The turtle’s shell is a tough knobbly surface and it is both a home and shield against predators. The turtle’s short, broad body is snuggly enclosed both above and below in the horny shell. The shell is actually the turtle’s skeleton, but unlike most advanced creatures which have their skeleton inside the body, the turtle wears its skeleton outside. This means that a turtle cannot crawl out of its shell. The carapace, the upper shell, is really the turtle’s backbone and ribs, joined into a solid mass by many bony plates. The carapace is covered by a layer of horny keratin scales. The lower shell, called the plastron, is built around the turtle’s breastbone. The carapace and plastron are joined on the sides by bony structures called bridges so that there are openings for the turtle’s head, four legs and short tail. The rigid shell prevents motion of the ribs. Because of this, turtles lack the diaphragm that allows other animals to cough. If fluid enters the lungs (which are located just under the carapace) pneumonia presents deadly dangers since the turtle will not be able to easily rid itself of the fluid, and infection is likely. So please take good care of your turtle.

Interesting facts about turtles:

• Turtles don’t have teeth, but their jaws or beaks have horny sharp edges that can cut hard substances. Their jaws are strong.
• Like other reptiles, turtles are ecotherms or cold-blooded — they vary the internal temperature according to the ambient environment.
• Turtles breathe air and do not lay eggs underwater, although many species live in or around water.
• Turtles have color vision with a wealth of cone subtypes with sensitivities ranging from the near ultraviolet (UV A) to red.
• We find both terrestrial turtles and aquatic turtles. The largest turtles are aquatic.
• Turtle heads are covered by hard scales

Terrestrial Turtles

Land turtles are slow and clumsy, they are said to be one of the slowest animals. They would be easy prey for their enemies, if not for the protection of their shell.

Box Turtles

"I prefer not to think outside the box" said the Box turtle.

The Box Turtle, have high, domed shells, which is why they are called "box" turtles. They are strong, sturdy animals, and usually grow to be about 6 inches long. These turtles are usually dark in coloring with some yellowish markings, and the male of the species have bright red eyes, longer tails, and their plastrons (bottom shell) are indented. When faced with danger, it draws its head and legs inside its shell, then pulls the plastron up against the carapace and shuts its home tight. By staying right at home, it is safe from almost all natural enemies.

Mud Turtles

Mud turtles are small semi-terrestrial turtles, and make excellent pets. Markings on the carapace of a mud turtle vary depending on where they come from. Common mud turtles rarely grow to sizes beyond 5 inches (12 cm) , and are therefore easy to keep indoors, or outdoors. Male mud turtles are generally larger than the female of the species, and have larger heads and thicker tails. Mud turtles can secrete a foul smelling fluid from their anal scent glands. Mud turtles raised in captivity may never even use this defense mechanism, as it is only used as a last resort against predators in the wild.

Aquatic turtles

Red Eared Slider Turtle

The biggest of the bunch. Red Eared sliders make excellent pets but remember Slider turtles can get BIG - up to 12 inches ( 30 cm) in length. It will take them a few years to grow full adult size, however you will need to keep their full size in mind in relation to the size of tank your turtle will need. Your adult turtle will need a very large tank (or other suitable housing such as a pond).

When you purchase your slider turtle bear note that there is a law prohibiting the sale of turtles smaller than 4 inches ( 10.16 cm). This is due to the salmonella they may carry and it is less likely a child will put such a big turtle in their mouth.

Painted Turtle

The painted turtles get their name from their colorful markings. The carapace can have a colorful red and yellow design that looks hand painted while the plastron is mostly yellowish. The turtle's skin is usually dark olive green to black, with red and yellow stripes alongside the legs and neck. Painted turtles have elongated and smooth carapaces, with yellow plastrons, and can grow up to 10 inches (25 cm). The female of the species is usually bigger, but the male has a thicker tail, and long claws on it's front limbs.
4 inches to 10 inches (10-25 cm). The carapace is a smooth, flattened oval, and is green to black in color, with red markings in some sub-species. The plastron is generally yellow, sometimes tinged with red, sometimes with a black to reddish-brown figure of varying size and shape. The skin of the painted turtle is black to olive with red and yellow stripes on the neck, legs and tail and yellow stripes on the head.

Pet Turtle Diet

"When they are young feed them everyday, when they are grown feed them every other day"

Turtles are omnivorous, they eat plants and animals as their primary food source. As young turtles they like to eat cooked meat like chicken, turkey and tuna, shrimp, ocean fish, and squid. It can be a fun outing to go catch live food with your kids at a river eg small salamanders, snails, worms and crickets. As turtles grow older they like natural foods such as vegetables and plants. Try kale, spinach, carrots, cabbage and lettuce.

Commercial turtle food can be an alternate source to feed your turtles. They are scientifically formulated for your turtle’s diet. Food sticks are great as they are cost effective.

Use natural spring water for your turtle's drinking water, and de-chlorinated water for the swimming area. Avoid using tap water for your turtle tank, as chlorine and fluoride are present in tap water, and can disturb the ph balance. You can remove the chlorine from water by letting it sit for 24 hours before putting it in the tank.

