Turtles pets can be a great addition to your family and provide hours upon hours of enjoyment. Having said that it is very important to do your homework up front before you go and buy your new turtle or turtles pets. There are a wide range of types of turtles that can be different in things like personality and size. Very close to choosing the breed of cat or dog that is proper for you.
You should take into consideration the amount of time you have to devote to taking care of your turtle, the space you can provide, how old the people caring for the turtle are, how much financially you can put towards your turtle, what the laws in your state are regarding keeping captive turtles, and many other things.
I have seen a lot of people start off with a small turtle in a 5 -10 gallon aquarium only to find out that their turtle would soon outgrow this enclosure and need a bigger space. There are types of turtles which will stay little enough to thrive in a 40 gallon long aquarium, which is the smallest I would ever go. This is why it is essential to find out how big your turtles pets full grown adult size is before you buy it so that you can plan ahead.
The movie Rocky shows the main character having some small turtles as pets, and this is not the proper way to care for them. Rocky’s wife worked at a small pet shop and Rocky had two baby turtles in a very small, round, glass fish bowl in his apartment.The turtles had a small amount of water to swim, no correct lighting, no hot spot, and too small of a tank. Click one of the links in this article to learn in more detail how to care for your turtles pets right away.
Most states do not allow you to own turtles that are under four inches in length except for universities or research facilities. One of the reasons for this is that is is thought that there can be a greater chance of acquiring salmonella from these types of turtles. Years and years ago some small children had contracted salmonella from putting these smaller turtles in and around there mouths. That is another reason why it is so important to have proper supervision around turtles pets.
As long as you use good judgment and wash your hands each time after handling your turtles pets or any part of your turtles habitat you should have no problems. Before you purchase your turtle if you want to begin the proper way and learn the basics……..or if you got it and it’s too late…..click one of the links on this page and start moving in the right direction to owning turtles pets.
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