So you've just come home from the pet shop, and you've brought a turtle, maybe it's for a child, maybe you just like turtles. The young girl at the pet shop gave you some general care tips and left it at that. But how much do you really know now?
Read more: How to Prepare for your new Turtle | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4752796_prepare-new-turtle.html#ixzz1OmEzowyC
Instructions
#1
You've got the little guy (or gal) home now you're probably wondering, what type of turtle do I have? An Aquatic turtle is a painted turtle, a side-neck or a red-eared slider. You can attempt to determine this by seeing my other eHow article at the bottom.
# 2
You've determined that you have an aquatic turtle from the eHow article and now you're wondering what should I keep the little guy in. As a general rule of thumb you should have 10 gallons of water for every inch the turtle is. This may seem like a lot and you should be warned, buying a large tank for a very small turtle that is not used to swimming can cause the guy to get stuck near the bottom. Filling a large tank half way and building up the water level as the turtle grows is perfectly fine.
# 3
The turtle will need a place to bask, if you do not give the turtle a place to bask he will develop shell rot, his shell will deteriorate and he will die eventually. The basking place should ideally be warm and dry a basking lamp is a great way to achieve this if you do not live in a warm climate (by warm I mean 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit).
# 4
Another important consideration for your turtle is the need of a UV light. This will provide the turtle with the essential lights it needs to promote healthy growth. Not supplying a turtle with a UV light will lead to an early death.
# 5
The tank itself should not have very fine gravel at the bottom. The turtle can and will swallow fine gravel especially if it is shiny or attractive. This can lead to the turtle becoming compacted and eventually having it's stomach explode.
# 6
The turtle water will need to be warm, this can be accomplished by a fish tank heater, yet not so warm that the turtle never feels the need to come out of the water to bask, a good suggestion is to have it 10 degrees cooler (no cooler than 70) than the basking platform.
# 7
You will need a filter, filters themselves come in many different shapes and sizes, if the water is not filtered the waste will build up, it will lead to toxic levels of ammonia and other chemicals in the water and your little guy will indeed croak.
# 8
You will need to clean the tank frequently, especially at the beginning as the bacteria that break down the waste and ammonia have not developed. Once the bacteria develops the chemical levels will stabilize and you will have to change water out less frequently.
# 9
The turtle himself will eat most greens, you should be warned that some greens are dangerous to the turtle as are some fruits. You should supplement his greens with food containing protein. However be careful of overfeeding the turtle with protein rich food, this will lead to shell deformities. The turtle will beg, don't cave.
# 10
Now be prepared to have your little guy from anywhere from 15-20 years. Turtles are amazingly resilient, develop personalities and can be a joy to watch.
from: braniac, eHow User
Read more: How to Prepare for your new Turtle | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_4752796_prepare-new-turtle.html#ixzz1OmEzowyC
Instructions
#1
You've got the little guy (or gal) home now you're probably wondering, what type of turtle do I have? An Aquatic turtle is a painted turtle, a side-neck or a red-eared slider. You can attempt to determine this by seeing my other eHow article at the bottom.
# 2
You've determined that you have an aquatic turtle from the eHow article and now you're wondering what should I keep the little guy in. As a general rule of thumb you should have 10 gallons of water for every inch the turtle is. This may seem like a lot and you should be warned, buying a large tank for a very small turtle that is not used to swimming can cause the guy to get stuck near the bottom. Filling a large tank half way and building up the water level as the turtle grows is perfectly fine.
# 3
The turtle will need a place to bask, if you do not give the turtle a place to bask he will develop shell rot, his shell will deteriorate and he will die eventually. The basking place should ideally be warm and dry a basking lamp is a great way to achieve this if you do not live in a warm climate (by warm I mean 85-90 degrees Fahrenheit).
# 4
Another important consideration for your turtle is the need of a UV light. This will provide the turtle with the essential lights it needs to promote healthy growth. Not supplying a turtle with a UV light will lead to an early death.
# 5
The tank itself should not have very fine gravel at the bottom. The turtle can and will swallow fine gravel especially if it is shiny or attractive. This can lead to the turtle becoming compacted and eventually having it's stomach explode.
# 6
The turtle water will need to be warm, this can be accomplished by a fish tank heater, yet not so warm that the turtle never feels the need to come out of the water to bask, a good suggestion is to have it 10 degrees cooler (no cooler than 70) than the basking platform.
# 7
You will need a filter, filters themselves come in many different shapes and sizes, if the water is not filtered the waste will build up, it will lead to toxic levels of ammonia and other chemicals in the water and your little guy will indeed croak.
# 8
You will need to clean the tank frequently, especially at the beginning as the bacteria that break down the waste and ammonia have not developed. Once the bacteria develops the chemical levels will stabilize and you will have to change water out less frequently.
# 9
The turtle himself will eat most greens, you should be warned that some greens are dangerous to the turtle as are some fruits. You should supplement his greens with food containing protein. However be careful of overfeeding the turtle with protein rich food, this will lead to shell deformities. The turtle will beg, don't cave.
# 10
Now be prepared to have your little guy from anywhere from 15-20 years. Turtles are amazingly resilient, develop personalities and can be a joy to watch.
from: braniac, eHow User
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