Not everyone knows that the land tortoise, so familiar and common as a pet, is listed in the Red Book. Being the owner of such a rare in nature Central Asian reptile is very responsible. You need to know a lot about leaving and proper maintenance, nutrition and other things. Errors of many owners of turtles end for the latter very sad.
Types of land tortoises
In general, when talking about land tortoises, one should keep in mind not only the most widespread in our homes, Central Asians. In nature, there are 37 species-representatives of this family. Most of them - the inhabitants of Africa. The most common for us land tortoises, common species that have settled down as pets are the following:
- Mediterranean turtle. Small (up to 28 cm), with a strong convex shell, the shields of which form a complex pattern with irregular rings, dark along the outer edge. Prefers plant food, in nature occasionally feeds on earthworms and snails. At a young age, such turtles practically do not survive at home, so it is necessary to take already formed adult individuals.
- Carbon (red-legged) turtle. The maximum length is 55 cm. When keeping her house, a shallow terrarium with sand and a shallow bath for water procedures is needed. The tortoise of this species is omnivorous - it eats fruits, vegetables, chicken or beef meat. Special conditions - high air temperature (not lower than + 27 ° С) and high humidity.
- Land leopard turtle. Grows up to 60 cm in length. Its shell is light brown, with small dark spots. When keeping at home, you need to feed only grassy grass, in any case not to give juicy fruits and vegetables. The terrarium must be equipped with an artificial reservoir and a lamp for heating.
- Radiant turtle. One of the most beautiful turtles. Large (up to 40 cm), with a high domed shell, the flaps of which are black or dark brown with a yellow patch resembling a star with divergent rays. They feed on such turtles with plant food - sprouts and green parts of plants.
- Central Asian turtle. All of us are well-known, with a small shell of roundish form of a yellowish-brown color with dark spots. These turtles grow up to 20 cm in length (males are smaller than females). In nature, they fall into hibernation twice a year, at home, it is best to avoid this phenomenon, providing them with sufficient food and warming the air for them to + 25-28 ° C.
How to keep a land tortoise?
A land tortoise at home requires a responsible attitude to the conditions of detention. Many mistakenly release it "on free bread" throughout the apartment. This is fundamentally wrong and unacceptable. First, you can step on it and cause injury. Secondly, the turtle must climb into the dark corner, inhale there with dust, which will do much harm to your lungs. Thirdly, if you do not find her shelter, she will sit there hungry. Fourthly, on the floor often "walk" drafts, and turtles need a special warm and humid climate. Therefore, she needs her own house - terrarium.
Terrarium for the land tortoise
Regardless of the species, terrariums for terrestrial turtles should be spacious so that the animal can move freely, they must have a substrate of sand, gravel, straw, pressed sawdust 5-7 cm thick. Since turtles live in hot places in the natural environment, the temperature Air in the terrarium should not fall below + 25 ° C. It is desirable to have a shallow tray in the terrarium with water, so that sometimes a land tortoise can perform water procedures.
House for the tortoise
Since turtles sleep most of the day and prefer darkened and secluded places for this, it is necessary to build for them something like a house. It can be an inverted flower pot with a slit, a wooden box placed bottom-up or even a thick cardboard folded in the form of a shelter. Better preference is given to materials that can be washed, since the content of the land tortoise includes a constant control of the cleanliness of its habitat.
Lamp for the tortoise
Over the terrarium, a lamp for lighting and heating with a power of no more than 60 watts, and a fluorescent lamp for obtaining the necessary ultraviolet, should be lit. Once every six months in the ultraviolet lamp you need to replace the new one. The maintenance of land tortoises without lamps can turn into problems with the health of the pet. Ultraviolet is necessary for the assimilation of calcium and a hard shell, and a conventional lamp is used to warm the air to the desired temperature.
Care for the land tortoise
Any land tortoise needs proper care, which includes maintaining the cleanliness of her home, herself, ensuring the right way of life. So, how to care for a land tortoise:
- regularly and diversely feed in accordance with one or another habitual diet;
- bathe in warm water every week - it delivers terrestrial turtles a great pleasure, in addition, increases appetite and good bowel performance;
- to care for claws - in captivity they do not have time to grind off as they grow, so you need to cut them off periodically with a special claw;
- take out for a walk in the fresh air - on warm and sunny days it is very useful to give the turtle the opportunity to walk in the open air, that's only to watch it need to be uninterrupted, because it disappears out of sight in the depths of herbs it can in a very short time.
What to feed a tortoise?
The natural question of beginner tortoise - what to feed a tortoise at home? Their main diet is plant food - berries, fruits, vegetables, grass. The best way is to feed them a mixture of different ingredients - so their food will be varied and balanced. You can lay out food on a flat saucer, the main thing is for the turtle to be comfortable with it. Vegetable and fruit menu in the summer can and should be diversified with clover, dandelions, sorrel, sprouted oats, pea leaves.
Vitamins for terrestrial turtles
Vitamin-mineral supplements are desirable in the diet of land tortoises kept at home. As mineral additives can act carbonate, bone meal, ground eggshell, glycerophosphate. You need to give them at the rate of 100 mg per 1 kg weight of the animal. As for vitamins, the Central Asian home turtle needs the natural sources of vitamins A, B12 and D3. Do not give her oil preparations and vitamin D2. She must get everything she needs from food.
How to determine the sex of a tortoise?
It is possible to accurately determine the sex of a turtle when it was 1.5-2 years old, that is, there was a maturity. Here are a number of distinctive features on which one can judge the sex of a reptile:
- Claws. In males they are thicker and more acute. This is necessary for fixing their body during mating. The female claws are shorter and dumber.
- Shell. In males, the lower part - the plastron - has a concave shape, in addition, on their hips they have spurs (skin growths). All this is due to the need to stay on the female during mating. The shape of the shell is also somewhat different: in females it is rounded, in males it is oblong.
- Tail. The reproductive organ of turtles is in the tail. The male is larger, broader at the base, whereas the female has a short and thin tail.
- The size of the animal. The land turtle at home is determined by sex and due to its size. Nature has created a larger female, because she needs to bear offspring. When the aquarium is inhabited by several individuals of approximately the same age, this difference is obvious.
- Eye color. The females have yellow eyes, males have brown eyes.
Diseases of land tortoises
The land turtle at home can face such common diseases:
- Rickets. Because of the lack of vitamin D3 and ultraviolet, turtles often begin to soften at first, and then the shell is deformed. At an early stage, you need to revise its diet and buy a UV lamp for the terrarium. Progressive rickets require injections of veterinary calcium, and still the curvature of the shell remains irreversible.
- Tearfulness, stinging, swelling of the eyes is a sign of a lack of vitamin A. If you observe this condition, rinse locally with a solution of chamomile, drip drops of Albucide or Sofrax. In addition, multivitamin preparations are needed.
- The defeat of parasites. Glistov is expelled by the veterinary drug Albendazole .
- Colds, pneumonia. It manifests as a runny nose and shortness of breath. Mucous membranes become pale, with white coating, foam, saliva becomes viscous. Such diseases are treated with antibiotics.