turtle help!!!?

Question

i am going to get a turtle but i dont know too much about them. if u have any info about diet or health tips and how to keep it happy and healthy please tell me. thank you guys so much!

Answer 1

(For a water Turtle)
Feeding Most turtles must be fed directly in the water; otherwise they cannot swallow. You should feed your turtle a vitamin enriched pellet food like our Bulk Food, Nature Zone Aquatic Turtle Bites, HBH Turtle Bites or Pro Balance Turtle Food, all of which can be purchased in our Food and Treat area. Variety is the key to a healthy appetite and good health, along with the pellets you should offer some fruit and vegetables like romaine lettuce, duckweed, strawberries, bananas, and kelp to mention a few. Turtles also enjoy live foods once in a while like small crickets, snails and feeder fish. Small turtles should be fed every day and larger ones at least three times a week. Always remove excess food when the turtle shows no further interest in it. Some turtle keepers prefer to feed their pets in a separate container for easier tank cleaning, but some turtles will not feed when removed for their tank for feeding.

To show your turtle how special he is to you feed him some treats like Zoo Meds Turtle Treat, Freeze dried crickets, bloodworms and earthworms or Can-O-Crickets and Can-O-Snails. We carry all of these in our Food and Treat section.

Calcium and liquid or powdered vitamins should be added to their food to supplement their diet. like Rep-Cal, Jurassi Cal, JurassiVite and Nature Zones Turtle Vita Vega-Min. All of these fine products can be found in our Supplement and Medication sections.






Not Eating If your turtle is not eating dont worry about it. Often turtles will not eat when you first get them. Give them time to get use to you and their new home and they should start eating. Turtles go through stages when they dont eat, just cut back on the amount of food you offer them until they start to eat again. You can also offer them live foods like small crickets, earthworms or snails. If it has been over a week and you dont suspect illness we carry appetite enhancers in our Supplement section.

Housing Since turtles grow fast you should get the largest tank you can afford up front. Turtlesales.com carries the All Glass Turtle Tanks which are great starter tanks. Water depth depends on the type of turtle you have. Red Eared Sliders and Painted turtles like to swim, so they should have deeper water. Musks and Snapping Turtles are bottom walkers and their water should be shallow so they can easily reach the surface to breath. One guideline is to make the water depth two times the length of the turtles shell. For example a four inch RES should have eight inches of water. As with fish it is a good idea to use a water conditioner like JurassiSafe or Zoo Meds ReptiSafe to remove the chlorine and other chemicals from the water. Also to help keep the water cleaner between cleanings try Biotize Waste Degrader. All of these fine products can be found under Water Treatment. Young turtles are often shy and should have hiding places. We carry a variety of caves and plants that make great hiding places under Cliffs & Caves and Plants & Decorations.

Lighting For proper vitamin and calcium absorption and shell development UVA and UVB lighting is required. Zoo Meds ReptiSun is a highly recommended bulb for this and we carry it under Lamps. A clamp-on 60 or 75 Watt incandescent light fixture with a reflector is necessary to provide a basking area that is warmer than the water. Ideal basking area temperature is 85 - 90 F. We carry a variety of bulbs and reflectors under Lamps and Lighting Fixtures.

Basking Area Turtles must have a dry area to bask on to prevent soft shell and fungus problems. Here at turtlesales.com we carry Floating Islands and Zoo Meds Floating Turtle Docks and 2 Level Ramps under Basking Platforms. As stated above a basking area should have a clamp light with a 60 to 75 Watt basking bulb.

Heating Turtles are ectothermic (cold blooded) and depend on their environment to regulate their body temperature. Most water turtles do well with water temps in the mid 70s. To heat the water you can use a submersible heaters or under tank heaters like Four Paws Under Tank heaters. You should have a thermometer like Zoo Meds High Range Thermometer or Toms Aquarium Temp Alert to make sure the water doesnt get to warm or to cold. Check our Heaters and Heating Accessories sections for our full line of heating products.

Filtration Clean water is important for the health of your turtle. You should try to get a filter that is made for a larger tank then you have. For example if you have a 20 gallon tank, you should try to get a filter for a 40 gallon tank. The bigger the better. Turtles are very messy and need a strong filtration system. We have the Cascade 700 Canister Filter here at turtlesales.com which is a very good filter for a large tank and we also carry Fluval underwater filters and several smaller Cascade models in our Filters and Refills section.

As with any pet you should always wash your hands after handling them or cleaning their home. We recommend using Zoo Meds hand cleaner which can be found under Medications. We know that you love your pet, but for your safety please dont kiss your turtle.

