Taking a small pet turtle can be both fun and educational for children. For the most part, taking care of a pet is a learning experience in that it teaches the child to be responsible for other creatures around him. However, parents should be very careful when letting their children handle a small pet turtle. There are certain precautions that one must take especially with regards to turtles. Understand that having a turtle at home is not like handling a dog or a cat.
Acquiring a pet
A small pet turtle can come from any one of the many different species of turtles. Most of these species are considered rare and live exclusively in certain parts of the world. Those who have just started pursuing the hobby of taking care of a small pet turtle can fall prey to unscrupulous people who earn their living by illegally smuggling exotic pets into the country. Make sure that you get your small pet turtle from a reputable pet shop to ensure that it came from somewhere legal.
Getting started
Before you get a small pet turtle, you will want to prepare its home. For a beginner, you can probably start with a turtle tank that will comfortably accommodate 25 gallons of water. That should be enough especially if you intend to keep one or two turtles. The design of the tank should allow your small pet turtle to easily move out of the water in case it grows tired of swimming. It’s also important to install filters to keep the water clean.
Even small turtles hibernate during colder months and this is why many enthusiasts recommend that the enclosure is set up outdoors. This will make it easier for the turtle to adapt to changes in temperature. If you’re going to set your small pet turtle up indoors, however, you will want to install a UV lamp that will provide the same warmth of the sun that your pet can get outside.
Handling your pet
Just as with any other pet animal, handling a small pet turtle will require you to take necessary precautions. Salmonella can easily get transmitted from turtles so it’s important to teach your children to wash their hands properly after handling their pets. According to most studies, salmonella infection is quite common with children who are not well-supervised around turtles. To ensure your child’s and your small pet turtle’s safety, proper hygiene is always important.
Always watch over your children when they feed the small pet turtle. These reptiles may be small but their claws can be quite sharp so injuries are bound to happen without proper caution. Remember to feed the turtle with the right kind of food that is appropriate for its age and kind. Most turtles will appreciate a meal composed of vegetables and insects. The general rule of the thumb is to feed your small pet turtle everyday if it’s just below ten months old. Older ones will need to eat every other day.
Pet Turtle Care Tip #1
Turtles are members of the Reptile family and they are some of the oldest living creatures on the planet. They have been around for more than two hundred million years. This makes them as old as the dinosaurs. There are hundreds of different kinds of turtles all over the planet.
Pet Turtle Care Tip #2
Sea turtles are the most popular of all of the turtles. These are also some of the largest creatures—some sea turtles can grow to more than six feet in length and weigh hundreds of pounds. Scientists think that sea turtles are actually land creatures that went back into the water and never came out. Over time their limbs evolved to make them stronger swimmers and to keep them in the water: their front appendages are actually flippers.
Pet Turtle Care Tip #3
All turtles, even sea turtles, are air breathing creatures. While some turtles can stay under the water for hours at a time, they all must surface at least once a day to stay alive. There is one turtle, the giant turtle that only has to surface once a day to take in air. There are some studies being done to see if some species of turtle might be able to draw oxygen from their cells much like some fish use their gills to breathe.
