European bog turtle(lat. Emys orbicularis) - this is a very common species aquatic turtles, which is often kept at home. They live throughout Europe, as well as in the Middle East and even in North Africa.

We will tell you about its habitat in nature, the maintenance and care of the marsh turtle at home.

As already mentioned, the European marsh turtle lives in a wide range, covering not only Europe, but also Africa and Asia. Accordingly, it is not listed in the Red Book.

She lives in various reservoirs: ponds, canals, swamps, streams, rivers, even large puddles. Bog turtles live in the water, but they love to bask very much and get out on stones, snags, various garbage to lie under the sun.

Even on cool and overcast days, they attempt to bask in the sun that breaks through the clouds. Like most aquatic turtles in nature, marsh turtles instantly flop into the water at the sight of a person or animal.

Their powerful paws with long claws allow them to swim through thickets with ease and even burrow into muddy ground or under leaf layers. They love aquatic vegetation and hide in it at the slightest opportunity.

Description

The European bog turtle has an oval or rounded carapace, smooth, usually black or yellow-green in color. It is dotted with many small yellow or white spots, sometimes forming rays or lines.

The carapace is smooth when wet and glistens in the sun, becoming more opaque as it dries. The head is large, slightly pointed, without a beak. The skin on the head is dark, often black, with small patches of yellow or white color. Paws are dark, also with light spots on them.

Emys orbicularis has several subspecies that differ in coloration, size, or detail, but most often in range. For example, the Sicilian marsh turtle (Emys (orbicularis) trinacris) with a catchy yellow-green carapace and the same skin color. And Emys orbicularis orbicularis living in Russia and Ukraine is almost completely black.

Adult marsh turtles reach a carapace size of up to 35 cm and a weight of up to 1.5 kg. Although, when kept at home, they are usually smaller, despite the fact that the subspecies living in Russia is one of the largest.

The European bog turtle is very similar to the American bog turtle (Emydoidea blandingii) in appearance and habits. They were even assigned to the genus Emys for a long time. However, further study led to the fact that these two species were divided according to differences in the structure of the internal skeleton.

There is no consensus on how long the marsh turtle lives. But, the fact that she is a long-liver, everyone agrees. By different opinions life expectancy ranges from 30 to 100.

Availability

The bog turtle can be found commercially or caught in the wild during the warmer months. But, with normal maintenance, owners with zero experience in breeding turtles, offspring are successfully obtained. All individuals kept in captivity are unpretentious and easy to care for.

However, it is important to note that in order to keep a bog turtle, you need to create fairly accurate conditions. And just to bring and put her in a basin will not work. If you caught a turtle in nature, and you only need it for fun, then leave it where you took it. Believe me, this way you will simplify your life and not destroy the animal.

Juvenile bog turtles should be kept indoors, while older ones can be released into home ponds for the summer. For 1-2 turtles, an aquaterrarium with a volume of 100 liters or more is needed, and as they grow, twice as much. For a couple of turtles, you need a 150 x 60 x 50 aquarium, plus land for heating. Since they spend a lot of time in water, the larger the volume, the better.

However, it is important to keep the water clean and change it regularly, plus use a powerful filter. While eating, turtles litter a lot, and there is a lot of waste from it.

All this instantly spoils the water, and dirty water leads to various diseases in aquatic turtles, from bacterial eye diseases to sepsis. To reduce pollution during feeding, the turtle can be planted in a separate container.

Decor and soil can be omitted, since the turtle does not particularly need it, and it is much more difficult to clean up with it in the aquarium.

Approximately ⅓ in the aquarium should be land, to which the turtle must have access. They regularly come out on land to bask, and so that they can do this without access to the sun, a heating lamp is placed above the land.

Heating

Natural sunlight is best, and small turtles should preferably be exposed to the sun's rays in summer months. However, there is not always such an opportunity and an analogue sunlight must be created artificially.

To do this, in the aquaterrarium, above the land, they place an incandescent lamp and a special lamp with UV rays - an ultraviolet lamp for reptiles (10% UVB). Moreover, the height must be at least 20 cm so that the animal does not get burned. The temperature on land, under the lamp should be 30-32C, and the length of the daylight hours should be at least 12 hours.

In nature, they hibernate, hibernate, but in captivity they do not do this and you do not need to force them! Home conditions quite allow her to be active throughout the year, this is not winter when there is nothing to eat.

Feeding

What to feed a marsh turtle? The main thing is not what, but how. While feeding, bog turtles are very aggressive!

It feeds on fish, shrimps, beef heart, liver, chicken heart, frogs, worms, crickets, mice, artificial food, snails. The best food is fish, for example, you can run live fish, guppies directly into the aquarium. Juveniles are fed every day, and adult turtles are fed every two to three days. They are very hungry for food and overeat easily.

For normal development, turtles need vitamins and calcium. Usually artificial foods contain everything a turtle needs, so adding food from a pet store to the diet is not superfluous. And yes, they need sunlight to absorb calcium and produce vitamin B3. So do not forget about special lamps and heating.

Appeal

Very smart, they quickly understand that the owner feeds them and will rush to you in the hope of feeding. However, at this moment they are aggressive and you need to be careful. Like all turtles, they are treacherous and can bite, and quite painfully.

They need to be handled with care and generally touched less often. It is better not to give to children, as they carry each other a mutual danger.

Take a look:

The magnificent turtle belongs to those species of freshwater turtles that are ideal for keeping at home: it quickly adapts to new living conditions, gets used to the owner and is unpretentious in feeding (eats small fish, earthworms, vegetables and green salad). Distributed in the southern United States.

A small, up to 20 cm long, animal with a high crest on the ridge and a slightly curved rim of the shell. The general coloration is light brown-red, on the head, neck and legs a spotted pattern of a light red hue is noticeable.

The magnificent turtle spends a lot of time on land, moving into the water only at dusk. Professor R. Mertens described the curious behavior of adults who threw sand with their front legs on their backs: thanks to the edge of the shell bent upwards, the sand lingered on the backs of animals. The researcher suggested that the turtles use this technique as a kind of disguise.

In captivity, the diadem turtle gets along well with other species of turtles. At the slightest danger, the animal opens its mouth wide and makes sounds similar to the hiss of snakes, but never bites.

The diadem turtle is found in the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra basins. Lives in deep low-flowing water bodies.

It is considered the only representative of its kind.

