Recently, turtles have become almost the most popular pets. Many parents buy them for their children as a living toy. It would seem that the reptile does not take up much space in the house, it is not difficult to take care of it, it is constantly silent, eats little, sleeps a lot, in a word - the perfect pet. However, it is not so simple. Before you buy a reptile, you need to find out what kind it belongs to, in what conditions it should live. It would be nice to know in advance what land turtles eat, how they spend their leisure time, where they rest.
Pet's health is largely dependent on living conditions. The reptile cannot be kept in a tight box, ideally it should be a glass terrarium or at least a plastic box.
Land turtles are mobile, so the walls of their house should exceed the length of the shell at least five times. For the proper development of bones, they need light, so you should keep reptiles under an electric lamp, which will also serve as a heater if it is cold in the house.
Plant foods are what land tortoises of all kinds eat. Of course, depending on the geography of residence, a menu will also be compiled. For example, reptiles living in humid regions eat not only grass and fruits, but also food of animal origin. Reptiles from dry habitats use only vegetables, fruits and plants. It is very important to know what land turtles eat in order to raise a healthy and mobile pet.
It is sometimes difficult to independently balance the feed, you can contact your veterinarian on this issue. The specialist will tell you exactly what the reptile should be and in what quantities. Many people think that it is enough for the tortoise to give a leaf of lettuce once a week, and she sleeps the rest of the time, but this is not so. The diet should be varied and contain the maximum amount of essential nutrients. What terrestrial turtles eat in the summer is pod fruits, wildflowers, herbs, and foliage of shrubs. In the fall, they will enjoy pear, blackberry, and other ripe seedless fruits and berries.
Some owners who do not know what land tortoises eat give their pets canned or cat canned food, pasta, rice, but these products are unsuitable for their body. The reptile needs to be fed with herbs, leaves, juicy fruits, berries and vegetables, some of which can eat beetles, worms, snails. It is also allowed from time to time to give reptiles soaked dry cat food, but you should not get carried away with it.
It is important to know not only what to feed, but also how much the land tortoise eats. The process of digestion in a reptile lasts about a crescent, so it should be fed often, but in small portions. So that the pet does not choose its preferred products from the feeder, it is necessary to grind or finely chop all the food components, and then combine them. Particular attention should be paid to the diet of small turtles, because inadequate intake of vitamins can adversely affect their development.