Turtles living in the wild find their own food. Their menu includes both animal and plant foods in various proportions, always natural vitamin components, and various microelements.

Only humans can provide a reptile living in captivity with a complete diet.

The diet of pets should include multivitamins and minerals that are essential for their full life. Immediately after purchase, it is advisable to feed the turtle the same food that the seller previously fed it, gradually introducing new components. The optimal feeding time is during the day, when the pet is most active. Before feeding, the animal must warm up enough for it to develop an appetite. Therefore, it is best to feed your pet 1.5-2 hours after turning on the heating device. When turtles feel hungry, they begin to move restlessly around the terrarium or along the bottom of the reservoir.
To understand what food is right for your pet, you need to determine its type. Turtles are divided into 3 main subgroups, depending on the type of food:

1. Predatory. They often eat meat; only 10% of their menu consists of plant-based foods. This subgroup includes almost all aquatic species - trionics, red-eared - young animals, swamp - young animals. Their menu is based on seafood and lean fish.
2. Herbivores. They eat plants, vegetables, fruits, only occasionally trying meat products. This includes land species - Central Asian breed, Mediterranean.
3. Omnivores. Meat and vegetable crops are consumed in approximately equal proportions. The last subgroup includes land turtles of certain breeds, red-eared, marsh, and red-footed turtles.

Please note that you should feed your pets exclusively according to their species, since an incorrectly formulated diet will contribute to improper metabolism, a deterioration in the quality of life of these animals, and various diseases of the digestive organs.

Principles of feeding aquatic turtles

Main set of products:

• River and sea low-fat fish (pollock, hake, cod, navaga, perch);
• Liver (beef, chicken, fish) - about once a week.

For adult animals big fish you need to cut it into pieces, crush the ridge, grind it, small fish can be fed whole. For young fish, the fish should be cut into small pieces along with the bones, after removing the ribs.
Addition to the main menu:

• Various raw seafood (shell shrimp, squid, octopus - tentacles only, mussels, oysters);
• Meat (crabs, frogs, fodder hairless mice, baby rats);
• Snails (helix aspera terrestrial, large pond snails, apple snails, coils) - feed small ones whole, large ones - without shell;
• Some insects, other living microorganisms (bugs, food cockroaches, earthworms and mealworms, hairless caterpillars, daphnia, fillies, bloodworms, gammarus, tubifex, woodlice);
• Some plant components (aquatic plants, fruits, vegetables, some types of cabbage);
• Special industrial food for certain types of freshwater turtles (loose, granular, in the form of tablets, sticks, flakes, capsules).

Components of plant origin should not prevail over meat foods. For aquatic reptiles, plants are only one of the sources of vitamins and beneficial microelements. During cold seasons it is recommended to introduce specialized vitamin complexes for aquatic and sea turtles.

Under no circumstances should predator turtles be fed beef, pork, lamb meat, their derivatives - sausage, minced meat, pate and others. In addition to these prohibitions, you should not feed reptiles cheeses, dairy products, baked goods, or food intended for other animals. Such products can have a detrimental effect on their well-being and health.

Main set of products:

• Fresh greens - plants that are not toxic to turtles (lettuce, cabbage, dandelion leaves, various flowers, grass) - approximately 80% of the menu;
• Vegetables (zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes) - about 15% of the menu;
• Fruits (bananas, apples, pears) – the remaining 5%.

Addition to the main menu:

• Champignons and other easily digestible mushrooms;
• Vegetable crops (a small amount of sorrel, plantain, coltsfoot, lawn grass, thistle - leaves, clover, peas, timothy, sprouted oats, speedwell);
• Fruits (citrus fruits - orange, tangerine, mango, plum, apricot, peach, melon);
• Vegetables (bell peppers, beets, onions, carrot tops, squash, pumpkin, artichoke, horseradish - a small amount, legumes)
• Berries (watermelon, strawberries, wild strawberries, raspberries, edible wild berries);
• Bran, sunflower seeds (not fried), dry yeast, dry seaweed;
• Special dry food for land breeds (Wardley, Tetra, Sera);
• Hard-boiled chicken egg – once a week;
• Snails, slugs, insects - once a month.

