| When it comes to the care of your pet turtle or | | | | turtle? And what precisely does a terrapin eat? (A |
| terrapin are you sure you know what you're doing? | | | | terrapin, by the way, is usually just the term used |
| Or perhaps you've read up on it a little but find you | | | | for pet turtle in the United Kingdom so you need to |
| keep forgetting important things, like changing its | | | | figure out what kind of 'terrapin' you have before |
| water every three days or so? | | | | finding the right care sheet for it.) |
| Turtles actually need a pretty well thought-out | | | | Further, what on earth is the right environment for a |
| environment to live happily in, as well as a lot more | | | | box turtle? (Also known as a tortoise, the box turtle |
| care and attention than people realize. | | | | is a fully terrestrial reptile so do not put it in water, it |
| Probably one of the best ways to keep reminding | | | | will drown. And die.) |
| yourself of how to care for your pet is to pin a 'care | | | | Then again, you've got details like nutrition |
| sheet' somewhere really obvious, like above the | | | | supplements and ambient temperature to think about. |
| turtle's tank for instance. | | | | There are mineral and vitamin supplements you can |
| This care sheet can be one you print out from a | | | | add to your turtle's diet about once a week or so |
| good website or one you create yourself using | | | | but how much is right for your pet? |
| information from different sources. In any case, the | | | | What kind of turtle needs what kind of supplement? |
| more research you do, the better. | | | | It is generally advisable to put a calcium block in the |
| One of the most important aspects to turtle care is, | | | | turtle's dry habitat for them to snack on occasionally. |
| obviously enough, what you feed them. What are | | | | That helps to ensure good shell health, as do daily |
| less obvious are the subtle differences between | | | | doses of unfiltered, natural sunlight. |
| turtle types in terms of what to feed them and at | | | | In any case, a turtle care sheet that you create and |
| what age. A general rule of thumb is if it's a baby | | | | keep updating regularly as you learn more about your |
| turtle you feed it meat (cooked or fat-free) and as it | | | | turtle can make all the difference. If you are away |
| gets older you start adding more and more leafy | | | | on a trip, for instance, or your turtle out-lives you |
| greens to its diet. Older turtles will be almost entirely | | | | (some grow to be a hundred years old!), then the |
| herbivorous but a balanced diet is still essential. | | | | care sheet will ensure that your pet continues to be |
| But does a slider eat the same thing as a painted | | | | cared for in the best possible way. |