If you are going to get a turtle at home, then you probably thought not only about where and how to keep it, but also how to feed the turtle at home. Still - it’s not a cat or a dog that can eat from the owner’s table, and not fish, for which ready-made special food is being sold! In this article, we will tell you about the proper organization of food for your pet.
Before you start a conversation about how to feed a turtle at home, you need to decide which variety of these cute creatures you will get - land or freshwater. They are completely different in terms of detention!
Land turtles
So, before buying a pet you need to purchase and equip its habitat - this should be a terrarium with heating, a swimming pool, a feeder and a shelter. If the bug is small - up to 12 centimeters in length, a normal aquarium of 100 liters is quite suitable. The bottom is covered with river gravel or pebbles up to 6 cm high. Do not leave the bottom naked or cover it with clean sand or sawdust!
An ordinary incandescent bulb of 100 watts can become a heating, and a small plastic trough or a bowl can become a pool. A great house comes out of one half of a flower pot.
Turtles should bask in the light twice a day for 2-3 hours, and 2-3 times a week to swim in warm water for at least 30 degrees, up to 4 hours (young individuals), or sprayed out of a spray bottle daily (adults).
Now let's talk about how to feed a turtle at home. First, that in no case should they be given. This milk, cereals, peel of citrus fruits, brown bread and dry food for other animals, and other food from the "host table" also does not suit them.
Then how to feed a domestic turtle? In the summer - chopped herbs (clover, dandelions, plantain, etc.) with vegetables, fruits and berries. A proportion should be observed - 70 percent of greens and vegetables in the diet, 25 percent of fruits and 5 - various additives (raw liver, minced meat, ground egg shells, boiled egg, etc.). They are administered once a week. It is good to give cereals germinated in the dark.
How many times to feed the turtle? Adults can be fed several times a week - 2-3 times, and until the turtle is one year old, it should eat food daily.
Freshwater turtles
They are kept in the aquaterrarium, where land should occupy at least 25 percent of the area. For an adult turtle, an aquarium of 100-150 liters is suitable. Non-chlorinated water is changed 1-2 times a week. Heating is located under the land area. Freshwater turtles are often overgrown with algae - do not brush the shell with rough brushes!
How to feed the turtle at home in this case? The first condition is diversity. Do not throw food into the water, feed it on the shore. Such turtles love small fish with bones and aquarium snails. Give them slices of thawed sea bass.
As an additive, squid and a raw liver can be used. If the turtle is fed exclusively with meat, it may develop rickets. Add various additives to her diet - mineral and protein, as well as plant foods.