The tortoise shell is 50 cm long. There is a small longitudinal keel on the back. The color of the carapace is dark brown. On the head there is a characteristic pattern of light yellow stripes forming a diadem (hence the name): from the tip of the muzzle, yellow stripes go behind the eyes and join at the back of the head.

Diadem turtle meat is surprisingly tasty and tender, which is why turtle catchers take risks diving to the very bottom for prey.

Eats plant foods. A small part of the diet consists of small aquatic animals.

In case of danger, the turtle dives into the water and burrows into the mud.

The box turtle in captivity gets along well with other species of turtles. It feeds mainly on food of plant origin, but also eats animal food with pleasure. There are cases when these turtles are harmless to own health ate poisonous mushrooms. Distributed in southeastern Canada and eastern United States to Texas.

Caroline box turtles differ from other species in their very bright coloration: bright yellow spots and stripes stand out against a general dark gray background. The iris of the eyes - bright red in males and reddish-brown in females - gives this turtle a special attraction.

The Carolina tortoise lives in forests in the immediate vicinity of ponds or streams, but is sometimes found on open places- in meadows, swamps or in dry hilly areas. During the day, she comes out on land, and at nightfall hides in the water. It also hibernates on land, tearing the soil with its front paws and digging into the turf or leaf litter.

In June-July, females start laying eggs, digging a small hole-nest with their hind legs. Cubs are born in autumn and, without leaving the surface, remain to winter in nests.

box turtle

main food carolinian tortoises green parts of plants, mushrooms and berries serve.

During the breeding season, turtles eat worms, mollusks and various insects.

Distributed from southern Canada to Florida, the Mississippi Delta and northern Mexico, rocky mountains, in the northern United States up to Pacific Ocean. A fairly unpretentious animal: some individuals in conditions home content they eat both plant and animal food, do not impose special requirements on the temperature regime.

The length of the painted turtle does not exceed 18 cm, the carapace is smooth, greenish-brown with reddish-yellow stripes. Marginal shields with bright red spots, red spots and stripes on the legs, longitudinal red-yellow stripes on the neck.

Painted turtles live in river bays, shallow ponds, densely overgrown with vegetation. They spend most of the day in the water, in exceptional cases moving to land. In mid-June - early July, females come to land, where they lay their eggs. For wintering, turtles burrow into the silt at the bottom of the reservoir. The nutrition of animals is mixed, with a slight predominance of feed of animal origin.

There are several subspecies of the painted turtle.

The North American painted turtle is the most common turtle found in fresh waters. This beautiful and unpretentious animal is ideal for a home terrarium. The only condition that the turtle imposes on the place of its residence is pure water. Distributed in North America, Northern Mexico.

Average weight turtles do not exceed 60 g. The shell is smooth, flattened, oval, painted in colors of green-black, with red and yellow marks in some subspecies. The length of the carapace reaches 10–18 (sometimes 25) cm. The plastron is yellow, sometimes with red, black, or reddish-brown spots of various outlines.

The skin of North American painted tortoises is black or olive with red and yellow stripes on the neck, legs, and tail. There are yellow stripes on the head. Males have long claws on their front paws, tails are long and thick. Females have shorter and thinner claws and tails. Females reach a length of 85 mm, males - 130 mm. In the first years of life, sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed. Males reach puberty by 3 years, while females - only by 7.

The shell of the North American painted tortoise serves as an excellent protection for it, at the same time causing a lot of inconvenience: over time, the ribs grow together with the shell, as a result of which the turtle cannot breathe, inflating its chest. She has to inhale and exhale through the lateral and shoulder muscles.

North American painted turtles feed on plant and animal food, insects, and do not disdain carrion. The turtle chews food with toothed plates that replace its teeth.

painted turtle

After emerging from hibernation, turtles begin to mate, for which they need enough low temperature water. Therefore, quite often the mating period falls on autumn, less often on early spring. In early June, females seek out a sunny area near water, dig deep and narrow holes, and lay 4 to 15 soft-shelled oval eggs in them.

Babies hatched from eggs spend the first days of life in exceptional silence so as not to attract the attention of predators. They are in real danger of being eaten from all sides, and their main enemy is predatory fish, for which small turtles are desirable prey. However, growing up, turtles retain the habit of making as few sounds as possible.

North American painted tortoises have a highly developed sense of smell and color vision, but with hearing, the situation is worse.

North American painted turtles live in freshwater rivers and lakes on a pebbly shallow, densely overgrown with vegetation, with a muddy bottom.

Western painted turtle considered the most major representative of its kind. Currently, as a result of crossing western painted tortoises with representatives of other subspecies, hybrids have been obtained that adapt perfectly to life in captivity. This turtle is distributed from Ontario to British Columbia, Missouri, Oklahoma, Colorado, Wyoming. Quite significant populations are found in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Chihuahua (Mexico).

Shell length adult can reach 25 cm (usually 20 cm). Carapace green, with a web of light patterns. The plastron is yellow, sometimes reddish, with a dark blurred pattern.

In their natural habitat, turtles prefer shallows, ponds, swamps, lakes with a clay bottom and an abundance of aquatic plants. Western painted turtles are predominantly diurnal; at dusk, the animals sink to the bottom or hide on half-submerged logs. In the morning they come out on land again and spend a few hours in the sun before heading off to forage. Between meals, turtles take breaks to rest, after which the feeding process resumes.

Sunbathing by western painted tortoises is a kind of ritual. A few hours after sunrise, in the habitats of these animals, you can find several dozen individuals of various age groups basking in the sun.

In early March, mating season begins for western painted turtles. During this period, the turtles break into pairs and the males begin courtship. The male swims around the female, periodically colliding with her head, after which he clings to her neck and head with his long claws and shakes his whole body. The female, ready for mating, sinks to the bottom of the pond and stretches her forelimbs.

The female lays her eggs near the shore in a hole that she digs in the sand. The sex of baby turtles is affected by temperature incubation period: at 30.5°C females hatch and at 25°C males. At average temperature the same number of males and females are produced.

Baby turtles get out into the world by biting through the egg shell with their caruncle, or egg tooth, which falls out of them a few days after birth.

The shell of a newborn turtle is extended by a keel. With age, the outline of the shell changes. The pigmentation of the carapace in babies is lighter, and the patterns are more distinct than in adults. Turtles reach physical maturity at the age of 5 years. These animals live up to 15-20 years.

