Aquariums for turtles. Well-equipped aquarium for red-eared fish.

15.06.2019 Animals

Freshwater red-eared turtles make as interesting pets as other amphibians and reptiles. Since they need to be kept in water, before purchasing you should find out how the aquarium should be set up for red-eared turtle.

09 January 2014

The red-eared turtle cannot live without water, so it must be kept in aquarium. But, just like a turtle breathes atmospheric air, she may drown without receiving oxygen. The design of an aquarium for a red-eared turtle is significantly different from an aquarium for fish or newts.

Sick animals must be protected from direct contact with other animals, the reason for which will be to isolate partially, but without it completely to withdraw from the general atmosphere, because some people are more sensitive and can go into complete anorexia.

The injected water will be checked to ensure that it does not drop microorganisms, which must be cleaned and changed at minimal intervals. When administering oral medications, they should be diluted with water only when used. They can also be mixed into feed or, if presented in solutions, injected into small pieces of meat. If they cannot be introduced, they may go to bed, a method used when animals are no longer feeding or when they are very weak. In general, injections are preferred because the dose of drugs prescribed to be administered is very precise.

Aquarium size

Turtles most often end up with their future owners while still very tiny. But in the first year the turtle can grow by as much as 10 cm! Subsequently, the turtle’s growth rate decreases to 1 cm per year, but a three-year-old pet will already have impressive dimensions: up to 20 cm in length. By the way, do you know?

An aquarium for a red-eared turtle 12 cm long should be at least 100 liters, and for a larger one - 150-200 liters. Be prepared for this, but you shouldn’t immediately put the baby in a huge aquarium. He will be uncomfortable.

To avoid accidents, it is necessary to guard the dough properly, which is usually done by two people. Subcutaneous injections are performed in the folds of the neck or on the inner surface of the limbs, and sometimes just below the tail. Intramuscular administration is usually prescribed in the cellulose or chest muscles.

Respiratory system disorders have been successfully inhaled from a variety of products, depending on the type of condition. In this regard, in a bowl of volatile hot water are inserted and the animal is forced to stand for 10 minutes in a reduced space, as close to the effect as possible to be beneficial.

Zoning

As you already know, the red-eared turtle needs dry land. You can find floating islands for turtles in pet stores, but it is very difficult for the animal to climb onto them. In order for your pet to live comfortably, equip him gentle access to land. You can make such a guard yourself from plexiglass and aquarium glue. The ratio of land and water in an aquarium for a red-eared turtle should be 1: 3. That is, land should occupy approximately a quarter of the aquarium.

How to introduce turtles. Likewise, the use of formol and iodine on sick animals should be discouraged and living areas or other components inside the aquarium should be disinfected. Do not use drugs where the dosage is unknown, as there is a risk that instead of working well with the animals, making them worse off and losing them.

Feeding Carnivorous Turtles First we make some recommendations for feeding carnivorous turtles, Florida turtles taking standard or with Roney Temples, the most common among terrariums. One of the basic principles in eating turtles is to manage their food as varied as possible, in order to ensure that all the elements needed by the body from protein to minerals and vitamins are present.


Interior

In order for your pet to easily climb onto his island, the gentle slope must be covered with something sufficiently rough, but not scratching the shell. There are special rugs for turtles. The rest of the interior can be decorated to your taste, but the aquarium should not contain fine gravel or poisonous plants so that the turtle doesn't eat them.

The diet structure introduced to predators necessarily includes meat from various domestic animals. Except for the pig, which is difficult to digest. It will also include organs, fish, snails, frames, food specially prepared for dogs and cats, chicken, mice, frogs, etc.

The amount of food to be administered to carnivorous turtles depends, in part, on their appetite at any given time, taking into account periods of transition from or to hibernation, as well as temperature environment, which regulates appetite and reproductive activity throughout the season.

Artificial plants should also be treated with caution. The turtle's beak is surprisingly sharp, and plastic is unlikely to do it any good.

The water in the aquarium for a red-eared turtle should not be too much, but not too little, so that the pet can swim for pleasure. Optimal water level determined by the width of the shell turtles. Unfortunately, there are no neighbors - fish, snails or crustaceans - to carnivorous turtle you won't get hooked.

As a rule, an amount of food equal to 8-10% of the animal's weight is calculated, which will be given at 1-2 day intervals, depending on appetite and consumption. When determining this amount, it will take into account, among other things, the age of the animal, and the results of preliminary feed readings do not remain, since it can be changed and then discarded.

Better results are obtained when the turtles' food is live because it better matches the animal's preferences and is more suitable in terms of quality. Depending on the age of the frogs, feeding will be differentiated. Thus, young turtles feed at shorter intervals, initially twice a day and then once a day, while adults feed once every two or three days.

Climate

Remember that the red-eared turtle is a cold-blooded tropical animal. She needs warmth for all life processes. If a red-eared turtle's aquarium is too cool, it will at least hibernate, and in the worst case, it may die.