(land tortoise)
Feeding Tortoises should be feed a high fiber diet of mixed fresh vegetables, canned foods like Zoo Menu Land Tortoise canned food and pellet food like Zoo Meds Box Turtle & Tortoise Food, both of which can be purchased under Box Turtle & Tortoise Products. Variety is the key to a healthy appetite and good health. Most tortoises are grazers and should be feed grasses, clovers, yams, carrots, natural weeds and flowers. They can be given small quantities of dark leafy greens like Romaine Lettuce, Dandelion Greens Collard Greens, Turnip Greens, Mustard Greens and Chicory. Fruits should only be given as a treat. Be sure to watch for pesticides and dont use insecticides in your yard. Also watch for bird droppings, they carry diseases and can make your tortoise sick. Your tortoise should also be given a calcium supplement like Rep-Cal or Jurassi Cal daily. Vitamin/mineral supplements like JurassiVite should also be given for proper health. All of these products can be found under Box Turtle & Tortoise Products.

For our full line of Land Tortoise products please visit use at www.turtlesale.com.





Housing Your tortoise should have a large out door enclosure with a sunny area and a cool shaded area. You should have tamper-proof cover over the enclosure to protect them from predators. They also should have a shelter some people use dog houses for this. The shelter should be heated. For heating you can use Bask Heat Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitter bulbs in ceramic dome lights hung high so the tortoises cant reach them. These can be found in our Heating and Light Fixtures areas. It is important for tortoises to have fresh water in a shallow dish large enough for them to soak in.




For indoor enclosures you also need a warm basking area and a cool area. To heat your tank or enclosure you can use the Bask Heat Ceramic Infrared Heat Emitter bulbs in ceramic dome lights or a under tank heater like the Four Paws Under Tank Heaters. Both can be found in our Heating section. A clamp-on 60 or 75 Watt incandescent light fixture with a reflector can also be used to provide a basking area that is warmer than the rest of the enclosure. Most Land Tortoises like to dig so absorbent flooring material such as ECO Earth Bedding, (located under Plants and Decorations) should be provided and changed regularly. Substrates that dry out or get powdery should be avoided. Cedar and pine chips can be poisonous and should not be used.







Lighting If you are not able to provide an out side enclosure then you need UVA and UVB lighting. We carry one of the best brand bulbs for this, the ReptiSun 5.0. We carry it in both the compact fluorescents and in the florescent strip bulbs. We also carry the Slim Line Reptile fixtures for the strip bulbs. You can find these in our Lighting and Lighting fixtures sections.



For our full line of Land Tortoise products please visit use at www.turtlesale.com.






For more information on your new Land Tortoise we have several books in our Book department. If you have questions you can check our Message Board, email us at [e-mail] or call Norm at 1-727-943-2786.




As with any pet you should always wash your hands after handling them or cleaning their home. We recommend using Zoo Meds hand cleaner which can be found under Medications. We know that you love your pet, but for your safety please dont kiss your tortoise.

(box turtle)
Feeding Box Turtles should be feed a diet of mixed fresh vegetables, fruits, canned foods like Zoo Menu Box Turtle Food and pellet food like Zoo Meds Box Turtle & Tortoise Food, both of which can be purchased under Box Turtle & Tortoise Products. Variety is the key to a healthy appetite and good health. Try apples, peaches, grapes, strawberries, kale, romaine lettuce (avoid iceberg, it has no nutritional value). On occasions you may feed corn on the cob, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs and some lean chopped meats. Also offer whole live foods like earthworms, mealworms and crickets. We also carry freeze dried earthworms and crickets which make great treats, under

Food & Treats. Your turtle should also be given a calcium supplement like Rep-Cal or Jurassi Cal. Vitamin/mineral supplements like JurassiVite and T-Rexs Box Turtle Dust ICB should also be used for proper turtle health. To prevent ingestion of the flooring material all food should be placed in a dish. All of these products can be found under Box Turtle & Tortoise Products.







Not Eating If your turtle is not eating dont worry about it. Often turtles will not at when you first get them. Give them time to get use to you and their new home and they should start eating. Turtles go through stages when they dont eat, just cut back on the amount of food you offer them until they start to eat again. If you are still worried we carry appetite enhancers under Box Turtle & Tortoise Products.









Housing The best habitat for box turtles is a large outdoor enclosure,. The pen must provide a variety of environments including sunny and shaded areas and places to hide. Turtles regulate their core body temperature by behavior and need to have a choice between sun and shade. A pile of hay or shrubbery provides ideal hiding/shady place. Being outdoors allows the turtle to supplement what you feed it with snails, slugs, earthworms, etc.

