The Different Types Of Turtles
It is important to understand the different types of turtles if you are interested in owning one as a pet. You may also want to know some history about the turtle as well. First of all, they are some of the oldest animals on the planet. They are classified into twelve biological families and they live on land or in the water. The largest family of turtles is freshwater turtle. It can be found just about anywhere and they are very common.
When looking at freshwater turtles some people may not understand where they can be found. They usually spend there time in streams, ponds, and lakes and they are mostly likely the type of turtle that you will find in your area pet store when you begin your search for this pet. Some of these turtles will have a soft shell rather than a hard shell.
One type of freshwater turtle is the chicken turtle. It has distinct markings on it that include a yellow stripe on its legs and neck. The color of its shell will either be brown or olive color. They generally eat leaves, insects and small fish. They may even eat different kinds of fruit. If you are going to purchase one of these types of turtles as a pet you want to make sure that it has somewhere that it can swim and that it has access to water to lay in.
They usually do not like really dry conditions. Painted turtles need the same type of atmosphere. They are named from the fact that they have very nice shells that look they were painted.
Most people will own a red eared slider turtle if they are going to be keeping it in there home or yard somewhere. This type of turtle does not get very big and can live on plant foods. They are different than the other turtles discussed so far because they can actually live outside of water and they have been known to adapt well on land. Next is the yellow map turtle. This turtle has yellow strips like the chicken turtle but its shell tends to look like a map. They can live in water or outside of water like the red-eared slider. However, you need to take very good care of these types of turtles because they do are often very nervous and they do not do well under stress. Another good turtle to keep as a pet is a mud turtle. You are going to want to give this type of turtle a place for it to swim and a place to get some sun. You can do this by building up rocks that it can lay on. This also gives it somewhere to hide so that it can relax.
No matter what types of turtles you have in your home you are going to want to make sure you are taking care of it properly. If your turtle does appear to be sick you are going to want to do a few things. First of all, make sure that you are keeping it in clean water. You are also going to want to look at the type of foods you are feeding it. Are they appropriate for the type of turtle you have? Also make sure that it is being kept warm. You should always start by changing the environment and seeing if that makes a difference. If your turtle has swollen eyes this may be a sign of an infection. You should always determine the cause of the infection before you begin any treatment.
Your turtle may get sores on his/her shell. If that has happened, you are going to want to keep it in a dry, warm place. Soak the turtle for half an hour twice a day and keep the shell clean with what your vet recommends. Make sure that you are also keeping the soaking water clean so that you are not continually re-infecting your turtle. Sneezing is also common, as they will sometimes get water in their nose. Also long as the sneezing is not constant you should not have anything to worry about. If you have questions or concerns about types of turtles and specific care for each type you can also consult your vet. Read up on your turtle so that you can keep him or her healthy and safe.
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