Therefore it is necessary watch the temperature water and air in the aquarium. There should be a lamp above the land part that warms the air to 28-30 °C - here the turtle will eat and warm up after eating. You will also need Ultraviolet lamp for regular tanning sessions to prevent rickets.

Fresh foods can be served as is, and the toughest ones will be chopped or cut into small pieces. Predatory turtles are capable of processing even larger pieces that they tear, but consumption is more difficult and with greater energy losses, while the younger ones remain unpunished along with the food next to them.

When feeding, it is taken into account that predatory turtles bite, and sometimes when we return inappropriately to the aquarium, they may confuse our fingers with prey, and therefore we may bite hard. It is recommended that food be introduced as widely as possible to include two types and not be too large, because oxidation and decomposition will contaminate the aquarium water, thereby becoming a source of disease. Also, keep in mind that the food is not altered or contaminated as it causes illness in turtles.

Water temperature in an aquarium for a red-eared turtle should be maintained at 25-28 ° C. If the water is not heated by the lamp, it is necessary to additionally install a water heater. But bacteria easily multiply in warm water, and if you remember that turtles defecate in the water, then an environmental disaster in the aquarium seems almost inevitable. To avoid this, you need to install powerful water filter and once a week replace part of the water with clean and settled water for five days.

Although they are carnivores and aquatic frogs, in addition to their main food, they will be served at least twice a week green lettuce, which they eat with pleasure, and in addition they bring a significant amount of mineral salts and vitamins.

In addition, intestinal transit is much faster compared to carnivorous turtles. Structurally speaking, terrestrial shellfish products contain a wide range of plant varieties. In addition to a range of herbs, many varieties of vegetables are also cultivated from spontaneous flora. Many varieties of vegetables are also used for this. You can add red fruits to them with great success, but others include bananas, apples, pears, oranges.

Carefully monitor the cleanliness of your pet’s aquarium and keep it warm. The red-eared turtle will become your close friend and someday, perhaps, will even share some magical secret with you.

Among the owners of amphibians, one of the important issues is what kind of aquarium is required for a red-eared slider. To create the most comfortable living conditions for a turtle, you need to clearly and correctly imagine how to set up an aquarium.

A diet structure that ideally matches the requirements of a terrestrial test body may include: wild and cultivated grasses and vegetables. However, you can also recommend animal products such as: minced or chopped organs, cheese, cheese, and milk powder mixed with potatoes cooked into a paste.

For pronounced turtle pigmentation, carrots can also be used for terrestrial turtles and pink shrimp for aquatic ones, which will bring a significant contribution of carotene or some of its precursors. Thermal Regulation of Turtles Turtles, along with fish and all other reptiles, are animals with variable body temperatures.

In the wild, turtles of this family are found in fresh water reservoirs, subtropical and tropical zones with low swampy shores. Home aquariums can be purchased at a pet supply store or built with your own hands.

When you decide on the type of aquarium, you need to take into account the size of the turtle for which this housing is planned. It is also worth taking into account that the reptile will often be at the bottom of the aquarium, where it should feel that it is not in danger. Depending on the number of individuals that will live in the aquarium, its volume is selected.

To maintain body temperature, turtles need certain conditions, outside of which they cannot live. In this regard, when higher temperatures are required, they are exposed to sunbathing or moving from one place to another at an alarming pace. When exposed to the sun, turtles climb onto rocks or sloping trees where they remain motionless for long periods of time, absorbing the amount of heat they need.

If we raise turtles in aquariums or in natural landscaped areas and are intended for this purpose, it is best to provide them with inclined supports for the necessary sunbathing. Moreover, thanks to sunlight, in addition to heat, it also has ultraviolet rays, which is especially necessary for sterilizing the body, eliminating certain aquatic parasites and, in particular, obtaining the necessary ossification compounds.

An aquarium with a volume of 100 liters will be quite enough for one amphibian measuring about 13 cm or for several measuring 11 cm. When the turtles grow up, you can replace the aquarium with a larger one.

Thus, a two-hundred-liter aquarium is needed for a pair of turtles about 25 cm long. In a very small aquarium, water pollution occurs much faster, which can cause rubella.

When their body temperature is too high, turtles seek out shady areas to adjust their temperature, and aquatic turtles dive into the water. Another possibility for regulating body temperature is through voluntary increases in breathing and changes in heart rate. Thus, when the temperature is too high, the heart rate decreases and blood circulation occurs more slowly, as opposed to the situation when the temperature should increase, when the heart rate increases and blood circulation occurs much faster.

The distance to the water from the very top edge of the container should be no less than 20 cm.

Turtle spends a large number of its life in water, but at the same time it also requires the presence of a piece of land, the size of which must be at least 1/4 of the total volume of the aquarium. It is recommended to securely attach the sushi island to the bottom of the container.