Western painted tortoises tolerate cold temperatures well environment. Even very small turtles survive in relatively light frosts, and adults feel great swimming under the ice. However, turtles living in the northern regions prefer to hibernate during this time, burrowing into heaps of silt or mud. The amount of oxygen that enters their body through the skin is enough for them to hibernate. Animals living in the southern regions are active all year round.

Western painted turtle

The diet of painted turtles is very diverse. They eat both plant and animal food. Young turtles prefer food of animal origin, but as they grow older, they almost completely switch to vegetable food.

Many hobbyists keep western painted turtles at home, equipping them with spacious terrariums. But it is worth noting that these animals are very shy and any sudden movement of a person causes them to panic: turtles immediately hide at the bottom of an artificial reservoir.

Extended to east coast USA. In keeping conditions, it requires sufficiently loose and at the same time moist soil for nest construction.

The carapace of the oriental painted tortoise is usually 13 to 15 cm long, however, there are individual individuals whose carapace length is 18 cm.

A feature of this animal is that the lateral and vertebral scutes of the carapace are located in the same plane. The color of the carapace is olive or dark brown, the plastron is yellow, sometimes with brown spots.

On the head of the oriental painted turtle, behind the eyes, there are yellow spots, and on the sides of the head and neck there are two stripes, which are yellow on the head and turn red on the neck. There are also red spots on the marginal shields, as well as on the limbs and tail.

The painted turtle spends most of its life in the water, occasionally going out on land to bask in the sun. In case of danger, she hides in the water. These turtles do not always hibernate, often hibernating under the ice.

This subspecies lives in the southern states of the United States. In the conditions of detention makes increased demands on the temperature and humidity conditions.

The southern painted tortoise differs from the previous species in that its carapace has an orange longitudinal strip along the spine. There are also orange stripes on the marginal shields. The length of the carapace of this turtle does not exceed 15 cm.

It is active throughout the year. Unlike other species, turtles do not hibernate. The female usually lays up to three clutches per year, with 5 to 12 eggs in each clutch. The incubation period lasts 45–60 days; depending on the temperature, either males (at low temperatures) or females (at high temperatures) are born.

A feature of the musk turtle is the presence of two pairs of musk glands under the carapace. If the turtle is frightened or angry, a yellowish liquid with an unpleasant odor is released from them. Lives in North America.

The carapace of this species is high, domed, brown or dark gray, 7.5 to 14 cm long.

In adults, the carapace is smooth and most often monochromatic, in young individuals it has 3 keels and irregular dark spots or stripes. The plastron consists of 11 shields held together by a bundle. Males differ from females in having a blunt ridge on the tail and scaly calluses on the tail. inner surface hind limbs. The crest on the tail of females is pointed.

The beginning of the breeding season of turtles falls at the end of winter - the beginning of summer, depending on the region of residence. Animals mate only in water. Females lay 1 to 9 eggs in small nests, which mature in 9–12 weeks.

Musk turtles mainly inhabit standing water bodies or small ponds. In warm weather, animals often come ashore to bask in the sun. Despite the fact that musk turtles swim quite well, most often they move along the bottom of the reservoir in search of food.

The Malay box turtle lives in tropical forests, as a result of which it is active throughout the year, that is, unlike most of its relatives, it does not hibernate. Distributed in Southeast Asia.

General color coloring malay box turtle dark olive, with three yellow stripes on each cheek. The length of an adult reaches 20 cm. The color of the carapace is dark olive or dark in different shades in some subspecies. The shape of the shell can also vary from flattened to voluminous. Sexual dimorphism is pronounced: the lower shell of the shell in females is more concave, the tail is longer and thicker than in the female. The claws of the female are much thinner than those of the male. Animals reach sexual maturity by 5 years.

Malayan box turtles live in lowland rainforests. The diet of Malay box turtles is the most diverse: they eat green parts of plants, vegetables, fruits, mushrooms, insects and their larvae, algae, small fish and even crustaceans. Interestingly, Malayan box turtles feed only 2 times in 6-7 days, and they only eat in the water.

For a home terrarium, it is best to purchase turtles of a relatively small size. Keep in mind that some species continue to grow throughout their lives.

The life expectancy of Malayan tortoises depends on habitat conditions: in nature, one tortoise lived for about 38 years, while in captivity these reptiles live only up to 20 years.

Mating of animals also occurs in the water, and turtles lay their eggs on land: females find a damp place near a reservoir and dig holes with their hind legs, where after some time they lay from 1 to 5 eggs of a spherical shape. With favorable weather conditions females make several clutches. It takes 76 days from the moment of fertilization to the start of hatching of the young from the eggs.

Malayan box turtles are often kept in captivity. It is worth noting that these animals not only get along well with other inhabitants of terrariums, but also successfully breed.

The population of the Chinese box turtle has recently declined significantly due to the fact that for many years it was exported to the United States as a raw material for medicines. It lives in South China, Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands.

The carapace is convex, the carapace and plastron are colored dark brown, a clear light yellow stripe runs along the back, the plastron is bordered by light yellow. Unlike most species, in which the plastron is connected to the carapace by a bone bridge, the Chinese box turtle has movable joints called ligaments. The shell, fastened in this way, provides a safe haven in case of danger.

There are 5 claws on the forelimbs of animals, 4 on the hind limbs. The upper part of the head is painted in light green, bright yellow stripes go from the eyes to the back of the head. The neck and chin are apricot, pink or yellow. Sexual dimorphism is weakly expressed: the tail of males is somewhat wider and longer than that of females.

The length of the carapace of the young Chinese tortoise is 31-44 mm, weight - from 8 to 13 g.

Under natural conditions, turtles live in subtropical or temperate zone in a wooded area or in rice fields near ponds overgrown with dense vegetation.

The mating process of Chinese turtles takes place on land. He is preceded by courtship of the male for the female: he either chases his girlfriend to turn her over, or rubs his head against her chin. Sometimes the male gently bites the female. The courtship process of Chinese box turtles is accompanied by mating songs resembling whistles. Courtship ends at the moment when the male bites the female and thereby stops her. The female's front paws extended forward symbolize her consent to start mating, after which the male climbs onto her carapace.

Birth of a baby Chinese box turtle

In warm climates, turtles mate throughout the year. If the aquaterrarium contains several animals, one can observe the manifestation of aggression of adult males in relation to other males of their species, while they are indifferent to turtles of other species.

Under natural habitat conditions, females start building nests in March. As a rule, for this they choose a fairly shady place with moist, loose soil. Before laying eggs, females dig several holes about 10 cm deep.

