The Joy and Hardship of Owning Turtle Pets
If you are considering owning turtle pets, think again. It is not easy. In fact, it requires your commitment, money, and critical thinking. For one, do not be easily persuaded by turtle sellers when they say these animals are easy to keep because they do not demand much attention. This is not so true. Turtles will always require your daily attention and care to enable them to live in captivity. In fact, they will not survive in an ordinary tank. They will require a proper environment, food, vitamins, lighting, temperature, and a water filtration system. In addition, each type of turtle pet has specific needs.
To give you an idea of the ‘truth’ about keeping pet turtles and to gauge whether you are fit for the job, consult former and present turtle owners. You can ask them about the struggles they’ve had, as well as the fun brought by owning a turtle. This way, you will obtain first-hand information, especially on the ease and difficulty of turtle care. Inquire also about the strategies they apply in keeping their turtle pets, including housing, feeding and, more importantly, cost. The owners can help you understand more of the information written in books. Lastly, you can also seek the advice of veterinarians. These professionals will be able to advise you as how to best take care of your pet—at a fee, of course.
Once you have decided you want to continue with your plan, do not purchase a pet turtle yet. Consider preparing its housing first. Do you prefer indoor or outdoor housing? Or, does it need an indoor or outdoor habitat? Begin by choosing the habitat best suited to your own living space. If you have enough space outdoors, opt for pet turtles that can be housed outdoors, like Russian Tortoises, Ornate Box Turtles, Three-Toed Box Turtles, and Red-Eared Sliders. If you do not have sufficient outdoor space, consider selecting those that can stay indoors, like Flower-Back Turtles, Chinese Box Turtles, Malaysian Box Turtles, and any turtles from the Amazon River.
Your next concern: food. Which pet turtle or tortoise is easy to feed? You must realize that these species have different dietary needs. Some prefer plants only, like water lilies and ferns; while others eat a selection of foods, including chopped chicken and raw meat. A box turtle, known as a picky eater is not the right one for you if you cannot afford to spend time and money looking for the foods suitable to its diet. Look for another one that will not require you to spend more time thinking about its daily diet than you do for yourself!
When you are ready to make a purchase, examine the pet turtle you wish to buy. Make sure it is free from injury or any sickness.
Turtle-keeping will become a challenging and happy task for you if you do things the correct way. If not, you will only lead an innocent species to an unhappy and miserable life because you made a purchase for the wrong reason. Think long and hard.
