|  PET TURTLES Turtles are a group of vertebrate animals belonging to the order Testudines. Together with snakes, lizards, crocodilians, and the tuatara, they form the reptiles (Class Reptilia). Turtles are the oldest living group of reptiles, first appearing about 200 million years ago. Like the other orders of reptiles, turtles are cold-blooded (ectotherms), have scaly skin, and lay eggs with a yolk and tough outer covering (amniote egg).
The study of reptiles and amphibians is called Herpetology. Herp is from a Greek word, herpeton, which is loosely translated into "things which creep and crawl on their bellies."
Among the differences between turtles and other reptiles, the most exceptional is the presence of shells. The turtle's shell is a covering that encloses the turtle's body. Within this armor, the turtle's soft body parts are protected. From the shell project the turtle's head, legs, and tail. The shell of the turtle is divided into two parts, the upper carapace and the lower plastron. The two are connected on the sides by the bridge. A turtle can not walk out of its shell, the carapace is fused with the ribs of the turtle. It even has nerve endings in the shell…so don't mistake the shell to be equivalent to your nails!
The attributes of the turtle's shell can varygreatly, from hard and bony to flexible and leathery. Some turtles have shells with bright markings or unusual shapes.
Instead of teeth, they have horny beaks. The beak of a turtle is adapted for it's primary diet. Carnivorous species have sharp hooked beaks to grasp and slice animal prey. Vegetarian turtles and those that eat mollusks have beaks with flat, broad crushing surfaces.
Turtles can be found on every continent except Antarctica. They have adapted to a wide range of habitats, including deserts, rainforests, mountains, and rivers. Marine turtles occur in tropical and temperate seas throughout the world. Many of the terrestrial turtles are referred to as tortoises. In the United Kingdom and many other countries, freshwater turtles are called terrapins. In the United States, this name is used for a species that lives in brackish water.
Varying greatly in size turtles range in size from diminutive mud turtles maturing at 4.5 inches (11.2 cm) to the monstrous leatherback sea turtle that reaches lengths of 8 feet (244 cm) and weighs 1,600 pounds (726 kg). Infact fossilized remains of extinct turtles species have measured in excess if 13 feet!
Having evolved & survived way before mankind, turtles are highly adapted & specialized to their habitats. You need to carefully consider whether you can recreate a similar habitat for it, before you go in for a turtle as a pet!
Turtles are often transported in extremely inhuman conditions to pet shops, and if you have visited one - you will se that the ordeal of the poor creature doesn't end there. They are often kept 100s to a tank, with little swimming space…and absolutely no basking area!
Infected, stressed, and often injured - is what the typical turtle in the pet shop is like. It is essential therefore that you choose a healthy pet to prevent subsequent trauma. Something's to look out for in a healthy turtle:
1. Clear eyes (not whitish, swollen or watery)
2. Clear nose (not runny, or with salty deposits)
3. No gasping, wheezing sound from the mouth (indicates respiratory infection)
4. Clear mouth (not greyish-pink, mucous, or white/yellow patches)
5. No swelling near the ears or on limbs
6. Skin and shell clear of scratches, cracks, holes, bite-marks, any patches, mucous secretions
7. The shell should be firm all over (no sponginess anywhere)
8. Alert animal - while it may initially hide inside it shell it should quickly peep out and try to escape!
9. There legs should pull away if you gently tug at them
10. Complete withdrawal into the shell… no limb should be sticking out
The habitat you develop is your turtles' home. Imagine having to spend years on end in a small enclosure, and you will automatically realize the importance of creating a good turtle habitat. A good habitat has to:
• sufficiently meet the turtles lifestyle requirements
• be convenient to maintain (read clean)
• provide your turtle privacy when it wants
• and, provide ornamental value to your house.
Turtle habitats are of two types - indoor and outdoor. The indoor ones in India are generally very similar to fish aquariums/tanks, while the outdoor ones resemble garden ponds.
As we have no experience in pond habitats we will restrict our literature to indoor habitats, that can be easily accommodated in most houses. Sometime in the future when we have the luxury of a big lawn, we might develop an outdoor turtle habitat, and then we will update this literature to include that. Meanwhile there are some links that provide a lot of information on outdoor ponds. You can access these through T-linx.
Designing a turtle habitat is not as simple as purchasing a ready-made fish tank from the pet store, as it needs both a land and a water area. Turtles are avid swimmers, feeding only in water, and are religious baskers. As such, their habitat should provide enough space for a pool deep enough to comfortably swim in and a dry basking area where they can rest clear of the water and sun themselves.
