Like any pet, they also need to be cared for.

Red-eared turtles

Very often they start houses of red-eared turtles. Like all turtles in good conditions, they live a long time, about thirty years. But with an irresponsible attitude and unpreparedness of the owner, the life of a turtle can be reduced by 2-3 years.

Red-eared turtles are aquatic and should be kept in large aquaterrariums. An aquarium for one turtle should be 100-150 liters. Despite the fact that red-eared sliders spend most of their time in the water, they need land to walk and rest. By attaching a plastic island to the wall of the aquarium, it will be difficult for the turtle to climb onto it. The way out of the situation will be a gradually rising comfortable slope.

In order for the turtle to be easy to climb, clinging to the sloping shore, it must be rough. The shops now sell special islands for turtles that meet all the requirements that are needed (rough surface, sloping slope, large land area). Land should occupy a fairly large area, at least a quarter of the aquarium. The turtle will come to this island in order to eat and bask. The water in the aquarium must be changed once a month, having previously defended it.

Turtles need warmth. To do this, a lamp must be installed above the island. It is recommended to buy an ordinary incandescent lamp, as it will be the main source of heat, such a lamp has good heat dissipation. The light of an incandescent lamp is similar to sunlight. The lamp should constantly warm the island, then it will not be necessary to heat the water, the turtle will be able to warm itself on the island at any time. To prevent the turtle from running away, the island should be fixed at a level of 30 centimeters from the edge of the aquarium.

As for food for turtles, they are happy to eat minced meat, bloodworms and granular food. To avoid calcium deficiency, turtles need to be given boiled fish (do not be afraid that it will choke, you can give fish with small bones). Do not give fatty fish (sprat, capelin, mackerel). If you give meat, it should not be the main food so that the turtle does not suffer from rickets.

The diet of young red-eared turtles should contain more animal foods, and with age, plant-based foods should predominate. Adult turtles can be fed 2-3 times a week, and young turtles every day.

At first, the food should be placed near the water itself, after the turtle gets used to it, you can start feeding it on the island, while putting the food in a saucer of water. Turtles planted in an aquarium can eat algae. In order for the tortoise to have no shortage of vegetable food, young cabbage, lettuce and a variety of pond algae should be given to it. Turtles should be fed on time so that they do not eat small aquarium fish.

Overgrown turtle claws can be trimmed with nail clippers.

Central Asian tortoises

They are quite large in size: 15-20 centimeters in length of the shell and 1.8 kilograms in their weight. The shell comes in a variety of colors, from dark olive to light red. Such turtles in nature actively move two to three months a year, and dig holes. To keep it at home, you need a spacious terrarium in which the level of humidity and temperature will be constantly monitored. Under such conditions, the turtle will be able to have no diseases and live for many years.

You should not let the turtle go just to travel around the apartment, in which case you can just step on it, it can catch a cold from a draft and die. Central Asian turtles need to dig, so they will dig everything that comes across carpets, debris on the floor, slippers. It is better to keep them in a terrarium in which the turtle can choose places with a more suitable temperature and humidity.

In the terrarium, as for the red-eared turtles, it is necessary to install a lamp, the air temperature under the lamp should be + 25-28C. In summer, the turtle can be walked in the sun, but you should watch that it does not get hit by a car and eat something. The best option would be to keep her in a large aviary, where she can dig and hide in the corners, this will remind her of being in nature. The walls of the enclosure must be buried to a depth of at least half a meter, because a turtle can dig a hole two meters deep.

The terrarium should be cleaned once a month. Partially replace the soil and change the water in the drinker once a week. Rinse the walls of the terrarium with soap and change the bedding once a month. And also, in order for the turtle not to get sick, the terrarium is washed with disinfectant solutions during cleaning. You need to feed such turtles with coarse plant foods, it can be cabbage, tough grass, beets, carrots. Food is placed in the feeder, and after two hours, the remnants of food are removed and the feeder is washed.

A feature of caring for land turtles is that they periodically molt. The skin on the head and legs changes. During such a period, it is necessary to bathe the turtle in warm water, adding a spoonful of soda. And after bathing, lubricate her skin with vegetable oil.

Grooming your turtle to keep it clean includes bathing once a week. To do this, fill the bath with water (t + 30 ° C) and put a turtle there. There shouldn't be much water. Gently wipe the turtle with soap and water, but do not get the soap in the eyes. After bathing, it must be wiped and lubricated with olive oil to strengthen the shell. While bathing, you need to carefully wash off the remnants of food, which sometimes dry on the corners of her mouth.

