Everything that will be written in this article is a terrible reality of human nature. My goal is to promote the proper keeping of turtles in captivity, most of which are red listed. For many pet stores, a turtle is just a trade. DIET OF TURTLE They will say all kinds of nonsense in order to “sell” the product faster, and they succeed quite well in this. After all, it is easier to believe that a turtle “like a dog” will run on the floor and live under the sofa, than to believe that the turtle is an exotic reptile that needs a large, spacious and specially equipped terrarium or aquarium with imitation of its natural environment.
Now it is fashionable to get anyone, and after a while to get rid of the animal without thinking. During the entire time of my activity, I had to hear about the fact that red-eared turtles were seen somewhere in the pond in my city, in the entrance of the house and even in the garbage. I venture to guess that the former owners of these turtles bought them as carelessly as they threw them away. There are those who sincerely believe that the turtle lives with them in comfort and joy, but then for some reason its shell becomes crooked and soft, a hump appears and the eyes swell. This article is written with one goal in mind – to explain what kind of animal you are dealing with and how to care for it and where to get a turtle to avoid overfishing. If you are not sure about at least one point, then this animal is not for you.
If you have a desire to get a pet and the choice fell on a reptile, and even on such as a turtle, you must learn at least the basics in order to make a responsible decision. DEVICE AND EQUIPMENT I will try to explain what kind of animal this is, based on both my experience and the experience of other people who realized that such a pet is not for them at all. This article will answer the most important question: “Do you need a turtle?”.
ANIMAL BLOOD BUSINESS
Almost all turtles sold are illegally imported animals. Terrestrials are caught from the wild and smuggled like potatoes in sacks. All land turtles are listed in the Red Book. Water turtles are bred in China on farms and are also transported in bags without any documents. By buying a turtle from a pet store, you are supporting a business based on the blood of thousands of animals. By buying a land turtle, you are breaking the law and will never be able to travel abroad with it: the turtle will be confiscated, and you may be “under the law”. It is enough to make a query on Google “smuggling of turtles” and see in what quantities they are transported. And it doesn’t stop.
Buying and keeping a turtle should be approached with great responsibility. People believe the sellers of pet stores, but for some reason they themselves do not want to study the issue, naively relying on the opinion of others. FOODS AND TREATMENTS What unscrupulous sellers do not say. They are unceremonious and push red-eared turtles under the guise of “dwarf” turtles, which actually grow up to 30-35 cm long and weigh up to 2-3 kg. They keep such turtles in a huge pile in unsanitary conditions and feed them forbidden food. You are very likely to buy an already sick animal that you cannot cure.
Who is suitable for a turtle?
To love this animal and get pleasure from keeping it, you need to raise it consciously. “Turtle for children” is a separate story altogether. Every living being has its own needs and desires. Turtles, like other animals, need responsible and proper care. And children, as they age, do not have a proper idea of responsibility. Turtles are generally solitary by nature. Terrestrials like to burrow into the soil, sit for a long time in a shelter or one place, bask for hours under a lamp. This is an animal for OBSERVATION and only! Not for hugs, co-sleeping, walks and other kindnesses.
Contrary to the information spread by dishonest sellers, turtles cannot be tamed, they do not recognize the owner, and do not wag their tail when they see him, do not jump on their hind legs, they are completely indifferent to people. Care (Maintenance) They don’t like being touched, they can’t be pressed and constantly picked up: this will only cause them stress. Your task is to feed, clean, change the lamps and observe. A turtle is an exotic animal, just like fish. And an exotic animal requires its own peculiarities in care. For active children, this is a completely uninteresting creature that will get bored in a week. And what next? To throw out? Be kind to animals
Responsibility
Almost all people who contact me say roughly the same thing: “I bought a turtle, what should I do with it? What does she need? Once also became the owner of a land turtle, which became a gift. In a few days, I figured out the basic conditions for this species and bought everything I needed. At the time of writing Roxy has been with me for about 7 years. But this is by no means an ideal example. The turtle should be brought home already in ready conditions. Most people take the turtle home, and only then think about what to do with it. And after realizing how difficult it is to provide proper care, they decide to get rid of the animal… And for sure the turtle will end up in a local pond, if not in a garbage dump…
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