Box turtles although not aquatic, enjoy an occasional swim. A shallow pan, perhaps as deep as the turtle's carapace is high, should be sunk into the ground and kept filled with fresh water, make certain to arrange for easy access and egress of the water dish. Fresh drinking water must be provided daily. During the winter, a well-drained area piled with hay or leaves can be used for hibernation. Loosen the soil so the turtles can easily bury themselves for protection.









Indoor Housing If an outdoor enclosure cannot be provided, a large indoor enclosure can serve as housing for a box turtle. Absorbent flooring material such as ECO Earth Bedding, (located under Plants and Decorations) should be provided and changed regularly. Substrates that dry out or get powdery should be avoided. Cedar and pine chips can be poisonous and should not be utilized. If you want a less messy flooring we carry Turtle Turf terrarium carpet liner in our Box Turtle & Tortoise Products department.




A shallow water dish, large enough for the turtle to soak in, is required, as is an area that the turtle can hide in for a sense of security. An overturned, large clay flowerpot can serve as the hide box. Daytime high temperature of 80 F is ideal, nighttime low of 70F is OK. Do not place the turtle's home near air-conditioning vents or drafts.









Lighting For proper vitamin and calcium absorption and shell development UVA and UVB lighting is required. Zoo Meds ReptiSun is a highly recommended bulb for this and we carry it under Lamps. A clamp-on 75 Watt incandescent light fixture with a reflector is necessary to provide a basking area that is warmer than the rest of the container. Ideal basking area temperature is 85 - 88 F. We carry a variety of bulbs and reflectors under Lamps and Lighting Fixtures.

For more information on your new turtle we have several Box Turtle books in our Book department. If you have questions you can check our Message Board, email us at [e-mail] or call Norm at 1-727-943-2786.

For our full line of turtle products please visit us at http://www.turtlesale.com



As with any pet you should always wash your hands after handling them or cleaning their home. We recommend using Zoo Meds hand cleaner which can be found under Medications. We know that you love your pet, but for your safety please dont kiss your turtle.

(general)
FOOD: YOU WILL WANT TO FEED YOUR TURTLE A LOW FAT, HIGH PROTEIN FOOD. ONE OR TWO TIMES EVERY DAY, SUCH AS THE HIGH PROTEIN LOW FAT FOOD WE SELL AND FEED OUR OWN TURTLES. IF YOU HAVE PURCHASED OUR FOOD TODAY SIMPLY FEED 6 TO 8 PELLETS IN THE WATER ONCE OR TWICE A DAY. AFTER FIVE TO TEN MINUTES WHATEVER YOUR TURTLE HAS NOT EATEN YOU SHOULD REMOVE AT THIS TIME. YOU WILL FIND THAT IT IS MUCH CLEANER TO FEED YOUR TURTLE IN A SEPARATE BOWL THEN WHAT HE OR SHE LIVES IN .



NOT EATING: IF YOUR TURTLE IS NOT EATING? DO NOT WORRY ABOUT HIM/HER. TURTLES WILL GO THROUGH PERIODS WERE THEY WILL NOT EAT, IT IS NORMAL . IF YOU NOTICE HE/SHE HAS STOPPED EATING , CUT BACK ON THE AMOUNT OF FOOD THAT YOU FEED HIM FROM 6 OR 8 PELLETS A DAY TO 1 OR 2 PELLETS A DAY , AND THEN WHEN YOU SEE THAT HE IS EATING AGAIN YOU MAY GO BACK TO FEEDING HIM/HER AS NORMAL.





TREATS: WANT TO MAKE YOUR TURTLE GO NUTS? FEED HIM SOME OF THE SPECIAL TURTLE TREATS THAT WE CARRY , LIKE CAN-O-CRICKETS,CAN-O-SNAILS OR ZOO MEDS FREEZE DRIED TURTLE TREATS. TWO OR THREE TIMES A WEEK WILL BE SURE TO LET YOUR TURTLE KNOW JUST HOW SPECIAL HE IS TO YOU.





WATER: TURTLES LOVE TO SWIM AND ARE GREAT AT IT, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO FILL YOUR TANK TO A NICE DEEP LEVEL. YOUR TURTLES WATER SHOULD BE CHANGED AT LEAST ONCE A WEEK , TWICE A WEEK WHEN POSSIBLE.





WATER CONDITIONER:WATER TYPES CHANGE ALL OVER THE STATE , SOME PEOPLE HAVE TAP WATER, SOME HAVE WELL WATER, SOME HAVE SPRING WATER ECT. ECT. ECT. BECAUSE OF ALL THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF WATER OUT THERE WE HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU BUY AND USE A WATER CONDITIONER ON A REGULAR BASIS TO KEEP YOUR TURTLE FROM GOING INTO SHOCK WHEN CHANGING THE WATER. YOUR SALES PERSON WILL BE HAPPY TO SHOW YOU THE CONDITIONER THAT WE USE AND SELL TO OUR CUSTOMERS.