If the turtle is not kept properly, if the litter and food are too soft, its claws and beak will grow too much. In this case, they need to be cut. Looking at the paws of a turtle, it will be seen that the tips of the nails do not have blood vessels, they are transparent, and they can be trimmed. This should be done with wire cutters, not regular scissors.

bog turtles

Bog turtles are common in central Russia and very often come to us directly from a stagnant pond. In such turtles, the color of the shell is black and dark olive.

For such a turtle, a low terrarium is suitable, the height of which is about 30 centimeters. It must contain land and water. Above land, a lamp is needed to keep the turtle warm. Since turtles eat and defecate directly into the water, it needs to be changed frequently. Turtle health will depend on the purity of the water.

Since bog turtles are predators, you should not feed them cabbage. In summer, they can be given earthworms, pond snails, large bloodworms. They should be fed once a week, at least. These turtles are smart and therefore they learn to stick their heads out of the water in order to grab food. She can also take food on land, but she will still eat it in the water, as instinct tells her.

It is very interesting to watch turtles, giving her a small whole fish, she will swallow it, after turning it to her head. If the fish is large, it will tear it into small pieces. It is worth being careful, the jaws of turtles are strong, an untamed turtle can bite. But if you take care and do not offend the turtle, it gets used to the owner and, when he appears, sticks his head out of the water in greeting. The bog turtle does not need to trim its claws and beak. Since she is a predator, she needs long claws in order to tear her prey.

Turtles of any kind should not be kept without additional heating. Food for them should not be of one type, but diverse: both vegetable and live. Their diet should be harmonious, combining animal and vegetable feed.

Aquatic turtles should not be kept in aquariums without land, because it can drown. In one terrarium, several males cannot be kept together in order to avoid a fight between turtles of different sizes. Turtle food should not be cooked in the same utensils as humans. And do not forget after contact with the turtle about personal hygiene.

If you decide to get a turtle, then it is not difficult to keep it, you should take care of it and remember that it is a living being, just like you and me.

Our planet is inhabited by 230 species of turtles. These are one of the most unusual and interesting animals living on our planet for 220 million years, which is why turtles are very popular as pets. Most often at home contain land turtles.

If you decide to purchase this exotic animal as a pet, you need to know that proper care and maintenance of the turtle is the key to its health.

1. Learn the rules for the care and maintenance of turtles. Before buying a turtle, find out how turtles live, what to feed them and how to care for them. The turtle is not a toy, but a living creature that does not belong in a box under the sofa.

2. Turtle costs. You will have to spend money and time on keeping the turtle, allocate part of the space of the apartment for a terrarium. Turtles are often bought or given as a gift to children who, due to their age, have played and forgot about the unfortunate animal, slowly dying under the sofa from starvation and, even more dangerously, from the cold. This is a bad experience, especially for children.

3. Turtle feeding. When feeding a turtle, special recommendations must be followed; nutrition must be rational and balanced.

4. Terrarium for land turtles. At home, the turtle is kept in a terrarium - a tank made of glass, wood or other materials. In no case should you keep a turtle on the floor, this will lead to its quick or slow death, as well as various dangerous diseases, especially in cold climates. Before you equip a terrarium, you need to familiarize yourself with the rules and recommendations for arranging a terrarium for turtles.

It is not advisable to keep turtles of different species and gender in the same terrarium.

5. Domestic turtles do not sleep. At home, at the proper temperature in the terrarium (+28-+30 degrees), the turtle does not hibernate.

6. Bathing a turtle. Land turtles are bathed 1-2 times a week. Turtles are washed with a soft sponge in water with a temperature of about +30 degrees. The height of the water should reach the neck of the turtle so that water does not get into the eyes, ears, mouth. After washing, the turtle is dried and placed away from drafts.

7. Trimming of claws and beak. It happens that the turtle needs to trim its claws and beak, but this procedure is done only if the beak or claws have grown too much and prevent the turtle from eating and moving normally. Aquatic turtles usually do not cut their claws or beak.

8. Carapace care. Turtles often molt, so during the molt, their shells are smeared with a special cream for turtles.

9. Turtle walking. The turtle must be released from the terrarium for a walk for 30-40 minutes a day. It is necessary to ensure that the walking turtle does not stay in the sun for a long time, and the turtle should not be in drafts, it can catch a cold. When walking outside, watch your pet closely so that it does not get lost buried in the sand. Sometimes, in order not to lose the turtle, they hang a bright ribbon on it or attach a beacon for animals. If possible, a turtle paddock is built in the yard.

10. Interaction with a turtle. Like any creature, especially those living in captivity, the turtle needs your attention and communication, it can be tamed. You need to give the turtle food from your hands and after a while it will go to you for food, often hold the turtle in your hands so that it gets used to your smell. You need to tame the turtle gradually, but you should not abuse the caresses.

Turtles are an interesting and peculiar species of our smaller brothers. In the meantime, two of my representatives sleep peacefully nearby, I want to tell you a little about how to choose a turtle for your home and which one is better to choose. Because there are many types of turtles.