Periodically add calcium supplements to your pet's menu, and during the cold season, special multivitamins.

Note! All plant food should be fed exclusively raw. Do not use heat treatment.

Never overfeed your pets, but also do not limit the list of products to 1-2 components. The food must be balanced and must include all the necessary vitamins, otherwise there is a high risk of dangerous diseases, growth disorders, development, obesity or exhaustion, and death of the animal.
Many breeders have a question: should a turtle be given water?
Land turtles are not adapted to take in water. Usually, when you try to give reptiles water, liquid flows out of their mouths. If dry food predominates in your pet's diet, animals may experience thirst more often than their relatives, who eat mainly vegetables and fruits.
To prevent dehydration, experienced owners advise using two methods:

• It is necessary to include succulent plant foods in your pet’s menu as often as possible.
• Another way to give an animal water to drink is to bathe it. The optimal bathing time for land turtles is 30-50 minutes. The water should not reach the level of the nostrils. With proper bathing, the reptile's body is sufficiently saturated with moisture.

It should be borne in mind that in markets, as well as in pet stores, turtles usually experience dehydration, so after purchasing, the first thing it is recommended to do is give your new pet a bath so that it receives the required amount of water.

The main menu of omnivorous reptiles includes food of plant and animal origin in equal proportions.
It is important to select a menu depending on the subspecies of reptile. For example, animal food consisting of terrestrial inhabitants (feeding mice, baby rats, frogs, insects, snails, slugs) is suitable for land animals, and fish and seafood are suitable for aquatic animals.
The situation is the same with foods of plant origin. Land breeds should eat terrestrial plants, vegetables, and some fruits, while aquatic breeds are more suitable for algae and other aquatic plants.

Distinctive feeding features of small and adult individuals

There are some differences in feeding between small and adult reptiles. Young turtles grow very quickly, so you need to feed them daily, while adults need to eat 2-3 times a week, eating all the food to the end.
The diet of young animals should be as varied as possible, be sure to include vitamin D, which prevents the development of rickets, calcium, necessary for proper shell growth, multivitamins, and minerals.
There are situations when a pet is forced to go without food and moisture for some time. There are also our own here distinctive features, relative to the age of the individual. Adults can go without food for up to two weeks without experiencing any discomfort. Young turtles, including three-day-old babies, can go without food for up to a week.

• You need to feed your pets regularly. You cannot starve them for no apparent reason (such as moving, forced absence of the owner, etc.);
• Under no circumstances should you overfeed your turtle. If your pet is full and refuses an additional portion, do not insist!
• Pregnant individuals need to be fed at least once a day, similar to young animals. They require vitamin D, calcium, and multivitamins appropriate for their species;
• You cannot give a land animal specialized food for aquatic turtles, and vice versa!
• Food is not recommended to be given cold; it must be brought to temperature environment before feeding your pet;
• For aquatic turtles, food can be thrown directly into the aquarium, but be sure to make sure that there is no excess that will force you to change the water.
• Land animals can be trained to eat from tweezers.
• If your pet refuses to eat for more than two weeks, you should take him to the vet immediately.
• If possible, it is advisable to introduce turtles into the aquarium. aquarium fish(guppies, goldfish, swordtails) to maintain the hunting instinct.
• In the absence of algae, it is permissible to feed aquatic reptiles with lettuce or dandelion leaves.
• Young individuals prefer mainly food of animal origin, while older individuals are more inclined to eat plant foods.
• To maintain adequate levels of minerals, turtles are given bone meal daily, which is available in pet stores. For an adult reptile, the daily dose is 5 g of flour;
• To maintain the shell in a healthy condition, it is sprayed with a special spray “Nature’s vita-sprey reptile” once every two days;
• Dry food should be selected based on its composition. Low quality feed is not recommended due to the lack of vitamins. It is not recommended to buy food containing fishmeal. You can give dry food to your pet no more than 3 times a day;
• It is preferable to feed vitamins before the main meal, when the reptile feels hungry;
• Oil vitamins can be dripped onto dry food. After it is saturated with the solution, throw it into the water.