DON'T FORGET WE HAVE A FULL SELECTION OF TURTLES AND
TURTLE PRODUCTS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE ON THE WEB AT:
WWW.TURTLESALE.COM





LAND: YOUR TURTLE NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO GET ALL OF THE WAY OUT OF THE WATER TO DRY HIMSELF OFF AND PREVENT HIM FROM GETTING SHELL ROT A SOFTENING OF THE SHELL THAT IS CAUSED FROM BEING SUBMERGED IN THE WATER FOR TO LONG OF A PERIOD OF TIME. WE CARRY A FULL LINE OF FLOATS,LOGS AND CORK THAT YOUR TURTLE WILL LOVE TO CLIMB ON AND DRY OFF THROUGHOUT THE DAY ON. IF YOU SHOULD NOTICE THAT YOUR TURTLES SHELL IS GETTING SOFT? YOU WILL WANT TO TAKE HIM COMPLETELY OUT OF THE WATER AND KEEP HIM DRY FOR THE WHOLE DAY AND NIGHT . THIS WILL GIVE HIS SHELL A LITTLE EXTRA TIME TO DRY AND HARDEN THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. DO THIS 1 OR 2 TIMES A WEEK EVERY TIME YOU NOTICE HIS SHELL IS GETTING SOFT. ( ALSO SEE LIGHTING )..






HIDING SPOTS: WE OFFER A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ITEMS THAT MAY BE PUT INTO YOUR TURTLES HOME FOR THEM TO HIDE IN AND EXPLORE,SUCH AS CAVES AND DIFFERENT SIZE PLANTS.

FILTERS: DEPENDING ON YOUR TANKS DESIGN, WE OFFER A FEW DIFFERENT TYPES OF FILTERS THAT YOU CAN USE IN YOUR TURTLES TANK. FILTERING YOUR TANKS WATER WILL NOT KEEP YOU FROM HAVING TO DO WATER CHANGES, HOWEVER IT WILL REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF TIMES YOU WILL HAVE TO DO THEM. FILTERING THE WATER IN YOUR TANK WILL ALSO GENERALLY HELP YOU MAINTAIN A HIGHER WATER QUALITY. ALSO WE HAVE FOUND THAT EXO-TERRA'S BIOTIZE IS A GREAT WAY TO ELIMINATE ORGANIC WASTE BUILD-UP IN YOUR TANKS GRAVEL , FILTER AND ON SUBMERSED SURFACES. WE USE IT IN OUR OWN TURTLE TANKS AND WE ARE VERY PLEASED WITH HOW GOOD IT WORKS FOR US. BIOTIZE CAN BE FOUND ON OUR WEB SITE UNDER WATER TREATMENTS. ALSO FEEDING YOUR TURTLES A PELLET FOOD THAT CAN BE SWALLOWED WHOLE SUCH AS THE LOW FAT , HIGH PROTEIN FOOD WE OFFER CAN PLAY A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN MAINTAINING WATER QUALITY AND REDUCING THE NEED FOR FREQUENT WATER CHANGES. CHECK OUT OUR FOOD THAT WE SELL AND USE WITH OUR OWN TURTLES UNDER THE FOOD HEADING ON THE WEB SITE.

LIGHTING AND HEATING: LIKE OTHER REPTILES, TURTLES ARE ECTOTHERMIC ANIMALS. THIS MEANS THEY DEPEND ON ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS TO ACHIEVE DESIRABLE BODY TEMPERATURES AND THAT, TO VARYING DEGREES, THEY CAN REGULATE THEIR BODY TEMPERATURE THROUGH THEIR BEHAVIORAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH THEIR ENVIRONMENT. THE POPULAR IDEAS, OF REPTILES BEING COLD BLOODED AND THEIR BODY TEMPERATURE ALWAYS BEING THE SAME AS AIR TEMPERATURE, ARE WRONG. BY BASKING UNDER A REPTILE SPOT LIGHT SUCH AS THE ONES WE CARRY , WATER TURTLES CAN ACHIEVE TEMPERATURES TEN OR MORE DEGREES HIGHER THAN AIR TEMPERATURE. BECAUSE NO ONE OTHER THAN A TURTLE HIM SELF KNOWS WHAT FOR THEM "FEELS LIKE THE RIGHT BODY TEMPERATURE," THE STANDARD PROCEDURE IN HERPETOCULTURE IS TO PROVIDE A BASKING SITE OR A WARM ZONE IN THE ENCLOSURE THAT ALLOWS A REPTILE TO SELF-REGULATE ITS BODY TEMPERATURE.