We will also figure out with you how to choose a healthy turtle. How to transport and care for them. In general, I have prepared for you a voluminous interesting, and most importantly, useful article. Happy reading.

Many types of turtles are inexpensive, so some people can go and buy a turtle right away. And it will be your fault. At one time, I myself fell for such a mistake.

Before choosing and buying a turtle, first find out in advance about how to feed it, how to care for it, how and where it lives. It is also necessary to understand how much money you are willing to spend on a terrarium, aviary, equipment and food.

I can tell you that you will spend approximately 3,000-5,000 rubles on the entire household, the main thing is to plan these expenses. You don't have to buy everything at once.

Be sure to keep in mind that over time the turtle will grow and take up more space, so take care of the place in which you place a large terrarium or aquarium in advance. You should have free time to equip the turtle enclosure, improve it, take care of the animal, feed it and watch it.

And most importantly - there should be an interest in the animals themselves! If you buy a turtle as a gift for children or as a toy, then soon it will get bored. You don’t need to keep the animal somehow, because a turtle in a beautiful terrarium will look much more spectacular for both you and your guests than in a box under the sofa.

Let's look at questions that often arise when buying and choosing a turtle:

1. How many turtles can you buy at once? First, it is better to take one, and only then buy more for it, but not 3 - 5 pieces at once, otherwise you may not be able to cope.
2. When is the best time to buy turtles? The best time to buy a turtle is the end of spring - the beginning of autumn. In winter, you can buy a sick turtle, or catch a cold during transportation to the house. These recommendations do not apply if you buy a turtle in a verified place, then you can take a turtle in any season.
3. Buying an aquarium / terrarium to plan before the appearance of the turtle or after? It is clear that an aquarium / terrarium must be purchased and fully equipped for living before the appearance of a turtle.
4. Where is the best place to buy turtles? The best option is to pick up the turtle for free if the owner refuses it. And in no case should you buy a turtle at the Bird Market - you can run into a sick animal or one listed in the Red Book.
5. How to determine if a turtle is healthy or not? If the turtle is healthy, then it is actively moving, it does not have any discharge from the eyes and nose, it does not breathe through the mouth, its eyes are open and there is a reaction to people.
6. How much can a turtle cost? Prices range from 150 rubles. up to 30000 rub. and more depending on exoticism. And you can take a turtle for free if the owner refused it.
7. How much will it cost to buy a terrarium with equipment? All together will result in an amount of at least 3,000 rubles, but if you search the Internet, you can find ads in which these things are given away for free.
8. What documents should be required for turtles in the store? Be sure to ask for the sales receipt or a copy of it. Where the number of animals, their species, the name of the seller, his signature, date of sale and price are clearly indicated. It is desirable to have a veterinary certificate or a copy of it that the animal is healthy.

Source: lyubimzi.ru

Turtle species

And now you need to make a choice. Which turtle should you choose? After all, there are about 300 species of turtles. True, the pet store does not have such a wide selection. Usually only land and sea turtles are kept there.

Let's meet the sea turtle. Oddly enough, she is very mobile, not like other species. It is active and grows quite quickly: literally in 5 years it grows by 30 centimeters. Such animals live only in an aquarium, and it is necessary that it be large (at least 100 liters). Therefore, only people who have an apartment large enough to put such an aquarium can keep such a pet.

If you want to get a land tortoise, then you will be offered a Central Asian land tortoise. This reptile is slow moving and slow growing. It is not as independent as an aquatic turtle.

Based on materials: zoocenter.ru

Which turtle should you choose?

Advantages of a land turtle:

• If you go somewhere, you can easily (on a train, by car) take a land tortoise with you in a box or in a carrier, or give it to friends for a while.
• Land is easier to feed in terms of prices for vegetables and fruits, as well as the purity of eating.
• It is believed that land animals are less aggressive than water ones. Usually yes, but not always.
• Cleaning a terrarium is much easier than changing the water and cleaning the filters.

Cons of a land turtle:

• Most land turtles are in the Red Book, it is against the law to sell and buy them without documents, and they are also rarely sold in pet stores.
• When moving to another country, it will be almost impossible to make documents for the turtle.

Benefits of a sea turtle:

• Aquatic turtles are always brighter, more beautiful and active than land turtles.
• Most of the species sold are captive bred, so they are easy to buy legally and cheaply. It does not harm nature.
• Aquatic (especially red-eared) turtles groom each other
• There are many more aquatic species than land species, so it is easier and cheaper to buy a turtle that is not like everyone else.

What kind of turtle is easier and more interesting?