Female Chinese tortoises lay several clutches per year. In the clutch of large females, there are 2-3 eggs, small ones lay 1 egg each. The incubation period lasts 80–90 days.

Newborn baby Chinese box turtles run fast and begin to forage as early as the 5th day after birth (in the first days they feed on the reserves of the yolk sac). The shape of the shell and coloration of the babies resemble adult turtles, but their tails are longer, and blotches of pink can be seen on the light yellow patterns of the side plates.

Chinese box turtles are kept in spacious terrariums with clean water and bright lighting. In areas with a warm climate, these animals can be kept outdoors in a specially equipped corral. Adults are kept in a paddock for the winter, as turtles of this species can tolerate a fairly cold (about -24 ° C) winter. After burrowing into the soil, the animals hibernate.

In the diet of Chinese box turtles, both animal feed (earthworms, snails, slugs, mealworms) and vegetable (strawberries, melons, bananas, carrots, corn on the cob) origin must be present. Approximately once a week, calcium supplements should be included in the diet or bone meal.

In captivity, female Chinese box turtles do not exhibit maternal instinct, so the owner will need to take care of the born babies. To do this, the cubs are placed in an aquarium, after pouring settled water there at a temperature of 23-25 ​​° C so that its layer is no more than 1-1.5 cm. The aquarium should have a platform of stones and soil, a heating lamp above it, as well as mineral supplement. For feeding small turtles, not released directly into the water. a large number of small tubifex or bloodworm.

For better development baby turtles change the water in the aquarium daily.

As the babies grow, the volume of water in the aquarium is increased.

Upon reaching the age of 6 months, turtles are placed in a common terrarium or pen outdoors. The length of the carapace of a 6-month-old cub reaches 60 mm, body weight - 80–90 g. During the mating period of adults, cubs are removed from the common terrarium.

Quite often, even a turtle purchased at a pet store has some kind of health problem, which most often occurs due to improper care of the animal during transportation or due to crowded conditions. Therefore, when choosing pets in a pet store, you should pay attention to their appearance and behavior.

Inexperienced turtle owners make the same mistakes: do not let the animals out into the fresh air, keep them on dry food. Turtles that don't come on fresh air, quite often suffer from the sombrero syndrome: their carapace is wide and flattened, and the limbs are weak. Keeping in a cramped glass aquarium with a small amount of water leads to the fact that the animal may lose all claws and even fingers.

Currently, two populations of the spotted turtle are known to exist separately from each other. One is distributed in North America, on the east coast of Maine to the north of Florida, in the coastal zone of Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia. The second population of the spotted tortoise lives in the central region of Indiana, Ohio and Western Pennsylvania, some individuals are found in Georgia.

The length of the carapace does not exceed 11 cm. The carapace in adult animals is smooth, without protruding sutures, black-brown or almost black, with yellow round spots. In older turtles, spots are faded or absent altogether. The plastron is yellow or orange, with a black pattern on each scutellum, almost black in older specimens. The head is black, with one or two yellow spots, the limbs are black with yellow spots on the outside, orange-pink or rose-red on the inside. The neck is also pink-red.

spotted turtle

Sexual dimorphism is pronounced: the carapace of males is elongated and flattened, a depression is noticeable in the central part of the plastron. The chin of males is light brown, the eyes are dark brown or black. The anal opening is removed from the edge of the carapace. In females, the carapace is convex, round, the plastron is flat. The eyes are orange, the chin is light yellow or orange. The tail is narrow, the anus is located under the edge of the shell. Females are slightly larger than males.

The color of the shell of newborn cubs is similar to that of adults, however, there is a spot on each shield. The length of the tail is the same as the length of the carapace. The carapace is round, up to 3 cm long.

Spotted turtles live in forests temperate climate and rainforests, inhabiting shallow waters with shoals, soft muddy bottoms and dense thickets of vegetation. They are also found in sphagnum bogs and waterlogged ponds.

The diet of spotted turtles is food of vegetable (water lily seeds, algae, soft leaves of aquatic plants) and animal (small crustaceans, worms, mollusks, amphibian caviar, insects and caterpillars, carrion) origin.

During mating season you can watch the real battles that adult males of spotted turtles arrange among themselves. Males fight for every female that reaches puberty.

Animals reach sexual maturity at the age of 7 to 13 years, while the inhabitants of the northern regions begin to bring offspring much later than their southern relatives. Turtles begin mating in the spring, after emerging from hibernation.

The courtship of the male for the female comes down to chasing and biting on the paws or carapace, after which he climbs on her, bites on the head and neck and starts mating, which can last up to 1 hour.

At the end of May, the female lays from 1 to 8 eggs. Many females start re-laying after a while.

To build a nest, the female chooses a damp place open to the sun's rays near a reservoir. The incubation period from the moment of fertilization to the hatching of the young depends on the ambient temperature and varies from 44 to 83 days.

spotted turtle

The sex of turtles also depends on the temperature conditions: at a temperature of about 30 ° C, females hatch, and at lower temperatures, males.

IN natural conditions spotted turtles have a lot of enemies, and first of all, these are raccoons. A turtle traveling in search of food becomes an easy prey for these animals. However, if the animal did not have time to move far from the reservoir, then at the slightest danger it hurries to dive into it and hide at the bottom. Spotted turtles are also preyed upon by water rats.

The age of these animals is determined by the number of scutes on the shell, however, upon reaching maturity, the growth of turtles slows down, which means that this rule is true only for young individuals.

North American wood turtles are considered the fastest and smartest among other freshwater turtles, because in search of food they often have to travel long distances and constantly flee from enemies during migrations. They are distributed in parts of Eastern Canada and the northeastern United States.

The length of the carapace of an adult animal is 15–25 cm, it is colored brownish or gray-brown in color with yellow pigment, the scutes are sculptural and voluminous. The shells of old turtles are flat. The plastron is yellow with a black pattern.

The head of the turtles is black with light speckles. The forelimbs are black or variegated brown, the chest, neck and inner parts of the limbs are colored yellow, orange or red, sometimes interspersed with dark pigment. The color of wood turtles largely depends on local conditions: in the west of the habitat, animals are painted in yellow colors, and in the east - red.

Sexual dimorphism is pronounced: the carapace of the male is convex and long, on the plastron there is a depression in the center, the tail is long and rather thick. The anal opening is located far from the edge of the shell. Females are much lower and wider than males, their carapace and plastron are flat, the tail is narrow and short, the anus is located at the very edge of the shell.