Video

There are several ways to keep turtles: free, in terrariums or in specially equipped enclosures. The choice of method should be based on the characteristics of a given species, requirements for ambient temperature, the presence of water nearby, etc. In other words, having bought a turtle, you must find out in which region this species lives in natural conditions, as well as whether the turtle was caught in the wild or born in captivity.

You should only purchase turtles from specialized stores where the animals are kept in optimal conditions. Under no circumstances should you buy turtles secondhand from markets, as in this case there is a high risk that the animal will be sick or malnourished.

If the owner does not have the opportunity to take the turtle to his summer cottage in the summer, he can arrange a terrarium on the balcony.

The walls of the terrarium should be high enough. The optimal height is 1 m above floor level. Coarse sand should be poured onto the bottom of the terrarium. It is advisable to arrange a pond at the same level as the floor so that the turtle can swim. In the corner you need to arrange a canopy made of cardboard or fabric.

For most turtles, this method of keeping is the most preferable, since in the terrarium it is possible to create conditions that are closest to natural.

Many freshwater turtles love to bask in the sun, so you should not deprive them of this pleasure.

It is best if the terrarium is constructed of plexiglass, since ordinary glass is not strong enough and a large turtle can damage or break it.

Regardless of the type, the terrarium must be equipped with lighting, heating and ventilation systems.

The presence of lighting in the terrarium is mandatory, since turtles need active life a sufficiently long daylight hours are required, 8–12 hours depending on the time of year. For lighting, you can use fluorescent lamps with a power of 15, 20 or 40 W. The length of the lamps should correspond to the length of the terrarium wall on which they will be installed. Most species of turtles need ultraviolet radiation, so it is recommended to install not only ordinary lamps in the terrarium, but also lamps with the UV part of the spectrum. It is necessary to place sources of ultraviolet radiation inside the terrarium or directly above it, since glass blocks most ultraviolet rays.

Freshwater turtles, especially young ones, can be kept not only in a terrarium, but also in an aquarium.

Aquaterrarium with an undivided reservoir and shore

Frameless glued plexiglass structures are best suited for them. The size of the aquarium depends on the age and size of the animal. Some species of freshwater turtles, such as the mountain turtle or all types of box turtles, swim very poorly and to prevent the animals from drowning (and this may well happen), a dry island must be built for them, on which it will be convenient for them to get out of the water.

The water temperature in the aquarium or terrarium where turtles are kept must be at least 18 and no more than 30 ° C.

Such an island can be placed in the corner of the aquarium if its walls are high enough and the turtle cannot climb over them. Otherwise, an island should be made in the center of the aquarium and secured with wire.

The material for the island can be wood (but not plywood), foam, plastic or plexiglass. To give the island a more natural look, it can be covered with Java moss, part of which should be immersed in water. The moss will quickly attach to the island and cover it completely, and the parts lowered into the water will nourish all the plants with moisture.

Aquaterrarium with greenhouse

Ornamental aquatic plants cannot be planted in an aquarium or terrarium, since most aquatic turtles eat them and spoil them appearance aquarium If you still want the aquarium to be decorated with plants, you can fence off a small part of it along one of the walls and plant algae there. Some of their species grow very large, so it is necessary to regularly clean the aquarium glass.

Aquaterrarium with suspended island

A plexiglass aquaterrarium has one significant drawback: the material becomes cloudy over time from the smallest scratches.

For turtles with a shell length of 20–25 cm, 150–200 liters of water are needed, with a shell length of 30–35 cm – at least 300 liters. In this case, the terrarium’s own volume should be significantly larger, since it is half filled with water.

The aquaterrarium can be equipped with a hanging island, which should be located in its central part. The island is made of two plates, which are fastened with wire at an acute angle to each other.

The top plate is lowered into the water at one end so that it is easy for the turtle to climb onto it.

Aquaterrarium with ladder

Red-eared turtles feel good at water temperatures up to 25° C, and tropical species require warmer water - from 25 to 30° C. It is advisable to change the water in a terrarium or aquarium daily, but this is not always possible. Currently, there are various filters for aquariums. Using them, you can change the water once every few days.