First, decide what kind of turtle you want - water or land. It makes no sense to start in a city apartment those turtles that grow very large (more than 50 cm in length), for example, Coal, Radiant, Spur-bearing, Leopard, Cayman, Vulture.
It is best to start popular aquatic non-aggressive turtles: red-eared, marsh. Of the rarer ones - side neck, kinosternon, geographical, terrapin. Of the land, the Central Asian is best suited, as the least rare and prone to intractable diseases.

What age to take a turtle?

Baby turtles are more prone to disease than adults and are more likely to die or grow crooked if not properly cared for. Also, with small turtles, it is more difficult to carry out medical procedures, both for the veterinarian and for you. So if you don’t want your child to get upset and cry over a dead pet, it’s better to get a teenage or adult turtle.

When is the best time of year to get a turtle?

The tortoise should be brought in in the summer, as at this time they are more active, and it is easier to distinguish a healthy tortoise from a sick one. In addition, there is less chance of catching a turtle during transportation from the place of purchase to the house. Buying equipment and a terrarium is also more convenient in the warm season.

Buying a turtle in the winter, in 9 cases out of 10 you will get a sick animal that was not sold in the summer due to “non-commercial appearance” or market congestion. When buying a contraband animal (a land turtle), you must clearly understand that for one surviving turtle there are several dozen dead during transportation and subsequent maintenance in conditions of high crowding and lack of heat, light and ultraviolet radiation.

Source: rediskadowell.blogspot.com.by

How to choose a healthy turtle

In adult animals, the shell (abdominal - plastron, dorsal carapace) is solid and immobile. The cornea of ​​turtles is firmly attached to the skeleton and should not be scratched or otherwise damaged (tortoise cornea is not always identical to the shell). Leatherback turtles do not have a cornea. Instead, these animals have smooth skin.

Eye examination. The eyes should not be glued; there should be no clear or cloudy discharge. The eyelid should not have edema.
The nasal openings and mucous membrane of the mouth of the turtle should be free from deposits and secretions. Bubbles of foam in the nasal passages or in the mouth may indicate pneumonia.

Often, when sick, the turtle is not able to reflexively hide its head. Aquatic and sea turtles may behave strangely in water or stay on its surface when they are ill (for example, with pneumonia). An incorrect position in turtles is also observed after swallowing a foreign body (for example, a large stone).

It is necessary to observe the noises made by the animals. But in unusual situations, turtles can snort, the breathing of healthy turtles is not audible. Noises during breathing, extraneous sounds may indicate, for example, that the animal has pneumonia.

Source: zooclub.ru

Buying a turtle

It is better to carry a turtle from a pet store in warm weather - in a closed box with paper and holes for ventilation, in cold weather - in a box with a heating pad, or pressed to the body, since the turtle does not have its own heat. Trionics must be transported in water so that the skin on the shell does not dry out.

It is necessary to prepare in advance all suitable conditions for the turtle (temperature, light, ventilation).

If you bought a new turtle in addition to the ones you already have, then first plant a newbie and watch him for 1-2 months. If everything is in order with the turtle, then you can sit down with the rest of the turtles. If the newcomer and the old-timers are in conflict, then it is necessary to seat them again. Some aggressive species are best kept separate at all times.

Regularly (1-2 times a week or as it gets dirty) clean the aquarium or terrarium, but without chemical aggressive agents.

Give animals a variety of food - not only of animal, but also of plant origin. Do not forget about calcium and vitamins to promote health and armor.

Documentation

When buying an exotic animal from a dealer who does not have documents authorizing the import and sale of such animals, namely:

• a veterinary certificate from the sending country for the export of the animal.
• veterinary permit of the recipient country for the import of the animal.
• certificate of the International Convention on Trade in Wild Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) from the sending country (if this animal is included in the CITES Annexes).
• animal trade licenses, you are not only committing an illegal act, but also risking your health. A purchased turtle can be a carrier of a dangerous disease of salmonellosis, which is contagious to humans.

You have the right to ask the pet store for a copy of the CITES permit and the veterinary certificate.

If you have been sold a sick animal, then you have the right to demand a refund. Treatment costs can be recovered from the seller.

Most turtles are best kept in groups of only their own species. You should not keep other turtles near caiman, vulture and trionyx because of their aggressiveness. Do not mix species from different geographical areas in order to avoid diseases that are unusual for them in nature. It is also better not to keep turtles that vary greatly in size, as large animals can injure small ones.

Based on materials: priut.clan.su

As you can see, before buying a turtle, you need to consider several important and necessary points. Now you know much more about us and make the right choice when buying!

Kawabanga friends!

Anastasia Khrustaleva, Moscow, Russia

Dozens, hundreds of people kept turtles as children. Someone begged from their parents on the "Bird", someone was given by the previous owners, someone was brought as a gift, someone found... , simple content and unpretentiousness of these reptiles.

