There is a lot of content, but raising a turtle requires a lot of care, so I hope you can read it.
Many people want to raise a turtle because they think turtles are fun, have strong vitality, and are quiet. The space needed is small. Many of my friends have raised them, but few of them have been well maintained. They were all bought and raised according to the methods recommended by pet dealers, but they died soon after. It is really regrettable. This shows that turtles Although the vitality is stronger than most pets, it is not as easy to raise as imagined. In order to save many innocent turtles from misfortune, here is my own experience in raising turtles for more than ten years. I hope you will find anything wrong. Many corrections.
1. Shopping: There are several types of pet turtles: Mississippi red-eared sliders, yellow-throated turtles, Burmese tortoises, snapping turtles, etc. The most common species and the only one I have raised is the Mississippi red turtle. The ear turtle has nice color, moderate size and is relatively easy to raise, so I recommend everyone to buy this turtle. Yellow-throated water turtles are relatively large and unsightly. They are generally used to breed green turtles. Burmese tortoises are relatively rare and have different habits from water turtles. Therefore, if you keep tortoises in water, you will die. Yes, when buying a turtle, be sure to ask whether it is a tortoise or a water turtle to avoid being deceived by profiteers. As for the snapping turtle, its appearance is more individual, but this kind of turtle is ferocious in nature and will be careful to hurt you when it is raised.
2. Daily Life: When you buy a tortoise, you need to find a new home for it. This is also very important, because someone kept a tortoise in a fish tank and drowned. Don’t laugh, this is true. First of all, the Mississippi red-eared slider is a reptile, not a fish. It absorbs oxygen directly from the air, not the water, so the new home you prepare for it must consider its breathing convenience. A relatively deep fish tank is not suitable. Yes, especially when you put the turtle in when it is filled with water, it will have to swim to the surface of the water very hard and put its head out to breathe. If it takes a long time and the body is exhausted, it will drown. Moreover, this kind of fish tank is relatively long but very narrow. , is not conducive to the movement of turtles, because its radius of activity is not large, so you can use a round fish tank in the shape of a spittoon for raising goldfish, but this kind of fish tank has a smaller mouth, which is not conducive to observing and teasing turtles, and a small basin is fine Okay, I use the glass gas collecting tank used in chemistry laboratories. The upper and lower openings are the same size, which is great! Place a stone in the middle of the fish tank for the turtle to bask in the sun and rest, because the turtle cannot always soak in the water, otherwise it will seriously affect its health, and even the turtle shell will rot! The size of the stone should be larger than that of the turtle and occupy about one-sixth of the area of ??the fish tank. The height should be slightly higher than that of two turtles stacked on top of each other. The top should be flat. Of course, water must be added to the fish tank. The water surface should be slightly lower than the surface of the stone because Turtles do not breathe in water, so the water requirements are far lower than the standards for fish farming. As long as the water is not too turbid and smelly, it is fine. The fish tank should not be placed in a corner, bathroom or other too dark place. In a quiet place where the sun can shine, my home is placed on the table in the study.
