Contents of the red-bellied turtle

Red-bellied turtle is one of the speciesAmerican freshwater turtles. In nature, it lives in small lakes, ponds. He prefers to swim slowly in search of food, or to bask in the sun, lying on the shore.

The red-bellied turtle received its name for oblong red spots after the eyes, really something resembling ears. Karapax, i.e. the dorsal part of the tortoise shell, is first greenish when the turtle is still small, then becomes olive or yellow-brown. Carapace is decorated with yellow stripes. Plastron - the lower part is oval, dark and also decorated with yellow stripes and edging along the edge.

Red-bellied turtles can be kept both singly and in groups. It is undesirable to keep in one aquarium / terrarium of turtles, very different in size, as well as several males - they will fight.

The content of the red-bellied turtle at home requires an aquarium, or rather an aquaterrarium, in volume not less than 100-150 l for an adult. The matter is that red-bellied turtles can grow to a length of 30 cm, which means that they need a lot of space.

In the aquarium with turtle must be present land - at least 25% of the area. As a sushi gravel or earth. It is desirable to make the beach inclined, the ground should not be poured into the water. Water should be poured so much that its level was not less than the width of the tortoise shell - otherwise the turtle will not be able to roll over if it accidentally turns on its back.

The water for keeping the red-bellied turtle should be fairly clean and warm - from 20 to 26 ° C. Replace water once or twice a week. If you equip an aquarium for a red-bell turtle with a filter and an electric pump, then the water will remain clean for a longer time and you can replace it once a month.

As already mentioned, the water for keeping the red-bellied turtle should be warm. For this, it is necessary to install in an aquarium heater, which will maintain the desired temperature of water, or you can put the aquarium with a turtle in a warm place.

In nature, red-bellied turtles love to bask inthe sun is their main "entertainment". At home, you need to recreate your "sun" for your red-bellied turtle. For this purpose, an ordinary incandescent lamp plus a source of dosed ultraviolet light is suitable.

Ultraviolet rays are needed for red-bellied turtles for normal growth and development of the shell. Ultraviolet lamp to irradiate the turtle must be necessarily low-power - the medical will not work.

To install the lamp is recommended at a distance ofabout half a meter on a terrarium (an avarium) with a turtle. It is necessary to start irradiation 1-2 times a week for 5 minutes, gradually increasing the duration to half an hour a day.

Feeding in the content of red-bellied turtles plays, of course, an important role. On how nutritious and variedwill the diet of your pet, depends on his life and health. Turtles mostly need food of animal origin, but with age they have a growing need for plant foods.

The red-bellied tortoise can feed on shrimps, shrimps, worms, insects, tadpoles, small freshwater snails, both in the dried and in the living or frozenform. On sale there are special feeds for red-bellied turtles, but they do not always cover all the needs of turtles in nutrients and vitamins.

It is best to prepare a feed mixture for your red-bellied turtle yourself. It is made on the basis of food gelatin or agar-agar. Here, for example, one of the popular recipes for this feed:

• carrots - 70 g


• cabbage - 50 g


• apples - 50 g


• fish fillets - 145 g


• fillet of squid - 100 g


• raw egg - 2 pcs.


• milk - 150 ml


• preparation "Tetravit" - 20 drops


• calcium glycerophosphate - 10 tablets


• gelatin - 30 g


• water 150 ml

Pour gelatin with hot water and give itto swell. Then warm in a water bath until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Mix the minced meat ingredients with beaten eggs and milk, add a hot gelatin solution. When the temperature of the mixture has cooled to about 30 ° C, enter the ground calcium glycerophosphate tablets and vitamin supplement. Stir food and put in the refrigerator for freezing.

This amount of a mixture of adult red-bellied tortoise is enough for 10 times. The feed should be heated to room temperature. If necessary, it is easy to add medicines to such food.

With the content of red-bellied turtles up to two years of age, they need to be fed daily, older turtles enough to feed them 2-3 times a week.

With proper care, the content of the red-bellied turtle is not a complicated matter, but one always needs to assess its capabilities realistically. Red-bellied turtles can live in captivity up to 30-40 years, which means that if you are not going to throw a tortoise out onto the street, consider in advance whether you are willing to take good care of your turtle.