Aquatic turtles need to be fed in the water. They can not swallow their food unless they are in the water.

Let's have a look at some specific dietary needs for each turtle below.

Box Turtles

Will eat anything from berries to small insects.

Mud Turtles

Will eat anything but they prefer to eat insects, tadpoles, and fish. Special turtle food is also a good idea in captivity.

Sliders

Captive sliders can be fed live goldfish, dried tubifex worm cubes and special food sticks. You can also feed your slider lettuce and other vegetables. Although omnivorous they tend to eat less meat as they grow older.

Painted Turtles

Painted turtles love feeder fish, chicken meat, special food sticks, and lettuce as food.

Handling You Pet Turtle

Mrs Turtle to Mr Turtle " Don't be silly dear you don't look a day over one hundred eighty three."
Turtles live a long time (40-50 years) so if you buy a turtle it is for keeps. You are making a commitment to care for that turtle over its whole life span.

Hygiene and Safety

As a general rule, please see that you wash your hands with antibacterial soap after handling any animal, as most of them carry germs of some sort. Red Eared Slider Turtles carry salmonella , which is normally transmitted though the animal's stool. Children can contract the disease by putting baby sliders in their mouths. Parents must supervise their children's activity with the turtles to ensure that the children do not place the turtles in their mouths or touch the turtles and then place their dirty hands in their mouths.

Housing/ Terrarium/ Aquarium for Pet Turtles

Owning turtles can be a lot of fun, I love to sit and watch my turtles in their tank.
Terrarium: (A miniature landscape with living plants and small animals like turtles)

Box Turtles

Ideally, keep them outside in a well shaded and moist, enclosed area or inside in a leafy well controlled terrarium. Create a substrate of potting soil, sand, leaf mulch and moss. Keep it moist as box turtles love moisture. Burrowing into the substrate and/or hiding under a hollow log or "cave" of some sort makes box turtles feel secure. Box turtles enjoy wading and soaking in water, so provide some sort of pool. It will keep your turtle cool and clean as they will defecate in the pool. It is also important to have adequate sunlight for the turtle. Make special care to have indoor box turtles outside in the sunlight as often as possible. If kept indoors they need a full spectrum fluorescent lamp

Box Turtles usually hibernate in the winter, and you may notice their becoming sluggish as the days grow colder.

Mud Turtles

A large tank is recommended, and you must provide a sizeable dry land area so the turtle can rest, and enough clean (not muddy) water for it to be able to enjoy an refreshing swim. Because of their smaller size, mud turtles are easier to accommodate indoors; however, if you decide to set up your mud turtle's habitat outside the house, bear in mind that they, like the box turtle, like to hibernate. For this, the pen should have a sheltered and muddy area, as mud turtles will generally dig deep in the mud to hide during the winter months.

Sliders

One thing to keep in mind is that slider turtles can grow up to 11 inches (30 cm) in length, so that small tank you bought along with your 4 inch turtle may not be adequate later on. Make sure you keep the water clean, as most turtles tend to foul it up pretty fast. Provide both space for swimming and a space for resting. The bottom of your tank should contain plenty of small rocks, so that your turtle can dig, as it is something they seem to enjoy doing.

Painted Turtles

Painted turtles are a little more complicated to keep as pets, because of their size and specific habits. Painted turtles like to sleep in water, or on half submerged objects such as logs and rocks. They have very specific sun basking habits, and it is believed they do so in order to keep themselves free of parasites and generate vitamin D.

Hibernation

You need to decide upfront if you are going to hibernate your turtles or not. If you hibernate, will it be a natural hibernation or will you induce hibernation on by simulating natural cold conditions with for example a refrigerator? Hibernation involves the turtle burying itself in the mud or under leaves for the colder months.

Natural Habitat

Mr Turtle peered out of his shell at the world and said "When did the world get in such a hurry?"

Why does a land turtle walk so slowly? Try walking with your legs extended out to the sides. Unlike most animals, and people, who walk with their legs below them land turtles have short, sturdy feet out to the side. Try it, see how fast you can go. Also their shells are often heavy. Aquatic turtles have webbed feet or flippers.

Box Turtles

Box turtles are found all over the world, and they enjoy mossy areas in forests or other damp areas.

Mud Turtles

Damp, sandy, or muddy dwellings as their name suggest. They like rotted logs, piles of leaves, bottoms of rivers or lakes, or a burrow in a river bank.

Red Eared Slider Turtles

In nature, sliders usually live in swampy areas where there is a lot of mud and vegetation, such as shallow ponds and lakesides In addition to swimming and digging in rocks and mud, sliders love the warmth of the sun, and can lazily lay there for hours, before returning to the water for a swim.

Painted Turtles

The painted turtle lives in ponds, lakes and marshes and in slow-moving rivers that have soft, muddy bottoms. Painted turtles like to sleep in water, or on half submerged objects such as logs and rocks.