WATER TEMPERATURES FOR A TURTLE SHOULD BE KEPT AT ABOUT 75 DEGREES F DURING THE WARM MONTHS OF THE YEAR. DURING THE WINTER , THE WATER TEMPERATURES CAN SAFELY DROP IN THE SIXTIES AND EVEN UPPER FIFTIES FOR MOST SPECIES.

HOW TO HEAT TURTLE TANKS:FOR MOST AQUATIC TURTLES SOLD IN THE PET TRADE, THE MOST WIDELY USED METHOD OF KEEPING THEM CONSISTS OF HAVING A WATER AREA AT COMFORTABLE ROOM TEMPERATURE, AND AT LEAST ONE BASKING SITE WHERE THE TEMPERATURE REACHES 85-90 DEGREES.

THE BEST METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE WATER TEMPERATURE IN TURTLE TANKS IS TO HEAT THEM WITH A SUBMERSIBLE HEATER, LIKE THE ONES WE OFFER ON OUR WEB SITE.

ADDITIONAL LIGHTING: WATER TURTLES WHEN KEPT INDOORS WILL REQUIRE BULBS THAT GENERATE SOME SORT OF U.V.A AND U.V.B RAYS. U.V.B RAYS ALLOW TURTLES TO SYNTHESIZE VITAMIN D3 NECESSARY FOR CALCIUM ABSORPTION. THIS HELPS TO PREVENT "SOFT SHELL" PROBLEMS IN WATER TURTLES. ZOO MED OFFERS A VERY GOOD FLUORESCENT LAMP , WHICH IS CALLED A REPTISUN 5.0 UVB LAMP.

YOUR TURTLE WILL REQUIRE 10 TO 12 HOURS OF LIGHT A DAY . YOU CAN EASILY CONTROL THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT YOUR TURTLE WILL GET WITH A TIMER.

BOOKS: WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TURTLES? ASK YOUR SALES PERSON ABOUT THE FULL LINE OF TURTLE BOOKS THAT WE STOCK.

P.S AS WITH ANY ANIMAL YOU WILL WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU WASH YOUR HANDS AFTER HANDLING YOUR TURTLE OR CLEANING HIS HOME, WE RECOMMEND THAT YOUR USE ZOO MEDS HAND CLEANER YOUR SALES PERSON WILL BE HAPPY TO SHOW YOU THE PRODUCE WE CARRY. ALSO YOU WILL WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU DON'T KISS OR PUT YOU TURTLE IN YOUR MOUTH AS THAT HE SWIMS AND LIVES IN THE SAME WATER THAT HE USES TO GO TO THE BATHROOM IN.

So just check out turtle sale and they have turtles that you can buy an all of the food and just everything for way cheap it is where i got my stuff and my turtle and it came to me working and alive.

Answer 2

i used to have a turtle farm w/ thirteen turtles and the water turtles would actually eat dog food and the land turtles we fed vegies hopes this help for a beginner turtle u might wanna try a red eared slider but the habitat should be were like pebbles going at an angle that goes down in the water so its kinda like a slope were they can get in and out of the water or stick a small sitck in the cage so they can climb up on it

Answer 3

Find out which one you want. Aqautic? The Red Eared Slider is the most common pet turtle. But turtles are not easy to care for. Find out which one you want to buy and look up care sheets. Here are some different turtle care sheets. http://www.repticzone.com/caresheets/Turtles.html
Good luck

Answer 4

I recommend a Red Ear Slider. They are very fun.
Here are some pros and cons:
Pros-
Fun
Cool
Neat

Cons-
High-Matienence
Sometimes vicious
Grow to be HUGE

Answer 5

I am glad to see you looking for research!

Try this article as a quickie introduction to this issue:
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Articles/firstturtle.htm

After that, http://www.austinsturtlepage.com is great for water and box turtles, and http://www.tortoisetrust is great for tortoises.

Austin's forums are also wonderful- http://www.turtleforum.com

Answer 6

...woah... that guy really posted a lot! Anyway, Melissa Kaplan has a lot of good information on herps on her website:

http://www.anapsid.org/mainchelonians.html

If you go on kingsnake.com there are also a lot of good care sheets from knowlegeable individuals.

Answer 7

ok so here I suggest get A BOX TURTLE THEY R SOOOO MUCHHHHH FUN!!!! go to www.turtlesale.com to buy one and www.boxturtes.com GET ONE THEY ARE SO REWARDING