In hatched cubs, the carapace is round, the length of the carapace reaches 4 cm, the length of the tail coincides with the length of the carapace. The color of young turtles is brown or bright gray.

The diet of the North American wood turtle is varied. Animals feed on the leaves and flowers of the field and forest plants, fruits, as well as various worms and insects. In addition, North American wood turtles sometimes attack sick or injured fish, eat fish eggs and amphibian eggs, and do not even disdain carrion.

It is known that wood turtles prey on earthworms, luring them out with thuds from their forelimbs or plastron. It is believed that these animals imitate the sounds of rain in such a peculiar way.

female North American wood turtle

Males under natural conditions show aggression towards members of their own sex, while females are hostile to both males and other females.

In spring or autumn, when turtles spend a lot of time in the water, the mating season begins. The male courts the female, after which they both spin in a kind of dance. As soon as the male decides that courtship is over, he begins to bite the female on the limbs and head, thereby forcing her to stop. The male climbs onto the female and, crouching, hits her shell with his plastron. The entire mating process can take place both on land and in water.

In mid-May, the female starts building a nest, for which she chooses an area open to sunlight near a pond, digs a hole and lays 5 to 14 eggs in it. After that, she buries the eggs and carefully smoothes the surface of the sand.

At the end of August or September, little turtles hatch from the eggs, which immediately go to the water. Unlike many other North American wood turtle hatchlings, they prefer to spend the winter in a pond rather than in a nest.

Depending on the temperature of the incubation period, males or females are born from eggs. Turtles of this species reach puberty at the age of 14–20 years, and their average life expectancy is 58 years.

Turtles spend most of their time in the sun, basking on a semi-submerged tree or log. In this way, they synthesize vitamin D in their body, and also regulate body temperature. In addition, the sun's rays help turtles fight pests and all kinds of pathogenic bacteria.

North American forest turtles overwinter at the bottom of a shallow reservoir, less often on land, burrowing into loose, moist soil or sand.

Adult lone turtles adhere to a territory of approximately 5 hectares. As a rule, when wandering in search of food, they try not to stray very far from water bodies and move mainly along the banks of rivers.

Despite the fact that, in general, turtles prefer not to change their habitats, some of them during the mating season move to another body of water, and return to their native one for wintering.

Interestingly, the North American wood turtles unmistakably find their way home. So, the following experiment was once carried out by American researchers: turtles were moved a distance of about 2 km, and after some time they all returned back. The experiment was repeated, slightly changing it: some turtles were injected into the nostrils with a special substance that reduces the sense of smell, but, to the surprise of scientists, they still returned to their reservoir.

Female wood turtles spend much more time on land than males. However, despite their name, they prefer sandy or pebble-bottomed streams, swampy ponds, and swamps.

Reeves' pond turtle is one of the most common turtles kept in captivity. As a rule, turtles of this species are sold in pet stores, as well as in bird markets. For home keeping, the Reeves pond turtle is suitable for relatively small sizes. The Reeves pond turtle is native to China and Japan. It is also found in Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

The length of the shell in adults does not exceed 13 cm, its shape is oval. The color of the carapace is different: from yellowish brown to dark brown, almost black. Head, neck, legs may be olive, greenish gray or black. White and yellow lines run along the sides of the neck and head in light-colored individuals.

According to some signs, one can easily distinguish a male from a female: the tail of males is long, thick at the base, under the tail near the edge of the carapace is an anus. Some fans distinguish turtles by color - females are slightly lighter than males.

Reeves' pond turtle lives in ponds, streams and shallow channels, preferring to inhabit sandy and clay flats. During the day, turtles crawl out onto logs or a pile of stones to bask in the sun.

Reeves' male pond turtle

In their natural habitat, turtles feed on insects, frogs, fish and aquatic plants. When kept in captivity, they eat well raw liver, beef heart, boiled chicken meat, green lettuce leaves, pears, melons, as well as earth and flour worms. Most hobbyists feed their pets with a special mixture for turtles "Tetras" Reptomin.

When feeding a turtle, it must be remembered that it does not have a feeling of satiety. With irregular feeding, reptiles consume too much food, which is why they suffer not only from gastrointestinal disorders, but over time they can die from obesity.

As a rule, turtles are fed in a separate container. This is done so that food debris does not spoil the water in the aquarium. It is worth noting that after a few days the turtles get used to this movement and ask themselves to the “dining room” arranged for them.

Most fanciers keep Reeves' pond turtle in an aquarium only when winter period, and in the summer they make special open-air cages for pets with artificial reservoirs in the open air.

A home aquarium for a turtle should be large enough and long enough. But you don’t need to decorate it: very mobile turtles can simply ruin the scenery. All that is required is to place a few large stones or a piece of wood in such a way that the animals can breathe air from time to time. By the way, it is additionally necessary to install a fluorescent lamp, under which the turtles will bask.

Reeves' female pond turtle

It is very interesting to observe the funny behavior of young turtles: when they go out on land to bask in the sun (or under a lamp), they climb on top of each other in such a way that a kind of pyramid of their bodies is obtained.

Despite the fact that Reeves' pond turtles can tolerate even negative temperatures, at home the water temperature in the aquarium should be at least 22 ° C.

The behavior of turtles during the mating period is interesting. Approaching the female, the male tries to stick his head into the holes of her shell in order to collide with her nose or tail. Enough for a long time the female does not seem to notice the courtship of the male, and if he becomes more persistent, she drives him away, opening her mouth menacingly. But the male, in turn, tries to scare the female by opening his mouth wide. Despite all these threats, neither turtle actually tries to bite the other, and the male's intimidating behavior causes the female to put up with his advances.

As already mentioned, the aquarium where Reeves' pond turtles live must be equipped small area sushi with sand, where the female will lay her eggs. One turtle, as a rule, lays no more than 3 eggs. In order for the embryos to develop correctly, a temperature of at least 25 ° C is required. In this case, after 80 days, cubs are born. At lower temperatures, turtles hatch later.

It is worth noting that turtles are best purchased at pet stores. Only in this case, you can be sure that they are healthy. The fact is that most turtles purchased from hand are infected with some kind of infectious diseases or suffer from a lack of vitamins, as a result of which peeling of the shell may appear and even separate it from the internal organs.