3. Diet: What do turtles eat? Many people buy "special turtle food" recommended by profiteers who sell pets, only to find out when they go back that turtles don't like to eat it or even don't eat it at all. In fact, those so-called "turtle food" are basically scams, profiteers They just want to make money and don't care about the life and death of the weak turtles they just bought. They will sell you garbage that the turtles won't eat at all. They are eager for you to feed them to death and buy another one as soon as possible. So don't buy any turtles when you buy them. I am not responsible for feeding the so-called "turtle food" recommended by profiteers to death! Sisibi red-eared turtles mainly eat meat, small fish, shrimps, loaches, earthworms, insects, etc. I often give them killed flies as snacks. The eating ability of newly bought turtles is generally weak, and It will not hunt live food, so you need to feed it little by little at this time. Be very patient when feeding it. Cut the fresh meat into the size of mung beans, hold it with tweezers and slowly stretch it in front of the little turtle's nose. It will carefully Smell it before eating. Sometimes the reaction is very slow, so don't be anxious. Practice makes perfect after trying it a few times. Generally, you can feed as much meat as a cigarette butt in one feeding. When you are young, you need to feed it for an extra week. Three or four times, let it adapt to the environment and grow up quickly, because it will go into hibernation if it is hungry for a long time. If a turtle is too small, it will often not wake up when it goes into hibernation, so feed it more to prevent it from going into hibernation and growing bigger than a matchbox. When it gets bigger, it will usually eat by itself. At this time, you can put some very small fish and shrimps in the water to let it practice hunting. Don't put too many, otherwise it will kill many but won't eat them, so it only takes a day at most. Water will stink, and the same goes for feeding meat. Don’t waste it, and don’t feed it as much as it can eat, otherwise it will burst. My turtle used to be so stretched that its head and limbs couldn’t be retracted. It was funny. I actually vomited several times, which shows how hopeless Guigui is! Feeding too much will cause the turtle to grow too fast, and it will not be fun and cute at all when it grows up, unless you are raising it for food, haha! A friend of mine bought a tortoise with me, but he fed it too much. In less than two years, it grew to the size of a bowl, all the patterns on its body were gone, it looked gray and ugly, and it made a huffing and puffing sound. , like a dinosaur, it can already eat a basin of loaches a week when it is that big, which shows how terrifying it is, so when it grows up, it is enough to feed it once a week. It is best to feed it some small fish, which can supplement calcium for its shell. Longer and harder.
4. Daily life: Turtles will encounter some special physiological phenomena during their growth, which will have a great impact if not handled properly. Among them, the one that impressed me the most is molting.
Turtles and snakes are close relatives, so they also shed their skins, but unlike snakes, turtles also shed their scales! ! My tortoise shed its skin when it was about four years old. There were no digital cameras at that time, so I did not record this weird appearance. What I want to warn everyone here is that do not help the tortoise during the process of shedding, it will do it on its own. It will be taken care of. I just didn’t know and “helped” it, which caused lifelong damage to it. I apologize to the poor turtle. Here is a detailed introduction to what turtle molting looks like. If your turtle is ready to molt, age, then congratulations to you, this means that the method you raised the tortoise in front of is correct, otherwise it will not survive this day, haha!
Most turtles are very tame and can accept any food. Judging from the food, they are easy pets to keep. But both turtles and lizards need sunbathing. In addition, the turtle's body shape is nearly round, its weight is much larger than it appears from outside, and it also has a large amount of exercise. Ordinary cages often tend to be too small, which can be said to be more troublesome than other reptiles.
1． Food
Although turtles will eat any food, constant feeding of cheap food with low nutritional value may cause malnutrition, so special care must be taken. Turtles need a lot of calcium and should be fed food that contains a lot of calcium. Recently, nutritionally balanced special turtle feed has been launched on the market, which can be eaten with confidence. In addition, carp feed and dog food are also very suitable foods. Occasionally feeding some boneless fish, snake meat, mice and other fresh food will definitely win the turtle's favor. Feeding only fish and meat slices will cause malnutrition and requires the addition of water-soluble nutrients.
The above introduction is for the food provided to turtles that often live in the water. For example, turtles such as tortoises that do not go into the water and prefer plant food are less suitable for feeding with artificial feed. Generally, vegetables such as leafy vegetables, cabbage, and carrots can be used together with nutritional supplements. You can use Jiuguan bird feed to feed.
2. Cage
Aquatic turtles can be kept in water tanks and other containers. Turtles are actually larger than they look and move a lot, so they need a larger cage. On average, a tank with a side length of 60 cm is still too small, and it is better to use a storage box for clothes.