The most beloved and tenacious of these myths bring turtles the most trouble ...

Myth #1: A land tortoise can live on the floor.

Maybe. And even quite a long time, if you're lucky. Is this just life? Compare linoleum and earthy, sandy expanses of the steppes. Compare the heat from a battery with the heat from the sun. Compare ... Yes, just lie yourself under your sofa and breathe in what your turtle breathes, sleep on the tiles under the sink, basking on the water pipe. Represented?
But seriously, "outdoor" content is detrimental to the turtle. On the floor, she breathes dust, hair and foreign bodies get into her esophagus, they step on her, other domestic animals threaten her, turtles are crushed by furniture ... And on the floor, turtles are overtaken by the most common diseases in such cases - rickets (a disfiguring shell and leading to the death of the turtle from deformation and compression of the internal organs) and acute renal failure (when the kidneys fail and the turtle dies painfully). Fleeing from the wrong conditions and low temperatures (it is cool even +25, not to mention the drafts that a person does not feel), the turtle often hibernates for the winter ... from which one spring it does not come out. A turtle cannot winter in an apartment, this leads to severe, destructive disorders in its body. A turtle is a reptile, a cold-blooded animal that cannot maintain its body temperature on its own and in which all processes in the body proceed more slowly than in warm-blooded ones, which is why such “floor shoes” live for several years, slowly fading away from negligent owners, and then they are surprised - " yes, she has been living for so long, but here suddenly something has not woken up "...
The turtle should live only in a terrarium, with heating and UV lamps, eat right - and then many years of communication (and communication is very interesting, because the turtle is by no means a boring slow creature) will please you.

Myth #2: The red-eared turtle will never grow up.

The seller needs to sell. He does not care at all what will happen to the turtle and to you in a couple of years. And so now he will convince you that she will not grow at all. I hasten to disappoint you: the smallest aquatic turtles are musky, but they will not be the size of a five-kopeck coin, but more than 10 cm along the plastron (bottom of the shell), and they are not sold near the metro in a liter jar with a strange-looking grandmother. Red-eared turtles, which are most often seen, grow up to 25 cm and require a large aquaterrarium, at least 250 liters per turtle, require certain equipment, food and vitamins. And for the newly minted negligent owners, who were not ready for such a rapid growth of animals, turtles suffer in a small container, without heating, without a filter, they eat sausage in rotten water and quietly live out sadly.

Myth number 3. The turtle lives a hundred years and does not get sick.

He does not get sick at all, which is why there are herpetologists, there are treatment regimens for turtles, which is why vitamins are being developed for them ... And hundreds of turtles die from diseases. From severe diseases, intractable. And how many animals could not get sick if their owners took care of the elementary rules and conditions of detention, got acquainted with the signs of the most common diseases ... And how many could survive getting sick if they were treated by competent herpetologists, and not charlatans from veterinary medicine . There are very few specialists, real specialists in reptiles, not every city has them - so isn't it easier to properly keep a turtle than to take it hundreds of kilometers away for treatment? Or not to carry, but to observe a slow painful death and sigh over it "oh, how they loved"?

Myth #4: Anyone who has had a turtle before knows exactly how to handle it.

Well, if he knew exactly how to treat her, then she would most likely live with him now, and not before. Because the lifespan of a healthy, properly kept turtle is not 5, not 10, or even 20 years, they joke that a good turtle can also be left as a legacy. Anyone who kept a turtle before, for example, 20 years ago, is poorly aware of modern technical achievements in the field of keeping reptiles, is little familiar with specialized literature, simply because at that time it was extremely difficult to find.

Myth number 5. All turtles are given cabbage, bread, cheese, minced meat.

Of course they do. And they eat. When other food was not seen in the eye. Not to die of hunger. Here they eat. In fact, such a set is simply deadly for a turtle, both land and water. It kills their kidneys, disrupts metabolism, disfigures the shell. In the diet of the Central Asian land tortoise, there should be exclusively plants, mostly greens, and in the diet of the same red-eared tortoise, mostly lean fish. Many exotic species of turtles have a more complex and varied menu, but we hope that at least their owners study the conditions of detention BEFORE purchasing a turtle..?

Myth number 6. All land turtles live in the desert and they do not need water at all.

Just curious, what do these "everyone" eat in the desert? Sand perhaps? Central Asian turtles - namely, they are most often found among amateurs - are inhabitants of the steppes, and there is not only grass, there is also dew and rain. Therefore, the turtle receives a sufficient amount of moisture for it from the external environment. And at home? At home, it remains only to bathe, otherwise dehydration and problems with the excretion of waste products occur.

Myth number 7. A turtle is a wonderful gift for a child.

