravit".

Important! pre-grind all the ingredients in a meat grinder or blender, and then mix thoroughly.

The finished nutrient mixture must be stored in the refrigerator. Before giving the animal, such food is cut into small cubes and warmed at room temperature. This number of ingredients is designed for the preparation of ten full servings for feeding an adult.

What can not feed the turtle

Categorically it is impossible to feed domestic turtles, regardless of their type, a number of products.

Here are some of them:

• poisonous plants in the form of solanaceae, ranunculus and medicinal plants containing alkaloids,
• dieffenbachia and euphorbia, azalea and oleander, elodea and lagenandra, ambulia, daffodils and crocuses, cyclamen and euphorbia, delphinium and foxglove, hydrangea, jasmine and lily, lobelia and lupine, mistletoe, and hydrangea, jasmine and lilium, lobella and lupine, mistletoe, and hydrangea, jasmine and lilium, lobella and lupine, mistletoe, and hydrangea, jasmine and lilium, lobella and lupine, mistletoe, and hydrangea, jasmine and lilium, lobella and lupine, mistletoe, and hydrangea, jasmine and lilium, lobella and lupine, mistletoe, and hydrangea;
• peel any citrus crops,
• berry and fruit pits,
• root crop and tops of radish and radish,
• canned and dry prepared food for any warm-blooded pets,
• porridges, cheese, bread, milk and cottage cheese, boiled or fried foods.

It should be remembered that the stomach and intestinal tract of a tortoise are not at all adapted to the process of digesting boiled, stewed or roasted meat, which is caused by the absence of enzymes in the body of enzymes able to break down proteins that have been denatured during heat treatment.

Among other things, a large number of the following products are extremely harmful for a home turtle of any kind:

• spinach,
• cabbage
• pea,
• bean sprouts,
• turnip
• leaf mustard,
• radish
• wild cruciferous plants,
• tomatoes,
• asparagus
• cereals and cereals,
• wild mushrooms,
• canned or fresh pineapple,
• raw liver or kidneys,
• too fatty varieties of marine fish,
• river fish,
• lamb and pork,
• any nuts.

You can not give turtles a large number of potatoes, celery and lettuce, turnip and garlic, garden aromatic greens, as well as too sweet fruit or berries. Meat abuse often causes rickets in a tortoise..

Also, be sure to remember that ready-made special rations, which consist of a large amount of fish meal, as well as supplemented with dyes or preservatives, can harm the homemade exotic.