Turtles living at home need a balanced diet, including all the substances they need. In nature, an animal can independently find sources of vitamins and minerals for itself, but at home, reptile owners should take care of this.

It is necessary to feed turtles during the day when they are most active.

It is recommended to give them food after they have warmed up sufficiently, since turtles long time in conditions of low air temperature, appetite is usually reduced or absent. If it is not possible to feed the turtle during the day, it is best to give it food in the evening, a few hours before bedtime.

If an animal refuses food for a long time, it must be shown to a veterinarian, since lack of appetite may be a sign of some disease.

Turtles are animals that can go without food for a very long time, several days or even weeks, but despite this, they should be fed regularly. You can determine whether a turtle wants to eat by the following sign: hungry animals constantly examine the bottom of the aquarium or terrarium, moving restlessly in the water.

Often, a newly purchased turtle does not eat because it cannot get used to the new environment and unfamiliar conditions. In this case, the animal must be given peace and not touched or made noise in the room where it is located for a while. Sometimes a turtle’s lack of appetite is due to the fact that it cannot get used to a new diet, therefore, when purchasing a turtle, the owner must find out from the seller what he fed the animal, and at first give the pet its usual food. The turtle should be accustomed to new food gradually.

If, in addition to the purchased turtle, there are other pets in the terrarium, it is advisable to quarantine the new animal in a separate aquarium and, after observing it for several days, only then place it in a common terrarium.

If it is not possible to feed turtles with algae, you can give them dandelion leaves or lettuce - some aquatic turtles eat them with pleasure.

Batagur

Aquatic turtles are fed mainly animal food. Small young turtles can be given bloodworms, tubifex, dried daphnia and gammarus, earthworms, as well as concentrates intended for aquarium fish.

Large adult aquatic turtles, in addition to the above foods, can be offered raw or boiled chicken and beef. It is recommended to feed them raw fish occasionally. Before feeding fish to turtles, it should be boiled for 1-2 minutes as it contains the enzyme thiaminase.

The diet of aquatic turtles must include insects: mealy bug larvae, cockroaches, various beetles, etc.

With age, aquatic turtles begin to eat not only animal, but also plant foods, mainly algae, so growing algae to decorate an aquarium or terrarium is pointless. To feed turtles, plants can be grown in a separate aquarium. They give turtles almost all algae, with the exception of poisonous elodea and limnophils.

Longitudinal black stripes are clearly visible on the head and limbs of painted turtles

If there is a pond near your home, you can collect duckweed from its surface and give it to turtles from time to time, after rinsing it with boiled water.

Both animal and plant food is poured directly into the water for turtles. Although aquatic turtles eat quickly, pieces of meat or fish left in the water quickly begin to rot and become unsuitable for eating.

Therefore, animals, as a rule, need to be given only as much food as they can eat in 15–20 minutes, otherwise the water in the aquarium will have to be changed after each feeding.

If possible, turtles are periodically given live aquarium fish (guppies, swordtails, goldfish). This will allow aquatic turtles to better demonstrate their hunting instincts at home.

One of the main principles of caring for turtles is keeping them clean. These animals get dirty in the soil poured at the bottom of the terrarium or pen, food debris often sticks to the skin near the mouth, so pets need to be bathed regularly, especially during the molting period.

The main hygiene procedure for aquatic turtles is the removal of algae that has grown on the shell. You need to clean off the algae very carefully, trying not to damage the shell.

The animal should be bathed in warm water with the addition of baking soda at the rate of 1 teaspoon of soda per 1 liter of water. Water should be poured into a shallow bath so that the turtle's head remains above the water. The first few minutes the animal may be nervous and move restlessly, but then it calms down and freezes for a while. Turtles prefer to defecate in water. After a 15-20 minute bath, the animal is taken out, allowed to dry and a little olive oil is applied to the skin. You should only bathe your turtle in a room with a temperature of at least 23° C, otherwise it may catch a cold.