Wonderful. Especially when plush or rubber. When purchasing a turtle for a child, you must be prepared for the fact that all the worries about the animal will fall on you. A child will quickly get bored with a pet that cannot be played with a ball, that does not bark at a meeting, does not growl on its knees, which cannot be cuddle... Learn to handle a reptile yourself and teach the child - so that later you do not see how he suffers over a dead friend or - what is even more terrible - not to accustom him to senseless cruelty and indifference.

Myth #8: Turtles have a very hard shell.

Solid. It supports her body, protects from scratches, light blows. But he is not able to save a turtle that is thrown from a balcony, rolled down a hill, with which children play tank, which is bitten by a dog ... And turtles die in split shells, and internal organs are visible through the cracks ...

Myth number 9. The turtle does not hurt, it does not feel anything.

Of course, that is why the turtle tries to escape when it is given injections, squeaks from pain in a split shell ... It is the same living creature as a cat, a dog, a hamster, we are with you. And it hurts too, it hurts a lot.

Myth number 10. Turtles live like this and nothing.

No. There are sometimes responsible people who decide to study how an animal should live. And not only to study - to create these conditions, and not only to their turtles - they are ready to teach other owners and help abandoned turtles. And such people found each other and united on the forum "Turtles.ru" and in the "Team to Help the Turtles" - the HRC.
As sad confirmation of what was written, I will cite three sad stories from life:
- when they believed the one who had the turtle,
- when they did not know anything and could not know,
- and when they didn't want to know anything.
The latter is still the most dangerous state.

The first story is sad.

Once upon a time there lived a very sweet girl Katya. She lived with her mother, and they had ... that's right, a land turtle. Well, who else to get two lovely ladies, so that there is no trouble, and there is no need to go for a walk, but it seems that there is an animal at home. And so they somehow brought a turtle to the dacha of friends, because the lovely ladies did not have their own dacha. And friends have other guests, they also keep turtles. And those very other guests began to examine the turtle, to get acquainted with its mistresses. Katenka looks on, and the faces of the other guests become more and more serious, more and more sad.
And the guests ask Katya: "Do you need this turtle?" Katyusha was surprised and said: “Of course, we love her very much, we always feed her fresh, we took her to the dacha with us, in a basket, she has been living with us for many years, probably 10 years, I was still a schoolgirl when my mother gave her to me!” .
But the guests do not lag behind, everyone is asking - where does she sleep, what does she eat, what did she hurt? Katyusha conscientiously told: “Sleeping? Well, she sleeps where she wants, she chooses her own places, loves behind the refrigerator, no one stumbles on her there. Bathe?! Why, she lives in the desert, there is no water there, they never tried! But she never got sick, it was not in vain that her mother said when they started it - she lives a hundred years and will not get sick at all, but there is no hassle and no costs at all! "
The guests listened attentively to the sweet girl Katya, and a large Central Asian tortoise was sitting in a basket at her feet. The tortoise was very dark, the dust and dirt accumulated over the years under the refrigerator made it difficult to see its true color. The shell was bumpy, noticeably curved on the right side, and a large hump grew behind the head. The paws were in dark scales, broken off in some places, there were claws at the end of the paws, but if the turtle got to its homeland, then it would not have dug a single hole. Long, twisted, sometimes broken claws stuck out in different directions, clung to the basket and prevented the turtle from walking. The turtle looked at the world with sad eyes that looked sadly from under the swollen eyelids, the dry, flaky skin on the neck was like parchment, it seemed that as soon as the animal moved, it would rustle. The turtle was big, not less than 25 centimeters, its beak grew and even bent like an eagle's, and it was strange that it could still eat something.
The guests for a long time persuaded the girl Katenka to give them the turtle, but Katya and her mother loved her too much, they couldn’t part. For even longer, the guests told Katenka how they really need to keep such turtles ... and when they finished, Katenka said: “Probably these are yours, exotic ones, but my ordinary one, she doesn’t need this, her mother knows how to, she has a 5-year-old turtle lived...". The sweet girl Katenka's tortoise died last autumn, stricken with severe rickets, which coincided with kidney failure.

The second story is tragic.

She lived in post-war Leningrad ... no, not the sweet girl Katya, but the girl Lena, now quite an adult, even already elderly Elena, the protector of all the weak, the kindest person, passionately loving animals, and now working as a volunteer in a dog shelter. Dozens, hundreds of different cats and dogs passed through her hands ... but she remembers one animal in her life for 60 years with sadness. Immediately after the war, friends of her parents from the steppes brought her a little turtle, it was the size of a piglet and brought it in a matchbox. The turtle began to live with the girl Lena, was sincerely loved, grew very quickly. She lived, of course, in a box that stood on the desk under a table lamp, and in the summer the turtle went with Lena to the dacha. At the dacha, the turtle "grazed" in the beds, endlessly ate berries, leaves ... And one day, on the second summer, a terrible thing happened - the turtle's shell burst along the back ... The turtle died, Lena sobbed for many days and never again turtles in her life did not start.

