It is not easy to choose a pet, it is very important that it corresponds to your pace and lifestyle. The dog should be walked, the cats molt, the birds are very noisy, and the rodents can spoil the technique and furniture. Therefore, having studied all kinds of turtles, you can choose a funny and quiet little animal.
Home turtles - species
Specialists number about 300 varieties of these animals belonging to the class of reptiles that can live in captivity. Scientists claim that turtles appeared on Earth as one of the first, and it happened about 220 million years ago. These reptiles are unpretentious, and can live 10-50 years, and they live in water and on land. For maintenance at home, it is better to take a small turtle, which will be easier to tame. Let's look at the most popular types of turtles.
Swamp red-eared turtle
This freshwater reptile is very popular with pet lovers. A distinctive feature of it - two bright red "ears" on the head. Contain this reptile in the aquarium, but access to land it must also be. The red-bellied turtle lives at home for about 30 years, although there were some specimens that survived to 45 years.
The tortoise shell grows to a length of 28 cm and is covered with wrinkles. Its coloring can change with age: young animals have a bright green color, and to old age they become almost black. The young reptile feeds on animal food: insects, snails, fish, and with age the turtle turns into omnivore, that is, consumes both animal and vegetable food.
European marsh turtle
This animal has a dark, almost black color. The whole shell and body of the turtle are covered with light strips and dots. European turtle turtle lives at home in the water and on land. This species of turtle feeds on meat, small fishes, mice, worms and other protein foods. It should be noted that during feeding the swamp turtle becomes very aggressive, so it should be handled with care. Contain it better apart from other reptiles. Some individuals live to 80 years.
Mediterranean turtle
These species of turtles are also called Caucasian or Greek. The Mediterranean turtle has 5 claws per paws. An adult of this species of turtle weighs up to 3 kg. A strong horny carapace grows to 30 cm. With age, it becomes more prominent. The age of these turtles can be roughly determined by the number of rings on the horn scutes: the more of them, the older the turtle.
Feed the Greek tortoise with plant food: apricots, apples, plums, leaves from these trees. An excellent home for your pet will be a terrarium, in the soil of which you can sow wheat or oats. These green sprouts will be an excellent feeding for the turtle. The habitat of a reptile should be illuminated with a conventional or ultraviolet lamp . In the warm season, your pet should be taken out on the street to bask in the sun.
Common musk tortoise
This freshwater turtle got its name because of the musk glands located under the shell. With the help of secreted secret, which has a sharp smell, the turtle defends itself against enemies. The average size of its oval armor is 13.5 cm. But its neck is unusually long: the bug can easily be pulled by the jaw to the back legs. The young domestic musk turtles on the carapace have three longitudinal ridges.
The male from the female can be distinguished by a short plastron, an elongated tail and prickly scales that are located on the rear legs of a reptile. Musk turtles are omnivorous, they feed on shellfish, water plants, as well as carrion, which makes this reptile the true orderly of the pond. She spends most of her life under water, so she does not need artificial lighting. Due to its small size, it is easy to keep such a turtle at home.
American marsh turtles
The species of domestic turtles, united by the common name marsh, have many similar features. Both European and American freshwater reptiles have a rounded shell of dark color. They have strong paws and a long tail, and a relatively large head is covered with dark green skin. However, the American turtle has a very mobile carapace, which, when pulled in a special way, can cover the holes in the armor when the limbs are drawn. Due to this property, this reptile was called "half-boxed".
The food of the American marsh tortoise is diverse:
- insects;
- crustaceans;
- snails;
- slug;
- earthworms;
- fish and vegetable food - in small quantities.
Far Eastern trionics
These species of turtles have a round shell with soft edges, due to which the animal easily buries into the muddy bottom of the reservoir. Paws have 5 fingers, three of which are provided with sharp claws. Their long neck and head are greenish-brown or gray in color. Jaws very strong, at the end of the muzzle there is an elongated soft proboscis with nostrils. This exotic appearance of the trionics promotes the fact that the reptile is very popular with lovers of turtles.
For its maintenance use a spacious water aquarium with a shore, a lamp for heating, filtration and aeration . Feed the trionics with various animal feeds:
- gammarus;
- bloodworm;
- earthworms;
- Daphnia;
- crickets;
- cockroaches;
- mollusks;
- shrimp;
- frogs;
- mice, and the like.
An evil character and powerful jaws make these turtles dangerous to humans. If you want to take the reptile in your arms, you should firmly hold the back of its shell. Although, thanks to its long neck, the tortoise will try to bite you in this situation. This aggressiveness manifests itself in the nature of adult individuals that grew up in nature, and if the turtle was grown at home from a small age, then its behavior will not be so violent, it can get so used to the master that it will take food from his hands.
Indian Star Turtle
This kind of aquarium turtles, like the Indian star, has a medium body and a very beautiful shell: on each of its shields of dark background there are drawings in the form of a yellow star. Keep the reptile in a spacious terrarium with high humidity. In such a microclimate, the turtle will be active, and in a dry time it will hibernate. Some individuals of this species can live 60 years.
Gorgeous Forest Turtle
This small 20-centimeter reptile has a shell with slightly curved edges. Its unusual color consists of light brown and red shades, on the legs, neck and head there are light red spots with a black edging. There are several varieties of forest turtles, which differ in appearance:
- rhinoclemmys pulcherrima pulcherrima - this reptile has on each shield of the shell a yellow or red spot;
- rhinoclemmys pulcherrima rogerbarbouri - on the lower scutes there are light rings;
- rhinoclemmys pulcherrima incisa - there is a narrow dark spot on the plastron;
- rhinoclemmys pulcherrima manni - there are several large red or yellow eyes on the ribs, and two light rings on the marginal scutes.
The forest turtle is omnivorous, its diet consists of animal and plant foods in equal quantities. It is not necessary to feed the animal with apples, Chinese cabbage, and a lot of protein food can cause the turtles to stop multiplying. They live both on land and in water. Contain these freshwater in a wide terrarium with a bathing capacity and a ground for instilling turtles.
Central Asian steppe turtle
Types of land tortoises include the Central Asian or steppe reptile. This pet can live up to 40-50 years. Its shell is round, low, yellow-brown with dark spots. On the carapace flaps there are grooves, the number of which corresponds to the age of the turtle. The growth of these freshwater does not cease all life, but puberty comes after a 10-year-old age.
Terrarium for turtles should be spacious, at the bottom you can lay a large pebble, chips, hay. This kind of turtle is very susceptible to drafts, so walking them in the apartment can only be released into a special paddock. In the house must be installed UV-lamp. Feed these reptiles with dry or frozen herbs, you can treat your pet and some indoor plants: Tradescantia, chlorophytum and some others.