Red-eared turtles, due to their ability to adapt to low ambient temperatures and eat any food, settled far beyond their natural habitat in the southeastern United States. Red-eared turtles are common in North America, South and Central Europe, South Africa, South-East Asia.

At home red-eared turtles contain because of them beautiful coloring. However, despite the fact that these animals are quite unpretentious in their natural habitat, it is very difficult to keep red-eared turtles in captivity. As a rule, sellers of red-eared turtles say that animals quickly adapt to home conditions, eat everything in a row and breed as early as the fifth year of life. Alas, it is not.

IN natural environment habitat, the diet of animals is quite diverse, in addition, they prefer to inhabit large, well-lit reservoirs, while in captivity their food is not very diverse, and life is limited to an aquarium and a lamp, which cannot but affect well-being and ability to reproduce. That is why, when keeping red-eared turtles in captivity, it is very important to create conditions for animals that are as close to natural as possible.

female red-eared turtle

male red-eared turtle

Interestingly, in some red-eared turtles, the coloring and pattern of the shell and body are quite peculiar. Carapace oval, slightly flattened. The lower part of the shell is yellow, the head, neck and legs are painted in the same color. The main color of the body is greenish, on the shields there is a pattern in the form of green rings. On the legs are powerful membranes. In adults, the general coloration becomes more blurred, in older males it becomes dark brown, almost black. A pair of bright orange or red ear-like spots are noticeable on the sides of the head (hence the name). Males reach sexual maturity at 3 years of age, and females at 6–7.

Males have a small indentation on the underside of their carapace, which simplifies the mating process. Their tail is long and thin, with a thickening at the base. Males have long claws on their front paws. Females are significantly larger than males.

They live in shallow water bodies with marshy shores. Mating begins at the end of February. At home, they retain the ability to mate throughout the year.

Each clutch contains about 8-10 eggs. The length of the shell of newborn cubs is about 3 cm. The period of intensive growth lasts a year and a half: during this time, small turtles grow up to 8 cm. Then their growth slows down somewhat, and they grow by about 1–1.3 cm per year.

There are several subspecies of the red-eared turtle, some of which even interbreed.

Medium sized turtle. The length of the shell is from 18 to 30 cm, depending on the sex of the turtle and subspecies. Males are noticeably smaller than females. In young animals, the shell is bright green, with age it becomes olive or yellow-brown, decorated with patterns of yellow stripes. On the head, neck and limbs, the turtle is decorated with a pattern of white and green wavy stripes and spots. The turtle got its name from two elongated bright red spots next to the eyes. This spot can be orange, bright yellow in the Cumberland tortoise subspecies, or the Troust tortoise, or yellow in the yellow-bellied tortoise subspecies. The underside of the carapace is oval, usually dark in color with yellow lines and a yellow edging around the edge.

Pond slider can be considered long-lived. Under favorable conditions, it may well live 30 - 40 years. At the same time, the turtle has quite high level intelligence, which at times surpasses the mind of many reptiles. It is able to perceive sounds at very low frequencies. For example, the red-eared turtle feels the vibrations of the soil, the approach of a person or animal at a level of 1000-3000 hertz. At the same time, representatives of this species are endowed with very sharp eyesight. So in search of food, they first pay attention to the color of the object, and only then - to the smell and taste. In addition, the females are very prolific, and the little turtles that are born are very hardy and grow quickly. The size of a newborn baby is about 3 cm, in adults it is 10 times larger. The females are much larger than the males. During the year, the shell grows by 1 cm, this rapid process is facilitated by food with a high protein content. But kept turtles at home are 15-20 cm smaller than their free relatives and do not experience discomfort due to cramped housing.

The red-eared turtle is widely distributed in nature. Its range covers the United States from southern Virginia to northern Florida and Kansas, Oklahoma and New Mexico in the west, Mexico, all of Central America, northwest South America(northern Colombia and Venezuela). The species was introduced to the south of Florida, Arizona, Guadeloupe, Israel, South Africa and some European countries. In particular, to Spain, Great Britain. The red-eared turtle has entered Australia, where it is officially recognized as a pest, displacing the local endemic fauna.

In nature, it lives in small lakes, ponds and other bodies of water with low, swampy shores. Leads a relatively sedentary lifestyle. Extremely curious. If the turtle is full, it climbs ashore and basks in the sun. When hungry, it slowly swims in search of food. When the water temperature is below +18 °C, the turtle becomes lethargic and loses its appetite. The turtle is able to notice the danger at a distance of 30-40 m, after which it slides into the water with lightning speed, for which it received the name "Slider".

The turtle's vocal cords are not developed. He can only hiss and snort with excitement. The red-eared turtle has well-developed eyesight and sense of smell. In contrast to vision, hearing is poorly developed. However, red-eared turtles are very well oriented by ear and hide in the water at any rustle. She not only hisses, but also makes a sound like a short squeak.

The red-eared tortoise, contrary to popular belief, is very mobile and fast. With these qualities, she could well compete with some types of fish, and it’s not a fact that she would come to the finish line second. This representative does not lose her agility on land either. Here, as quickly as in the water, she is able to bypass obstacles in her path and hide from her pursuers.

The red-eared tortoise has no teeth, but thanks to the remarkable strength of the jaw muscles, it can crush a fairly solid object. When threatened by other inhabitants of flora and fauna, the individual throws its head forward with lightning speed and bites its offender. Adults of this species can inflict serious wounds while defending their lives. At the same time, the red-eared beauty knows how to scratch, her nails are strong and very sharp, which she also often uses for self-defense. People should beware of the hind legs of this creature, because the turtle will try to push them off the hands. Therefore, experts do not recommend pulling the red-eared turtle out of the water for children. This should be done by adults: very carefully and without squeezing the shell, while keeping it at a decent distance from the face and areas with open skin.

An adult turtle needs an aquaterrarium with a volume of 100-150 liters, it is desirable that the land occupies about 25% of its area. If possible, soil or gravel is poured on the shore. On land, they arrange a gentle ascent with a rough, but not scratchy surface. The water level must be greater than the width of the shell, so that once on its back, for some reason, the turtle could roll over and not drown.

The temperature of the water in the aquarium should not be lowered below 20°C, normal temperature 24-30°С (it is desirable to install a heater to maintain the temperature). The water in the aquarium is changed as needed, 1-2 times a week. The water filter allows you to do this much less often. However, a complete water change should be done at least once a month. It is advisable to install an incandescent lamp above the island in the aquarium. Turtles love to bask on dry land. Same for normal content red-eared turtle, a source of metered ultraviolet radiation is needed.