The third story is terrible.

There once lived a very colorful lady, director, head of a large team, by coincidence her name was also Elena. This lady is terribly fond of animals. Terribly, terribly loves. She especially loves turtles, even on the coat of arms of her company a turtle flaunts, she loves it so much. She had an aquarium on her desktop, with three tiny redheads, and in the hall, at the entrance to the building, there were two plastic garden pools, also with turtles. In one lived a Trionyx, who, no one knows how, had come to her as an adult, and in the other four red-eared turtles, large, so large that when two swam near the surface, the other two could not emerge. Or was the pool so small..? And she loved everyone very much. It used to happen that he would come to work, unfreeze the crab sticks, and let's throw them into the pools with a regal gesture, whoever grabs them first. I loved you very much, you see? Another lady loved to let the turtles go for a walk in the evenings, she was touched by how funny the red-haired ones knocked on the tile with their shells and tried to climb the step, and - oh, how fun! - slap on the back, shaking their paws in the air. Trionix also liked to let out, though not herself, she asked for security - fortunately the front door was 10 meters away, otherwise Trionix could bite. It was so funny to touch Trionix from behind, he tightens his shell so charmingly when he hides under the banquettes.
She also loved the turtles that lived on the desk. No, no, but the feed will buy dry, even sometimes tops up with fresh water when it partially evaporates.
And she was also very fond of one land turtle, a small one bought at the Bird Market for her granddaughter, she fed her cheese, gave her sausage and also sometimes spoiled her with crab sticks, occasionally cabbage or an apple, on holidays, so to speak ...
... One redhead died from hypothermia. The second rotted alive, the shell fell apart into tatters. Trionix died from electric shock, chewed through the wire ...
In early autumn, the director brought a land turtle to school (the one that was granddaughter, remember), saying that she didn’t need it at home, that it wasn’t difficult to keep it, she eats cheese, and cabbage, and crab sticks, and bread in milk ... I imposed it on my subordinate, who is a big lover of animals (she loves so much ... just horror ...). She didn’t really care for her hamsters either, and only when they imposed ...
And the turtle began to drag out a miserable existence in the back room, at dusk behind the rack, on the bare glass of a small aquarium, in the cold, among sewage and rotting food remnants. This is how October began. She sat in a corner, lost and very lonely from her uselessness.
In November, the temperature dropped to + 15, they began to feed less often, throwing pieces of apples or a leaf of cabbage, a handful of glass balls and shells were poured onto the bottom, which did not even cover the bottom, but they began to interfere and prick, dispersed under the paws. The turtle really wanted to live and tried to get out of the aquarium, standing up on its hind legs and helplessly scratching its front legs on the bare slippery walls, fell - and started again. In December, the turtle stopped getting up, powerlessly sorting through the pebbles in the corner with its front paws, trying to burrow into the bare glass. She was bleeding from her nose and eyes. And there were 10 days of New Year holidays ahead ...
Fortunately, this turtle eventually changed hands.

And how many of them are forgotten under sofas and radiators, dipping their faces in bowls of milk, wintering under refrigerators, crushed by their owners, bitten or eaten by other pets, swimming in rotten water, dying without treatment or from improper treatment ...

Do not believe in myths and rumors, believe in professionals, please!!!

Each of us at least once faced a difficult dilemma: to start a pet or not. And if so, what is it? Dog, cat, rabbit or parrot? Making a decision is not easy, because the pet will require additional costs, attention and care. If you are worried that you will not be able to devote enough time to it, you are afraid that the animal will be annoying, you should get a land tortoise. Read more in this article on Lady Mail.Ru.

Reason #1. Turtles are unpretentious animals

Turtles are considered one of the most unpretentious pets. A turtle does not need to be walked regularly like a dog. She feels much more comfortable in her house - a special terrarium, an aquarium (of course, without water), a plexiglass box or a plastic container (on average 60x40 cm). If you release a turtle to walk around the apartment, then, unlike a cat, it will not scratch upholstered furniture and wallpaper, it will not gnaw slippers and boots like a puppy. One of the strong arguments in favor of a turtle as a pet is the fact that it is hairless. With it, you can forget about shreds of wool on upholstered furniture, which means that you can safely start a turtle in a family where there is an allergy. True, the absence of wool does not mean at all that the turtle does not need care and hygiene. You need to monitor the cleanliness of the soil in her home, and the cleanliness of the shell. As a soil (layer thickness 4-5 cm), it is better to use a "mixture" of flat stones or large pebbles (larger than a turtle's head) with hay or sawdust (not flavored). As the soil gets dirty, you need to change it, as well as clean and wash the terrarium itself. Turtles themselves need to be washed from time to time (at least once a week). Luckily, they love to swim! Warm water (30-35 degrees) should be poured into a container at the level of two-thirds of the turtle's height, then gently put the pet there, wash the shell, paws and muzzle with a hand or sponge, then wipe it lightly with a napkin, lowering it back into the terrarium.

