Pet Turtle Care: Tips For Raising Healthy Baby Turtles

The turtle hatchling is very cute and appealing to people, as are many baby animals. Nevertheless, it is illegal to purchase a hatchling turtle throughout the United States of America. (See U.S. Food and Drug Administration Code of Federal Regulations Title 21, Subpart D, Sec. 1240.62--Turtles intrastate and interstate requirements). There are a few exceptions to this law however, for bona fide scientific, educational, or exhibitional purposes. The primary reason for this is because the hatchling turtle is deemed to be a greater risk for Salmonella compared to adult turtles. Turtle hatchlings are most likely to be handled by children who do not necessarily practice good personal hygiene; therefore the turtles' care must be properly and strictly observed.

To begin, you must be committed to caring for your turtle for a long time, as their lifespan is close to that of humans. If you take excellent care of them, they may even outlive you! Interested turtle keepers must first find out the species of turtle they want to keep. Not only must you provide suitable housing and the right kind of food to your pet; you must also know which species of turtle best suits your lifestyle and living conditions. There are some classes of turtle that grow extremely large, and cannot be kept as domesticated animals. Fortunately, there are a good number of turtle species that have docile personalities and grow to a manageable size as adults, making them suitable for captivity. Once you have purchased the turtle most suitable to your needs, you can move on to providing a good habitat for your pet.

Be sure to provide the turtles with a place to bask, swim, and hide, as these are the primary daily activities of your new pet. Not only do turtles enjoy these activities, they are essential to the turtles' overall good health. Turtle hatchlings can be best kept in plastic tubs or aquariums so you can monitor them more closely. Hatchling care requires constant temperature regulation. It is advisable to use a heater to maintain a controlled and sustained warm temperature within the area. If there are no heat or temperature-regulating devices available, place your pet's housing in a location where they can receive abundant natural lighting.

Feeding baby turtles may be the most challenging part of your hatchlings' care. At first, they may not even eat at all, no matter what type of food you offer them! This is just their normal behavior at this stage, so you need not worry too much. Although turtles are omnivorous, the young ones are most likely to behave as largely carnivorous animals. Hatchlings are very picky in the food that they approve of eating. Start off by feeding them small, live insects and worms. As they mature, you may find that their range of food preference also broadens. They then can be fed fruits and vegetables, or even the processed food intended for the mature turtle's diet.

If you are keeping more than one turtle, pay extra attention to your pets, in order to be certain that each one of them maintains optimum health.

If there are children in your household, teach them that observing good personal hygiene is a vital part of their pet hatchlings' care. Turtles have proven to be one of the best animals to keep, and once you get into the rhythm of excellent, responsible care for your hatchlings, you'll be a happy and satisfied turtle owner for years!