In captivity, the diet of red-eared turtles includes small crustaceans such as gammarus or shrimp. Small aquarium or river snails, small or sliced ​​\u200b\u200bfish, meat cut into small strips, liver, small frogs, tadpoles, various insects and their larvae, earthworms, bloodworms, tubifex are also suitable.

Do not forget that the diet of red-eared turtles should include calcium-rich foods: fish heads, bone meal, chalk, eggshells, etc. The diet of adult turtles includes additional plant foods. Pets eat well dandelion leaves, cabbage, lettuce, spinach, plantain. Of the algae, duckweed, elodea, spirogyra, sea kale, anacharis, watercress, edogonium, etc. are well eaten. Young red-eared turtles are fed 2 times a day. Later transferred to single meals. Turtles older than 2 years should be fed no more than 2-3 times a week.

You should not feed the turtle the same, the diet should be varied. The amount of food is selected so that the turtles eat everything without leaving anything in the water. Turtles should be fed at the same time. It’s good if the turtle warmed up well before that. At a temperature of 28-30 °, the digestion of turtles proceeds much more intensively. You can also feed turtles outside the aquarium, for example, in a basin with water. This will help keep the aquarium clean. If the turtle's food is not very diverse, it should be given vitamins or vitamin complexes. You can find them in pet stores, choose them marked "for reptiles". Vitamins are fed to hungry turtles with food. The dosage must be looked at in the instructions for the drug.

Reproduction of red-eared turtles

Young red-eared turtles are almost the same, regardless of gender. Determining the sex of animals becomes possible when they become adults. Already at the age of more than one year, the turtles begin to observe sexual differences. The sex of the red-eared turtle is easier to determine in comparison with other individuals. Females tend to grow much larger than males. Although with a difference in age in animals, this sign cannot be used. Males have longer claws on their front paws than females. They serve for the mating dance and help to stay on the female during mating. The tail of the male is thicker and longer than that of the female. The lower part of the body in females is flat, while in males it is concave. The spots on the turtle's head are larger and brighter in color in males. In nature, turtles reach puberty by 5-6 years, in captivity this happens a little earlier.

The courtship period for red-eared turtles occurs between March and July, and in captivity can occur at any time of the year. The male swims in front of the female with his tail forward, and gently touches her muzzle with claws, as if trying to stroke. If the female is ready to breed, then she accepts courtship, otherwise the female drives the male away. In some cases, it comes to a fight. Young turtles can also perform mating dance, but not reaching reproductive age, they are incapable of reproduction.

After successful mating, the female spends more time in the sun. Her eating habits may change, the amount of food eaten may change, some types of habitual food may be rejected. This is a normal reaction, it is worth trying to feed her with other foods and adjust the amount of food.

Pregnancy lasts an average of about two months, if the female cannot find a suitable place for laying, this period can be extended. During the last two weeks, the female spends a lot of time on land, sniffing and digging the ground. Having chosen a place, the turtle abundantly wets the ground from the anal bladders and digs a nest with its hind legs. A female red-eared turtle can lay 1 to 22 eggs, with an average of 5-10. She lacks the instinct to care for her offspring. After laying eggs, the female leaves the nest.

The incubation period lasts 100-150 days. The incubation time and sex of young turtles depends on the temperature at which the eggs are incubated. At temperatures above 29°C females are born, below 27°C only males. Turtles use an egg tooth to pierce the egg shell, which falls off an hour after birth. After leaving the egg, a small pouch is present on the belly of the newborn, it contains the remnants of food from the incubation period. Soon it will fall off, and the small wound left in its place will heal safely.

Diseases and treatment of red-eared turtles

The most common disease in red-eared turtles is pneumonia. Experts do not recommend keeping these exotic pets outside the aquarium. The owners of the turtle sometimes let it out for a walk around the apartment, thinking that this will be useful for the pet. In fact, this can be very dangerous, because the reptile can get into a draft and catch a cold. This also applies to the location of the terrarium, try to place it only in a place protected from wind and draft.

If you notice that the animal is lethargic, eats poorly, or refuses to eat at all, most likely it has pneumonia. In an aquarium, a reptile swims only on the surface; it simply cannot dive. It's possible that your pet is cold. It can be treated in two ways.

The traditional drug method involves a course of intramuscular injections. Keep in mind that red-eared turtles should only be treated under the supervision of a veterinarian. Self-medication can cost your pet's life. And don't forget about important point: when you calculate the amount of medicine for the weight of the turtle, you need to subtract the weight of the shell. To do this, just divide the total weight in half.

Some turtle owners are afraid to use medications and resort to methods traditional medicine. One of the methods is based on steam baths. You need to prepare a decoction of chamomile. Next, you should slightly warm the broth and hold the turtle over the steam for a while. Watch the steam temperature. he must not burn his hand. Now we are preparing a warm bath. In a ratio of 1: 3, we dilute a decoction of chamomile in water, the temperature should be about 30 ° C. The turtle should take therapeutic baths for about an hour.

Diseases of the eyes of red-eared turtles. Keep an eye on the animal at all times. Check your eyes. If you notice swelling of the eyelids, excessive discharge from the eyes, purple color of the mucosa, be sure to go to a specialist. For the treatment of diseases of the eyes of red-eared turtles, they must be kept on land. It is necessary to treat the affected mucosa with a veterinary remedy. It can be antibiotics or sulfonamides. Take a clean bath at 28°C once a day for several hours. Water must be absolutely clean. Treatment is carried out until the veterinarian confirms the recovery.

Diseases of the shell of red-eared turtles. The symptoms of pet turtle disease are soft-touch shells, lethargic behavior, and poor appetite. Most often, symptoms appear from a lack of ultraviolet radiation, poor absorption of calcium and vitamin D3. To eliminate such problems, expose your pets to a UV lamp daily. Such a lamp can be purchased at a pet store.

To treat this disease of red-eared turtles, raw fish, preferably with small bones, should be present in the diet daily. Include calcium and vitamin supplements in your diet. Turtle shell diseases are dangerous and their treatment should be carried out under the supervision of a specialist. It is especially worth reacting quickly if the animal has a detachment of the horny plates from the shell. With active growth, this phenomenon is permissible, but with age it can only occur if the reptile is improperly kept. Disease prevention and treatment for red-eared turtles means careful care. This also applies to the diet. Perhaps such a violation is a consequence of drying. A fungus or blue-green algae can provoke exfoliation.

