Land turtles at home and features of their contents

When a child starts asking his parents to buy him a pet, they face a very difficult question: "What kind of animal do you prefer?" Dogs are true friends and partners in the game, but they are a lot of noise and garbage. Cats are affectionate, but their hair often causes allergies. Fish are cute and quite unpretentious, but they can not be picked up. And then many people remember about turtles. Water turtles are not much different (in terms of communication) from fish, but they need a constant water change. But the land tortoises at home will get along well. They do not so much spoil the dwelling, they do not make noisy sounds. Finally, feeding turtles will cost owners less than dogs or cats. So it turns out that this is the perfect pet!

Habitat

In nature, terrestrial turtles inhabit the vast open spaces of deserts and steppes in Africa, in Asia and in South America. You can meet some species in the forests. Their sizes are different, there are also small individuals - up to 12 cm long, and truly huge - meter. These animals differ and a rare long life. They can easily last up to a hundred years. Turtles are sluggish and unhurried, and in case of danger they do not escape, but hide in their shell. By way of nutrition, these animals are vegetarians. All this, of course, must be taken into account when deciding how land tortoises will be kept at home.

Content

To fully support such a pet, one should acquire a terrarium, which will become his house. Of course, there were times when these reptiles lived in shoe boxes and crawled all over the house. But such content of turtles can cause irreparable harm to the animal. And given the fact that the cost of these pets is high enough (they are more expensive even for their water relatives), it is worthwhile to make some efforts and provide your pet with a normal home. The terrarium should be quite spacious, so that the turtle can move freely. The bottom must be covered with soil. The smooth gravel that will not hurt the skin of the tortoiseshells is best. As for any "petty" animal living in the terrarium, your "Tortile" needs to make a house. It must be a shelter, something like an inverted box without a bottom, with a wide entrance, into which the armor can easily fit. It is necessary to organize heating of the terrarium and good lighting. This is usually done when using an incandescent lamp. The air temperature at which terrestrial turtles are kept at home should be between 27 and 29 degrees. And even under the lamp itself it will be even warmer - there the turtle will "bask in the sun". From time to time (about once every ten days) you need to arrange a pet bath with warm water. If it is good to know what terrestrial tortoises are afraid of, leaving and keeping them becomes easy enough. And such insidious enemies for them are drafts. They are contraindicated by these animals, since they can cause serious diseases.

Feeding

Like wild cousins, land turtles at home prefer vegetable fodder. Most often it's fresh grass or steamed hay, vegetables, lettuce leaves. It is also necessary to feed them specialized mineral and vitamin supplements, mixing them with food. Although turtles can go without water for a long time, it is better to put a drink in the terrarium.

Turtles are also interesting because in nature they go into hibernation twice a year (in special heat and cold). However, in conditions of the house, when the weather does not deteriorate, the animal can remain active during these periods. With good care the tortoise can live in the house for 40 years.