In winter, the turtle must be periodically irradiated with a quartz lamp. It should be installed at a distance of about 1 m from the animal and irradiated for several minutes, making sure that the lamp rays do not fall into the turtle’s eyes. The duration of irradiation should be gradually increased from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. Radiation sessions should be performed every other day. After a series of sessions, you need to take a break for 10 days and then continue irradiation. In summer, turtles must be taken out into the sun.

On warm days, the turtle should be taken to an outdoor pen

Let's tell you a little about live food for turtles. These are crickets, flies, wax moths, earthworms. It should be noted that you cannot feed animals with ordinary domestic cockroaches.

Most species of freshwater turtles happily eat earthworms. In the summer, they can be easily dug up, and for the winter, it is usually customary to store worms in the required quantity, for which purpose the caught worms are placed in boxes on a thick layer of leafy soil. Worm boxes should be kept in a cool place with moderate humidity. You can feed the worms any food waste.

The most common live food for turtles is mealworm larvae. They should be given no more than twice a week: hard chitin causes certain difficulties in digesting food and often causes inflammation of the stomach mucosa in turtles. When using this food regularly, it is necessary to additionally introduce feed with a high calcium content. Also, a day before feeding, the larvae are kept on multivitamin preparations, and in this case they can be given as the only food.

The Florida turtle buries the main clutch deep, leaving two other eggs on either side to confuse turtle egg hunters.

A mixture of dried and then crushed birch leaves is used as a substrate. You can feed the beetle with the same food waste, as well as swollen oatmeal.

The best food for turtles are crickets - brownie and steppe. To keep crickets you will need various containers with a wall height of at least 30 cm, as well as a 25 W heating lamp. As soil, you can use sifted soil with crushed birch leaves. Crickets are fed with pieces of vegetables - carrots, cabbage, as well as greens. Availability of water is a must. A container for water should be provided; how to do this is shown in the figure.

Device for watering crickets: a – test tube, b – cotton or foam swab, c – water

Wax moths and flies are good food for reptiles, but breeding them at home is very difficult. In the summer, you can set traps for these insects, and with the onset of cold weather, switch the turtles to other food.

Plant foods should be present in the diet of turtles, since they are the main source of vitamins and minerals.

In nature, most adult turtles willingly eat green parts of plants.

Plant foods primarily include vegetables (cabbage, carrots, beets, leafy vegetables), fruits (apples and pears) and berries. Almost all types of berries can be used as food.

Cabbage contains a lot of active vegetable protein, vitamin C and carotene. Carrots are a very valuable source of vitamin A, have a beneficial effect on digestion, and stimulate appetite. Beetroot has similar properties. Leafy vegetables should also be included in turtles' diets as a source of vitamins and minerals. For some diseases (for example, constipation), they are given as a laxative.

When treating hypovitaminosis C and stomatitis, berries are included in the animal menu.

Once a week, aquatic turtles can be given dry food. Some owners have adapted to giving their pets regular dry food for cats and dogs, despite the fact that their composition is not suitable for turtles. However, if your pet has been eating them for a long time and tolerates them well, there is no point in giving them up.

Recently, specialized food for turtles has appeared on sale, with the addition of vitamin and mineral supplements in the form of granules. These feeds are a mixture of natural dried feeds in the form of granules or plates. This is a more convenient option if it is not always possible to purchase live food. The highest quality dry food includes “Repto min”, “Turtle food flakes”, “Nutrafin”.

When choosing dry food for aquatic turtles, carefully read the composition, since low-quality food does not contain vitamins. As a rule, most food is made from fishmeal, and professional turtle breeders prefer not to buy it at all. Be that as it may, dry food is given no more than three times a week.

Prepare for the fact that your pet will refuse dry food: an animal accustomed to other food is unlikely to immediately begin to eat new food. But if your turtle eats only white cabbage day after day, using dry food seems more appropriate.

The diet of most turtles is very varied: they can eat food of both animal and plant origin. However, young turtles prefer live food. With age, their preferences change, and they switch to plant food. This is due to the fact that young animals require calcium and amino acids for development, which are not found in plant foods, and in adults there is no urgent need for them. In addition, when hunting, young individuals spend a lot of energy, and these losses must be replenished.

