So you want a pet that will not destroy the environment of your surrounding?Well, I suggest you to get a baby turtle.
Not many people have turtles as pet, but there are quite an amount of people who loves turtles and have them as their pets.Aside of pigeons, I love turtles as well.These cute little creatures can be unique pets.Some turtles may look creepy when you look at them.But if you focus a little bit, you will find a hidden beauty of nature in them.There are likely 356 species of this ancient reptiles.As pet, turtle can live upto 40 to 50 years in captivity.Which means, you and your pet turtle will R.I.P. together :p.
Basically turtles are herbivorous.But sometimes, they are found to eat fishes.Having a turtle as pet doesn't cost that much either.If you have enough equipment, you won't have to worry much about them.
FOOD
Like I said, turtles are herbivorous.So their basic food is veges.Sometimes, they eat fishes as well.And, they love to eat fruits.It'll make relax when you watch them eating.Baby turtles are so cute that you can't resist looking at them.
Life-cycle
Turtles are reptiles so they lay eggs and leave the nest after laying eggs.Their nest are usually close to the bank of rivers or ponds so that baby turtles can easily get to water once hatched from eggs.Different turtle species lay different amount of eggs.They can lay eggs from 20 to even upto 200 eggs.Sounds like huge right?
You have no idea how tiny baby turtles are once hatched.Just take a look!
Okay then let's talk about how to tame your pet turtle.
It hurts if you have a pet and you can't even tame it.And by tame, I don't mean making servant who will do whatever you want him to do.I mean befriend with him.
First of all, make quick schedule of feeding him.Never over feed your turtle or he will make the water blurry by pooping too much.Feed little by little and feed two times a day.You can feed vegetables or fishes.I suggest you to release some small species of fishes in the water tank or the mini pond that you made for your turtle's habitat.You can release some big(not bigger than your turtle) to increase the beauty and make it natural.Having small fishes in the tank or pond will keep your little friend busy.
I will give you a list on what you can feed to your turtle:
Corn, beans, beets, carrots, peas, squash, yams,Carrot tops, lettuce, collard greens, kale, spinach, Apples, grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, banana, kiwi, mango, tomato,Geraniums, dandelions, petunias, lilies, carnations,Boiled eggs, mealworms, snails, crickets, earthworms.
Pretty long list huh? This list includes flowers,veges,protein based foods and fruits.These are the foods required to keep your turtle healthy.
Next step is spent some times a day with your turtle.Give it a name and don't make any other noises or sound.What I'm trying to say is that keep saying the name politely to your turtle until he/she realizes that it is his/her name.Then, your turtle should be responding to your voice when you call that name.I had two turtles.I named one TT(sweety) and other Junior(Buddy).I didn't try that much to tame TT.So, it's been four years and still I am a stranger to her :p.
Although she knows my face and responds when I call her name.She just looks and keeps looking at me but doesn't come at me.The only time time she comes near me is when it's her feeding time.
On the other hand, Junior didn't take much time to be tamed.I guess in a week, he started responding to my voice and was pretty friendly and comfortable with me.
Always keep an eye for any sort of sickness.This is very important as baby turtles ' immunity is not as good as adult turtles.So any kind of disease can risk their lives.When I bought Junior, I wasn't aware of turtle's disease.And because of that, Junior is not with me anymore.He died of MBD(Metabolic bone disease).He died when I was trying my best to learn about this cursed disease.His shell was getting softer and softer.I could feel his pain just by looking at him.He fought bravely untill his death.One day, he stopped moving and was having great problem eating.After so much agonizing pain, his soul left his body.All that is left from him is his pics.
And this is the picture when his disease started to be visible.
You can see that a part of his shell is turning white.Please be careful because I don't want you to lose a friend like I did.It hurts pretty bad.Make sure you take him/her to vet if anything looks unusual.
Pet your turtle as much as you can.The forehead of your turtle is the best spot to pet.Gently rub that spot with your finger and be careful not to hurt his/her eyes.They seriously love it.They also can feel their shell.Rub his/her shell as it will make your turtle feel better.
Make sure you have foods with you all the moment you are with your turtle.Every time he/she tries to go further from you, feed him/her a little.Trust me, foods are everything for turtles and foods the best and easiest way to befriend with them.
Well, keep up these simple steps to tame your baby turtle and please let me know if I was able to help you even just a little bit :D
[Please note that the pictures are taken from resources below(except Junior's pics):
www.nytimes.com
www.huffingtonpost.com
www.nrdc.org]
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