Turtle Habitat & Food

Enclosure

• Every turtle needs an enclosure to keep him safe and secure. You can use a glass or acrylic aquarium, a pond or even a plastic tub or stock tank. Stock tanks can be purchased in feed stores, and they offer equal or double the amount of space for your turtle for a much lower cost. However, you sacrifice the aesthetics of a clear aquarium, so if looks are important to you, then you may want to spend the extra money for a traditional tank. Buy the largest tank you can afford for your turtle, keeping in mind that baby turtles grow (some grow quite large), all turtles need plenty of room to live their daily lives, and you'll need plenty of room for land, water and tank accessories.

Land and Water

• Research the type of turtle you have, and what its specific needs are in terms of land-to-water ratio. Land turtles need dry land, with a small area or a dish of water for drinking or swimming. The water for a land turtle should be no deeper than 1 inch, and it must be changed daily. Water turtles need enough land on which to stretch out and dry off, but plenty of water for swimming and eating (water depth should be twice the length of your turtle's shell). In an aquatic turtle's tank, the water needs filtration, as your turtle makes the water dirty by eating, playing and even using the bathroom. A simple submersible aquarium filter from your local pet store works nicely for turtle tanks, and the pet store workers can probably give you advice as to which filter works best in your situation.

Heat/Light

• Heat keeps turtles warm and comfortable, helps them avoid or fight off illness, and stimulates the appetite. That makes heating the tank quite important. Research what type of turtle you have, and what the temperatures are in its natural habitat. Purchase a heat lamp from your local pet store. They sell different types, such as standalone or clamp lamps, that hook to the side of the tank. Placing a full-spectrum UV bulb inside of these lamps re-creates the sunlight (and its beneficial vitamins) your turtle would find in the wild. The lamp should heat your turtle's land area nicely. If you have a water turtle, then you'll also need to heat the water. A submersible aquarium heater from your local pet store serves this purpose. Make sure to purchase a heater designed to heat the amount of water your tank holds (for example, 50 gallons, 150 gallons and so forth).

Food

• Food varies depending on the type of turtle you have. Do research on your turtle and what types of foods it eats in the wild, then re-create that diet to the best of your abilities. Popular sources of protein for many turtles include insects, earthworms, meal worms, tubifex worms, fish (live feeder fish or bits of tuna or salmon), shrimp, chicken and pinkie mice (small baby mice). Your turtle needs vegetation to stay healthy as well, so offer dark leafy greens like spinach and kale, and other vegetables and fruits like green beans, carrots, tomatoes, apples, grapes, strawberries and mushrooms. Never feed your turtle dairy products, chocolate or candy, processed or salty foods, or poisonous plants.

Supplements

• Just as in humans, it's best for turtles to meet all of their nutritional requirements in their food. Sometimes, that's simply impossible--so you supplement. The main vitamins and minerals you'll need to supplement in your turtle's diet are vitamin D3 and calcium. Each can be found in reptile supplement powders that can be mixed into meals or sprinkled on top of a snack once a week. Popular brands of supplements are Reptical or Reptile Tri-Cal. Never use a supplement that contains phosphorus, because it's bad for your turtle.