Turtles readily eat meat cut into small pieces. It should first be boiled in boiling water for a few minutes. It is not recommended to serve meat that has not been cooked, as it can cause salmonellosis. We also do not recommend offering turtles foods that are fatty to them - lamb and pork. Turtles give the greatest preference to fish, which should also be boiled a little in hot water first.

Oil solutions of vitamins E, A and D must be added to the feed. To do this, dry food is soaked in advance with a vitamin solution (vitamin D is given once a week and vitamins A and E are given once every two weeks) and quickly thrown into the water. It is better to feed vitamins when the turtle is hungry.

To prevent the water in the reservoir from spoiling from food debris, young turtles are taught to take food from tweezers.

The question of whether to hibernate turtles is one of the most important for hobbyists who keep them at home. Different sources contain different recommendations on this issue.

Some experts believe that turtles should not be allowed to hibernate at home, while others believe that hibernation is mandatory for these animals.

Turtles are cold-blooded animals. They hibernate when the ambient temperature becomes too high or too low to support the body's vital functions.

At home, at a stable temperature, most of these animals do not need hibernation, however, some turtles, especially recently caught ones, still try to find a secluded corner and settle down there for the winter. If the owner notices that in the fall the animal has become less active and has begun to yawn frequently, it is necessary to provide all conditions so that the turtle can sleep peacefully until spring. 2 months before the start of hibernation, the turtle requires increased nutrition. The animal needs to be fed several times a day so that it has all the necessary nutrients for a long sleep.

Before settling your animal for the winter, you should consult a veterinarian, as turtle apathy may be one of the symptoms of illness. It is recommended to hibernate those turtles from which offspring are expected to be produced next year.

If the owner does not have the opportunity to keep the turtle in a cool place for several months, it is better not to hibernate it.

Graptemis, or card turtle

Before hibernation, turtles need increased nutrition, because during sleep they lose about half of their weight.

The turtle should sleep in a room where the temperature is maintained from 1 to 6 ° C. It is best to choose a cool basement as a place for hibernation. The temperature should be lowered gradually so as not to overcool the animal. In addition, the air humidity in the wintering room must be maintained at a fairly high level. The substrate in which the turtle will sleep should allow moisture to pass through well, but not retain it. It is best to use a mixture of sphagnum moss and leaves as a substrate.

Before putting an animal into hibernation, it needs to be prepared. IN last week The turtle should not be fed before hibernation. The day before going to bed, the animal should be bathed several times so that it can completely empty its intestines.

The duration of a turtle's sleep, depending on its type and size, can range from 3 to 5 months.

A turtle should be brought out of hibernation gradually: first you need to increase the temperature, then bathe the awakened turtle in warm water. For the first 2-3 days after waking up, the turtle does not need to be fed so that it can better adapt to normal life.

Few people know that the first person who achieved good results in breeding freshwater turtles was not a scientist at all, but an amateur who devoted many years to his work. Therefore, owners of these wonderful animals should not despair if they are not immediately able to get offspring from their pets. One of the keys to success in turtle breeding is patience.

In order for turtles kept at home to begin to reproduce, it is necessary to provide them with optimal conditions: balanced nutrition, hibernation, favorable living conditions and relative freedom of movement.

For successful reproduction, in addition to observing all conditions of detention, it is advisable to place several individuals of the same species in one pen or terrarium.

When forming a group of turtles for breeding, the correct ratio of the number of females and males is important, which contributes to the manifestation of mating behavior in these animals. In freshwater turtles this ratio is 2:1.

When choosing animals, you need to take into account their age: you should select sexually mature, but not old individuals, which must first be shown to a veterinarian. Sick or weakened animals will most likely not produce offspring.

A group of selected turtles must be carefully observed for some time to determine how ready they are for mating and reproduction. If appropriate relationships have been established between individuals of different sexes, the remaining turtles need to be transplanted into another terrarium.

In preparation for breeding, it is necessary to add foods containing vitamin E to turtles’ food.