And at the end, in a concise form, we will present all the rules that must be observed when keeping red-eared turtles.

When keeping red-eared turtles it is impossible:
keep tight;
keep a turtle in an aquarium without sushi; the turtle is able to drown, despite the fact that it is aquatic;
keep a turtle without heating;
only feed the turtles raw meat;
feed turtles only plant food;
if the turtle does not receive food rich in calcium, it is imperative to give mineral supplements;
add oily vitamins “by eye” to the feed;
keep turtles in dirty water, especially if a film forms on the surface;
clean the turtle with coarse brushes and even more so remove the horny shields if it is overgrown with algae;
keep several males in one aquarium and introduce new animals without prior quarantine;
use only smooth materials (glass, plastic) for the construction of the ladder and the island;
wash the aquarium in the kitchen and use dishes for turtles in which food is prepared for people.
regularly clean the aquarium;
hibernation optional for turtles;

The turtle is a symbol of wisdom and longevity, because this amphibian lives for three hundred years, which means it has time to learn a lot in its life. Exists popular belief that the turtle moves so slowly, because her life is long and she has nowhere to hurry.

The image of a turtle evoked by your subconscious in a dream is most likely an implementation of such well-known folk expressions as “Crawl like a turtle” or “Hide your head in a shell like a turtle.”

Everyone knows that the first expression is used for people who are slow, slow-witted, and the second - for cowardly, dependent people.

So, the image of a turtle that appeared in a dream can mean procrastination in a dream, an obstacle in business, and also personify a person who does not have time to do everything that is entrusted to him, lazy or simply not wanting to do anything.

Watching in a dream how a turtle hides its head in a shell is a sign that there is a dependent person in your environment who not only interferes with the implementation of your plans, but also has a bad effect on you.

To dream of a turtle hiding in a shell is a sign that you will have a calm and happy life. Harmony will reign in your house, relations with your loved one and children will be normalized.

Watching in a dream a turtle that grabs the paws of a bird to learn how to fly - such a dream indicates that you are a very arrogant person and do not listen at all good advice other people, without even suspecting that you are making it worse for yourself.

Watching a slowly crawling turtle in a dream means that in reality you are a very slow person and therefore it is difficult for you to adapt to the changes that are happening around you.

Perhaps such a dream suggests that your work companion, due to his slowness in making decisions, slows down your affairs, and you will not be able to influence the course of events in any way and, despite all your efforts, you will not achieve anything new.

If you dreamed of a turtle crawling to race with any animal, then in real life You will not be able to compete with your business partner: you are too weak and slow to do this.

To see a turtle lying on its shell in a dream is a sign that there is a very wise person in your environment, influential person who thinks several times before doing anything. Heed his advice.

Walking in a dream with a turtle - such a dream portends a long and happy life. If in a dream you saw one of your close friends walking with a turtle, then this person will live a long life.

If in a dream you buy a turtle, it means that soon a person will appear in your environment who will only interfere with you, although his task will be to help you in your work. Demand a replacement from the authorities, do not waste your strength on this slow person, there will be no sense.

Watching aquatic turtles that swim in an aquarium - you need to be patient, because you will have a period of painful waiting.

Feeding a turtle in a dream - you are not supporting the person who needs your help, but the parasite who has found strings in your soul that you can play and get what you want from you.

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A dream about a turtle portends some interesting event in your life. Its consequences will undoubtedly strengthen your character and affect your work.

If in a dream you ate turtle soup, you have dubious entertainment ahead of you.

Riding a sea turtle in a dream - lately you have been very worried about something. You cannot get rid of this anxiety and instill anxiety in the people around you. Look at the world more optimistically, there is no reason for such a gloomy mood.

If you dreamed that the turtle did not want to “come out” of its shell, then you tend to blame anyone but yourself for all your problems. Think about the fact that you yourself are not perfect, and stop ruining relationships with people.

They watched a crawling turtle - a disease is possible, and the reason for it lies in your overly quick-tempered character.

A reflection of the state of health and well-being of a domestic turtle is its shell. The owner of such a reptile should know this and carefully monitor changes in the turtle's "armor".

Unfortunately, many owners of such animals mistake the symptoms of serious diseases for signs of natural processes.- molting, shell growth or aquarium flowering. Meanwhile, for to recognize the disease in time, you just need to periodically examine your pet and know what features of the condition of the shell are the reason for going to the doctor.

When the owner of a tortoise or freshwater tortoise brings a sick animal to the veterinarian, the disease is usually caused by one of two reasons - improper management or improper feeding.

The shape of the shell directly depends on the lifestyle of the animal. land turtle has a shell with a convex shape and horny growths that create its density. At freshwater representatives the shell is usually flat. At sea ​​turtles it has a teardrop shape, which allows you to move quickly in the water. Among the many species of turtles, there are soft-bodied, that is, having soft skin as a shell.

But we will not talk about these representatives of the fauna yet.

What should alert in the state of the shell?

Shell damage

If you still notice damage to the shell of a turtle, then you should not delay it, immediately contact your veterinary herpetologist. Only a specialist can help restore the integrity of the shell and answer the question of what happened, because cracks are the result of not only injuries, but also serious diseases. In freshwater turtles, damage to the shell can lead to severe ulcerative dissection disease. This begins with fungus attacking the carapace, causing cracks and scratches to develop into ulcers. With such diseases, it is urgent to consult a doctor.

Shell peeling

Changing the color of the horny scutes of the carapace

If a dark-colored liquid appears under the horny shield, resembling blood, and overflows when pressed, you should immediately consult a doctor !!! This is how kidney failure develops in a turtle. And if she is not helped, the animal will die. Pink spots with a characteristic rough surface on the shell of a freshwater turtle are a sign of the development of osteomyelitis. It appears due to a bacterial infection of the shell. If the disease is not treated, then upper layer the carapace may die off, which will manifest itself in the appearance of yellow areas. As the disease progresses, bone tissue and even internal organs can be affected.

soft shell

Algae on the shell (freshwater turtles)

All of these signs should not be left without your attention. A domestic turtle can get sick for a long time, slowly dying. Often people bring their pets to the clinic and are sincerely surprised that the reptile is on the verge of life and death, and sometimes doctors can no longer do anything. Therefore, remember that any changes and damage to the turtle's shell must be repaired or seriously treated, otherwise you will lose your exotic friend.