It needs to be designed carefully and we recommend you think it through carefully. It's a long but exciting process during which 7 issues need to be carefully considered. These are mentioned below.
Habitat Designing Process
(This process is suggestive in nature, and basically helps you design the habitat in a systematic manner. Don't waste time generating 'display' quality diagrams or sketches, we recommend their creation only to aid your habitat visualization. Proceed with this after going through the 7 core issues thoroughly.)
When designing the habitat, start with understanding the space requirements of your pet, and generating rough dimensions (length x breadth x depth). Then identify the place where you want to keep the habitat and the space available. Merge these two to arrive at the ideal dimensions for the tank and draw a two-dimensional diagram of the habitat.
Now you have to think about the tank (water, land area, tank decorations, etc.) in three-dimensional space, trying to imagine a fat discus shaped object for your turtle and the space it would have inside the tank - both to swim and on dryland. Try to imagine its view, the obstructions that may occur in its movement, etc and accordingly design the various tank areas and place the decorations.
With the above in mind draw front, side and top views of the tank, and sketch out the tank areas and decorations. This should give you a good idea about the kind of tank and accessories you need.
Its always preferable to create the habitat in stages over 6-10 days. Start with the tank, and basic equipment. Once you get a real feel of the tank add tank accessories, fill water and run all equipment for 2-3 days to make sure everything is functioning. We would advise you introduce 2-3 guppy fishes once you have the basic habitat up and running and observe them for any sickness/disease over 3-4 days before introducing the turtles. As fish are more sensitive and react rapidly, you can modify/correct the habitat before you get the turtles. So the turtles should be the last thing you get, and not the first!
Suggested Feeding Process
To avoid the mess they create we recommend that you feed your animals in a separate plastic tub. You can also use this tub to form the DSE habitat. Feeding the turtles in a separate tub, half filled with water does not create any undue stress (unless they are NOT held properly). Seperate feeding will prevent roken up food particles from remaining in the tank and fouling up the water. Generally turtles also excrete within 30-40 minutes of feeding. So it is ideal if you feed your turtle in the separate tub, and let it stay there for 30-40 minutes, till it excretes. However, when using separate feeding container, make sure that the temperature of the water is not below that of the tank. We suggest that it may be kept 1-2oC (2-4oF) higher than the tank water.
The benefits of feeding in the DSE habitat are immense, as it reduces tank maintenance and water changing frequency significantly!
Like people, every turtle is unique, and will have its own food quirks. In their natural habitats turtles are omnivorous and eat a variety of foods thereby giving them a well-balanced diet. In captivity though they don't have access to natures varied menu! And are dependant on you to meet their requirements totally!
A common mistake (originating due to a higher familiarity with fish food habits) a lot of people commit is - feeding the turtle some commercial turtle food or the same kind of leafy scraps daily. This diet is severely limiting, and does not provide the turtle with the required amount of proteins, vitamins and other nutrients. As in humans this can lead to malnutrition and associated diseases.
The diet of a mature turtle should consist of the following:
1. Vegetarian foods: 50-70%
2. Non-vegetarian foods: 25-35%
3. Commercial reptile foods: 15-25%
WARNING: Turtle Obesity
You might feel that we should have discussed this after covering the food details, but obesity is one of the most common problems facing pet turtles. Remember, overfed turtles can become obese as easily as people, and face similar problems too!
Quite obviously, obesity is caused by too much (and too fatty) food, and too little exercise. In a few weeks, your turtle should have learnt to trust you and recognize food. Once this happens, we recommend making your turtles run around a little for their food! Dangle it right in front of their mouths using forceps/or ur fingers (but be careful!), and make them run after it before giving it to them.
For more information on Obesity, go to the section on Diseases
Frequency n Quantities
Generally speaking, smaller turtles need to eat more frequently than larger reptiles. Hatchlings can be fed daily till about 8-10 months, but adult turtles are best fed every alternate day.
A rule of thumb is to feed the turtle as much food as would fit in its head and neck. Another way is to feed them as much as they will eat in a few minutes. REMEMBER: Do not overfeed your turtles.
Types of food
Omnivorous by nature, turtles eat both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals. Though younger turtles are distinctly more carnivorous, they tend to become more herbivorous as they grow older. Turtles need to be fed a mix of flesh, vegetables, fruits, commercial turtle feed, calcium, vitamins and live food! While that seems a lot, it is actually quite simple, once you understand their dietary requirements and create a schedule.
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