It is interesting to watch the mating games of turtles both in natural conditions and at home, since during the breeding season the behavior of freshwater turtles is very different from usual. Thus, males often fight among themselves, seeking the favor of the female they have chosen. They push each other, trying to pry each other up with their shells to turn them over onto their backs. Female turtles do not always prefer those males who won the fight. They can choose either a defeated male or a male who did not participate in the battle.

Graptemis barbary

Position of freshwater turtles during mating on land

During the breeding season, turtles are provided with comfortable conditions: they are not disturbed, all extraneous noise and vibration are excluded, and they try to touch the animals as little as possible.

In order for freshwater turtles to begin mating, the water temperature in the terrarium or aquarium must be 22–26 ° C. On land, a place should be prepared where the female will lay eggs. You can dig a small hole in the sand or soil and place a small container with sphagnum moss there so that it is level with the land.

The male's courtship of the female is mainly aimed at stopping her and forcing her to take the position most convenient for mating. Mating itself can occur both in water and on land.

Turtles, like other reptiles, after building a nest and laying eggs, do not care at all about their offspring, and their young are born completely ready for independent life.

After the female lays eggs, the container should be removed and placed in an incubator, and the female should be isolated from other animals for a while.

Position of freshwater turtles during mating in water

If you don't have an incubator, you can use a regular glass jar or an aquarium filled with sand, which should be moistened regularly. You can heat such an incubator using a regular incandescent lamp or by placing it next to a central heating radiator.

The female's nutrition for several weeks should be enhanced, since during this period the turtles' immunity is weakened and they are more susceptible to various diseases.

The temperature in the incubator should be maintained at 28–30° C. Freshwater turtle eggs, unlike bird eggs, should never be turned over, so they should be transferred to the incubator very carefully.

Eggs laid by turtles are not always fertilized. To avoid keeping unfertilized eggs in an incubator for several months, they need to be checked. To do this, you can build a primitive ovoscope: place a small electric light bulb, perhaps from a flashlight, in a small cardboard box, and cover the box with a lid in which a hole has been cut in the shape of an egg, but slightly smaller. To check the egg, you need to place it, without turning it over, on the hole and turn on the light bulb. There will be a noticeable darkening in the middle of the fertilized egg, while the empty one will transmit light evenly. When checking, you should remember that what longer term maturation of eggs, the more accurate the result will be.

Plastron freshwater turtle Blanding

After 2-3 months, depending on the type of turtle, small turtles will hatch from the eggs. They should be immediately placed in an aquaterrarium or aquarium.

When emerging from the egg, small turtles use an egg tooth, which is located at the tip of the nose. With this tooth, the baby breaks through the egg shell from the inside. However, the cub spends some time in the egg. A few days after hatching, the egg tooth disappears, and the yolk sac also dissolves at about the same time (although in some species it may remain for several more weeks).

All young turtles have traces of recent residence in the egg: this is a transverse fold on the plastron associated with the position of the baby in the egg.

Hatched turtles should never be placed in the same pen or terrarium with adult animals, as these reptiles do not have maternal instincts and can harm small turtles.

• You should not keep your turtle on the floor. You cannot be completely sure that the turtle will not catch a cold, swallow a foreign body, or get injured.

• You cannot take a turtle that has just bathed outside.

• Do not make a nest using wool yarn or fabric.

• Newly purchased animals must be kept in quarantine and not placed directly in the terrarium.

• An outdoor terrarium or pen for turtles is set up in a place where they will be isolated from other domestic animals.

• Do not use sand, small pebbles, or small sawdust as soil - a turtle can simply swallow them. You should also not keep a turtle without any soil at all.

• A turtle should not be left unattended in the garden.

• You should not give your turtle food of only one type, as this leads to the development of diseases.

• Calcium supplements in powder form are given to turtles daily.

• Vitamin and mineral supplements should not be given by eye.

• Do not smear your turtle with oil-based vitamin preparations.

• Always wash your hands after handling a turtle.

• To transport turtles in the cold season, use baskets with heating pads.

• Do not turn off the lights in the aquarium.