How to Take Care of Turtles

Turtles make interesting pets for people of all ages. Turtles can be difficult to care for, however. They need regular care to stay healthy and keep their shells hard. A turtle in poor health can develop a soft shell and die prematurely.

Things You'll Need

• Pet nail clipper
• Sandpaper
• UV lamp

Instructions

1. Give the turtle plenty of room. Turtles are extremely active creatures. They may not move quickly, but they do love to move around a lot. They will need a place to crawl and a place to swim. The larger their enclosure, the more they can move around and the happier they will be.

2. Keep your turtle's nails cut short. This can be done by clipping the tips of the nails with a dog nail clipper once they get too long. Or, you can let the turtle walk on a rough surface that will rind down the nails. You can lay sandpaper down and all the turtle to walk on it, or the turtle can walk on a paved driveway or road.

3. Let your turtle have access to enough water to swim in. If the turtle has a large enough cage, you may set up wet and dry areas to allow him to swim and to climb onto a dry spot to eat and sleep. Or, if you don't have that kind of space, simply take him out of his cage often and allow him to swim in a sink or bathtub. Put some room-temperature or slightly warm water into a bathtub or sink and place a rock or other object into it that he can climb onto. This will allow him to swim around but to stop and rest when he gets tired.

4. Feed the turtle every day and take any uneaten food out of his cage. Uneaten food can quickly grow mold on it. Feed the turtle snails, crickets, bananas or fish, depending on the exact species of turtle you have. Most turtles need some animal protein in the form of fish or bugs, as well as fruits or vegetables for vitamins.

5. Make sure the turtle gets some sunlight. A UV lamp can be used in place of the sun in the winter.