This autoregulation can only be accomplished if turtles have the ability to adapt, because if we keep them at constant temperature over a long period of time, there is a risk of their death. Need for toast to get low or high temperatures plays a key role in protecting the body, so we must offer both hot and cold places in increasing captivity to ensure the temperature their body requires is comfortable. Depending on the ambient temperature, turtles have more or less intense activity.

An aquarium made with your own hands must be closed with a lid so that the turtle cannot move it and leave its home. But at the same time, constant access of air should be ensured, so the lid must allow air to pass through well.

How to equip a sushi island?

The red-eared turtle moves extremely little, spends most of his time not only in water element, but also on land. The islands of land should be positioned so that one is in a shaded area and the other in a lit area. This arrangement of the aquarium provides maximum comfort for the turtle.

For each species of turtle there are comfort parameters for activity and very precise hibernation that must be taken into account when we intend to handle this activity. To avoid frequent occurrences of this species, it is necessary to take protective measures, which consist of height barriers that will not allow escalation, or if they are to be supported on terraces, the walls will be provided with protective edges.

Reproduction of turtles Turtles cannot talk about any specific breeding age, because it is very variable, from one species to another, but also within the same species, from one individual to another, depending on the conditions from which it has benefited , and it works for a very long time. We must remember that men are usually much earlier than women, the difference may be one or several years.

The island of land should smoothly enter the water so that the reptile can freely go ashore and crawl back again. To do this, you can equip the aquarium for the red-eared turtle with a ladder or a stone that will help the reptile climb onto land.

The island of sushi should be rough. If several individuals are placed in an aquarium, care must be taken to ensure that there is enough space on land for all reptiles to be comfortably located. Some of the islands may not be completely dry, but may be slightly covered with water.

According to some researchers, the achievement of reproductive maturity is closely related to the size of the animals and life expectancy, as well as the age of the animals. By estimating the relative optimal mating ages for some species raised in captivity, we can see that turtles with red specimens are the earliest.

In their natural environment, herbaceous broods have a distinct territorial behavior during the breeding season that keeps them strictly throughout their lives, an aspect that we also have to keep in mind when raising them in captivity. Thus, the tortoiseshell frog will not reproduce unless we create conditions that replicate as much as in the natural areas of the frame.

The land should be located so that the turtle cannot crawl out of the aquarium. Therefore, it is recommended to place it at a distance of 35 cm from the edge of the aquarium.

Improvement

As soon as the moment approaches, if more people grow up together, men begin to fight to win a partner. In this sense, males perform true mating parades in front of females, moving in force, touching the partner's shell several times, making it vibrate, gently scraping the woman's chin with her front paws, sometimes biting the female, In a circle around or in front of him, etc. In addition, in some species, the noctuid emits some sounds that resemble a spacesuit that impresses the woman's acceptance or performs lateral movements of the head until the partner's consent.

For the turtle’s comfort, it is necessary to properly equip the aquarium and create appropriate conditions for it.

  1. Temperature mode.
    It is best if the temperature is between 24 and 32°C. The temperature in a warm, bright area of ​​land should be in the range of 25-30°C, and in a dark, cold area of ​​land - 23-26°C. These temperatures are the most pleasant and comfortable for the turtle. For supporting comfortable temperature It is necessary to equip the aquarium with a heater. Basic heating is carried out using a special lamp, which must be placed over one of the land areas. If the heat of the lamp is not enough to maintain the temperature at the proper level, then it is necessary to use additional heating elements. As an additional means of heating, it is recommended to use a heater, which is made in the form of a long glass tube. When immersed in water, it should be positioned so that the turtle cannot accidentally snag and break the wire.
  2. Filtration.
    The well-being of the turtle largely depends on the quality of the water, since it spends most of its time in it, so it is necessary to provide filtration means in the aquarium. It is best to install an external filter in the aquarium for turtles. It is not recommended to equip it with an internal filter, as it becomes dirty very quickly and sand gets into it. The frequency of water changes depends on the quality of the filter: if the filter purifies the water well, then it will need to be completely changed very rarely. To maintain ecological balance, you need to change half the water in the aquarium daily. Before changing the water, it must first be settled.
  3. Lighting.
    In natural conditions, red-eared turtles are accustomed to crawling ashore and enjoying the rays of the sun. To implement this at home, you need to equip the place of residence of red-eared turtles with an incandescent lamp, placing it above the shore. The distance between the land and the lamp should be such that the lamp heats the air to 30°C. At night it is necessary to ensure that the lamp is turned off.
  4. Presence of ultraviolet light.
    Many turtle owners do not consider it necessary to provide their pets with ultraviolet lighting. However, ultraviolet light is vital for red-eared turtles. The ultraviolet lamp provides pets with the synthesis of vitamin D3 in their body.

It is prohibited to place several turtles in an aquarium with a volume of up to 55-75 liters.

A long stay in such an aquarium causes softening and damage to the shell, and the development of skin infectious diseases. In aquariums with plastic dry land, there is no way to install filtration, the required temperature and ultraviolet radiation, which can cause illness or death of turtles.