3． Others
Turtles are not exposed to ultraviolet rays and cannot use calcium. Compared with lizards, the facilities to prevent turtles from escaping are relatively simple. As long as water supply facilities are provided and there is a cool place to rest, heat stroke is less likely to occur, and sunbathing is also relatively simple. If young turtles don’t get enough calcium, their shells will easily become soft; if they don’t get enough vitamin A, their eyes may turn white. When the above phenomenon occurs, in addition to the problems of insufficient vitamin A and calcium, it may also involve long-term feeding of low-nutritional food, insufficient ultraviolet rays, etc., and it may be caused by errors in feeding methods. It is necessary to carefully provide nutritionally balanced food, use sun lamps for sunbathing, etc., and completely change the breeding environment.
Common diseases
Carapace diseases of aquatic turtles
The carapace of aquatic turtles raised in captivity may develop ulcers. Although they are all carapace lesions, the types of pathogenic bacteria are also different due to different symptoms. Gram-negative bacteria. Gram-positive bacteria. Symptoms include carapace peeling, pigmentation, ulcers, paralysis of the four limbs, loss of claws, and necrosis of internal organs. Feed animals such as crayfish, snakes, and sea worms, as well as soil and contaminated water, are all possible sources of infection. Bacteria enter the body through scrapes. During treatment, medicated baths are used and appropriate antibiotics are administered throughout the body. However, various turtles are allergic to certain antibiotics and may be poisoned, so special attention is required when using them.
As a new exotic pet, turtles are loved by pet lovers. It has a docile personality, is not picky about food, and is very easy to raise. However, it should be noted that tortoises are very active and the breeding space should not be too small. It is best to sunbathe every day.
★Purchase
Purchasing a healthy turtle is an important first step, which will make it much easier to raise in the future. Before buying, it is best to look at some information pictures of the turtle you want to buy or refer to turtles that others have raised, so as not to be deceived when buying; when buying, gently pull the limbs of the turtle with your hands. If it retracts or struggles forcefully, then It indicates that the turtle is healthy; then check the turtle's anus. If there is fecal contamination, it indicates that there may be a problem with the digestive tract. In addition, we must carefully observe whether it is active, whether its pace is normal, and whether its response is sensitive.
★Feeding
Turtles need a lot of calcium and should be fed food containing a lot of calcium. You can feed them some nutritionally balanced turtle-specific feed, and occasionally feed them fresh foods such as boneless fish and shrimp. However, only feeding fish, meat slices, etc. will cause malnutrition. Water-soluble nutrients need to be added, and some vegetables such as leaves and carrots can also be fed to supplement vitamin needs.
★Cooking
If turtles are not exposed to ultraviolet rays regularly, they will not be able to utilize calcium, and the shells of young turtles will easily become soft. Therefore, you can put it outdoors in the morning before going to work, and move it indoors after get off work in the evening to let it properly bask in the sun and strengthen your body. However, remember to expose it to the sun in summer. In terms of disease, prevention is still the main focus, preventing bacteria from entering the body through scratches and wounds. Medicinal baths can be used during treatment, and appropriate antibiotics can be administered throughout the body. However, some turtles are allergic to antibiotics, so special attention should be paid when using antibiotics.
In late autumn and early winter, turtles enter the hibernation period, staying quietly without eating or drinking. As the weather gradually gets warmer around the Qingming Festival, the turtles also start to move around and eat. At this time, you can prepare some small fish, shrimps or lean meat sticks to feed it. Watching it gobble it up will make you feel so happy. It likes a watery environment and can be placed on the balcony to bask in the sun during the day.
The summer sun will cause damage to it, so put it in a cool place. You can feed it something to eat every day. It also likes a clean environment and needs to change the water every day to keep the water clean. I wish your little turtle will grow up healthily! ! !
First you need to buy a turtle, and I will tell you the secret of choosing. Take a look. The shape of the turtle's body should be graceful, and the geometric patterns on the turtle's back should be arranged neatly and orderly. The turtle shell should be flat and oval, with no defects. The turtle's steps should be steady when crawling, and its plastron should not touch the ground.