Reason number 2. Turtles are long-lived

Turtles are very tenacious and hardy reptiles. This is more than eloquently evidenced by the fact that, easily adapting to various climatic conditions, they have retained their appearance from prehistoric times with little or no special metamorphosis. They are quite resistant to infections, can go without food for a long time, be content with a minimum of oxygen, quickly “heal” injuries, and are protected by a strong shell. Therefore, it is not surprising that turtles live a long time. For example, the giant tortoises that live on the Galapagos Islands live for more than 200 years, and in the monasteries of Jerusalem, some lived up to 120 years. The average life expectancy of the Central Asian - the most common species of turtles - is 40 years. And this is a pretty respectable age for a pet, especially in comparison with small rodents like a hamster or guinea pig. The turtle can grow with the child, and when he grows up, pass "by inheritance" to his children! A long-liver can delight with her presence for many years, and children will not have to experience stress, cry, be sad, as often happens when a hamster or guinea pig dies, to which the baby already has time to become attached.

Reason number 3. Turtles have a wonderful temperament: they are quiet and peaceful

The great advantage of a turtle as a pet is that it is quiet! It doesn’t bark, doesn’t howl and doesn’t whine like a dog, doesn’t chirp incessantly like a canary and doesn’t meow for days on end, like cats or cats demanding “here and now” their “soul mate”. The turtle is not heard, it does not annoy anyone. On the contrary, she herself now and then strives to hide under the shell. But, despite the fact that the turtles have their own “shelter” on their backs, in the terrarium she definitely needs to make a mink or a house where she could hide from prying eyes. Such a shelter can be a ceramic flower pot with a chipped edge. The main thing is that she easily climbed in and out. Sometimes in an unusual or new environment, turtles can snort. After looking around and getting used to the environment, they calm down.

Reason number 4. The turtle will not ruin: she is a vegetarian and eats little

Very often, those who want to have a pet are worried about the question of whether they can feed him. With a turtle, this question will not even arise! She does not need a lot of food or special food. She is a vegetarian, eats greens, fruits, vegetables. In this case, the leaves (lettuce, young cabbage) need to be chopped, and fruits and vegetables, for example, zucchini, carrots and beets, rub on a fine grater. In vegetable salads, it will not be superfluous to add a pinch of ground eggshell. In summer, the reptile will not refuse berries: strawberries, blackberries, raspberries. But fresh cucumbers in large quantities should not be offered to her. It is strictly forbidden to give the turtle onions, garlic and spicy greens, spinach, rhubarb and asparagus. Instead of these garden plants, it is better to pick dandelions for her (dandelion leaves can be dried for the winter), clover, plantain, coltsfoot, or at least lawn grass. The turtle's diet should not contain milk, bread, potatoes (neither raw nor boiled), citrus fruits, stone fruits. Of course, canned and dry food for other pets, as well as soups and cereals, and leftover dishes from the home table are contraindicated for her. Adult turtles are fed no more than 2-3 times a week, since their digestion is a rather long process. It is important that the turtle is hungry when offered food (it should be about half the size of its shell). The diet will save the owner from unnecessary troubles, and the turtle from diseases. A turtle feeder should be chosen with low edges, almost flat, but weighty and heavy so that it does not turn it over. Without fail, the terrarium must have a drinking bowl with water.

Reason number 5. Turtle is a safe animal

Reason number 6. Turtle is an interesting person

Some believe that the turtle is a boring and uninteresting creature and is unlikely to surprise or please with something. However, this animal is very curious. In the summer, leaving for the country, it is quite possible to take a turtle with you. She will find the right plants herself - turtles have a very well developed sense of smell, and they perfectly distinguish colors. But before you release it on the grass, you need to glue some kind of “beacon” to the shell with adhesive tape, for example, a balloon or a flag, and make sure that it does not move to someone else’s territory (you can’t paint the shell with paint or varnish!) , did not dig (they can dig tunnels up to 2 m long). For the whole day, the turtle can "wind" 5-6 km! Of course, one cannot expect dog devotion or cat tenderness from reptiles, but nevertheless, turtles quickly get used to their owner, recognize him, hurriedly mince towards him, try to look into his eyes, and wait for communication. They are really extraordinary, otherwise they would not become characters in stories and jokes, flash games and cartoons, comics and postcards, tattoos and desktop backgrounds.