Taking Responsible Painted Turtle Care to the Next Level

Painted turtles are the most abundant turtle species there is today. The turtle’s shell is playfully painted with bright markings that fade as they age. Painted turtles are aquatic creatures most commonly seen in Southern Canada, United States, and northern Mexico.

Painted Turtle Care

Like parenting, owning a baby turtle also requires you to have a sense of responsibility up to the time that it becomes full grown. The life span of these turtles could extend up to 40 long years, or more, as long as they are not neglected. Turtles are living beings like us and it is about time to take responsible turtle care to the next level through these useful tips:

Painted turtle care tip#1: Know how they live in the wildlife

Having an idea about their wildlife activities would entail you to do a little research. There are lots of resources out there (books and the online materials) that could help you understand these animals better. Doing this would also allow you to establish a good connection with your pet turtle.

Painted Turtle Care

Painted turtle care tip#2: Know how they behave

Painted turtles are great swimmers, this explain why they most occasionally seen in bodies of water. At times, they could be spotted in large groups basking under the sun to generate and regulate heat in their bodies. Basking is a manner where turtles lie under the sun through floating rocks or slabs of stone near the bodies of water.

Painted turtles also prefer to be alone. They are very shy and reluctant, so holding them frequently would not be a good recommendation. But not worry, these turtles could get used to faces that they see frequently.

Painted Turtle Care

Painted turtle care tip#3: Know how to provide them shelter

Because painted turtles are part of the reptile world, they will not be able to generate heat by themselves. In this case, it is very important that you know the right lighting and temperature to keep them alive. Start by getting the right aquarium size that would allow them to swim and to bask at the same time. The water could go as deep that the turtle’s shell length or more.

Right water temperature could be achieved by regulating it between 75-80°F or 24-27°C through water heaters. You could create a basking area by putting a slab of stone or wood inclined against the water for them to easily crawl on.

Artificially, a good lighting could be provided by incandescent or fluorescent light bulbs. If UVB emitting compact bulb is available, use it instead to supply your turtles enough calcium to keep their shells stronger.

Painted turtle care tip#4: Know what to feed them

Like humans, turtles need a well balanced diet to achieve long life. Their diet includes both meat and plants like carrots, sweet potatoes and earthworms.  In feeding them, food could just be thrown into their aquariums since they need water to aid them in swallowing. Because of this, water tanks should be cleaned regularly for hygienic purposes and to avoid water contamination.

Painted turtle care tip#5: Know how healthy they are

Knowing how healthy your turtle looks like would give you an idea whether a veterinary attention is already necessary.  Some of the indicators of a healthy turtle are: being active and responsive; maintaining regular eating habits; being free from any skin discolorations and shell lesions; having clear eyes, nose and vent.

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