Caring For Your Turtle

If you and your family have decided that you would like to keep an exotic pet, such as a turtle, there are many things that you need to be aware of when caring for a pet such as this. Sometimes they might have special diet requirements that you need to follow strictly in order for the pet to be healthy and happy.

Turtles can be interesting pets for anyone to take care of and are often picked as pets for the wrong reasons. One of the main things that you will need to do when you are caring for a turtle is to make sure that the turtle has the correct environment to live in. Turtles need to have just the right temperatures in order to survive in whatever environment that you have created for them. You need to make sure that your turtle has enough room to move around as well as a basking light so they can warm up if they choose to. If you choose to use a refrigerator to recreate their habitat, be aware that any drastic increases in temperature can cause the turtle to go into shock and can be fatal to the turtle.

Another factor to consider is the diet that the turtle will need to be on. The first factor that you need to realize is that your turtle is an omnivore which means that they will eat both meat and vegetables. On the other hand, you need to make sure that your turtle has a well balanced diet in order for the turtle to stay happy and healthy while it is growing and maturing. Feeding your turtle fresh fruits and vegetables as well as fish is always a safe diet when it comes to the health of your pet. Fish is often a good meat to provide for your turtle because it provides a lot of nutrients that your turtle will need to stay healthy. There are also some different types of sticks that you can buy for your turtle that already contain the correct amounts of nutrients and food that your turtle will need to survive. Your turtle needs exercise so giving your turtle a live fish in the water will help it to stay active and hunting is the best way to exercise for a growing turtle. Remember that if your turtle begins to look a cloudy washed out color, you need to take it to the vet immediately because it could be sick with some type of disease.

Agony Of The Great Mud Turtle (A Poetic Tale In English And Spanish Now!)

I

A great turtle raised up his head-

from the dark, but crimson underbelly

of the inner Earth, His stone like head,

and deep gray eyes of despair-stared,

just stared with a long poiso'd tongue hung.

"Cruel, jealous, selfish are men,"

He said with a failing grin....

His outer body (casing), charred,

from the molten heat of the earth.

"What are your sorrows?" asked

Man to this giant figure.

The Great Mud Turtle replied:

"I cannot hold or balance the world

any longer, there's too much concrete,

streets, buildings, wars, bombs, the

shifting of balance throughout the world,

it's breaking my back, its penetrating

my hide, its tormenting my character,

I care not to be bondage bound!"

But men on earth would not comply

yet asked again "Why?"

II

"Love seeketh not itself to please

nor does it care for itself; and I,

I have loved thee (even while in despair;

for earth, and man are bond as one, I,

well, I am just a mud turtle, watcher

of the balance, between man and earth,

for I and earth are bond, for earth is

mud, and man is soil, we all are one.)

So, yes-you see, I have loved thee

even while in despair, even while being

trodden over by your heavy feet,

and you still, only seeketh, self to please,

even in the course of another loss; thus,

life to man is not sacred, only him: despite

heaven or hell, he does not bend.

(The old turtle took in a deep breath,

He was exhausted, and then continued :)

"He has been given spring for joy, sweet

mornings to bear, flowers to grow

around him for beauty. Does not he

sow night for sleep, plow his dreams

without misery? This my friend, is

because of balance, me, and the moon,

and the sun, and the earth, and the

heavens, and even hell, for heaven

puts out their nightmares."

III

After hearing this, men of earth

release the Great Mud Turtle, from his

binding chains, in the name of liberty-;

hoping He'd regain his contentment

(but he was gone, not to be found)-,

and therefore, the balance of the earth

wobbled to and fro, off its axis, and

earth quakes, hurricanes, volcanic activity,

and much, much more, called natural disasters

prevailed around the globe (glaciers melted,

mountains fell, oceans roared, and the skies

flamed like hell) and then, then man knew,

he had cursed himself, for such foolish labor...

unchaining the Mud Turtle, calling him the Devil-

and then came the eternal winter, there was no

warmth in the air-nor did rain fall,

to man's appall...!

IV

A prophet came upon the earth

(in its hindering seventh winter)

said to man:

"Underneath one of those trees,

there in the great woods, pointing

towards its strong wind, from

where I stand, is a little child turtle!

who knows no better, he does not

know your harm, your heart, nor

your growing despair...I shall take

you to the tree: I'll show you where!"

(Said man in his

anger and hate, 'Is this child from the

Great Mud Turtle?')(but the old prophetic

would not replay, and continued)):

"As I was saying, this child turtle

is best for you to find, he has the means

to balance the earth, although he doesn't know

this (for he has that endurable shell),

but this will be for you, and he, to work out."

But the pride of man was strong, like

a lion, and his heart was full of anger.

Hence, they hung the old prophet, where

he stood.... Alas! Weary were the times

thereafter.

And it came to pass, man had perished from

the face of the earth, and from their graves

all they could see (their corpses, spirits, skeletons,

eyes of ashes, residue), see was: stones, and more

stones, brimstones, rubble and dried up rivers

and lakes, and oceans, and a mud turtle

walking with his son

#2244 (2-9-2008) Written in Lima, Peru

La Agonía de la

Gran Tortuga de Barro

(Un Cuento Poético)

I

Una gran tortuga levantó su cabeza

-desde las oscuras pero carmesí entrañas de la tierra-

su cabeza como de piedra

con una larga lengua venenosa colgada

y sus ojos grises profundos en desesperación

miraron fijamente, sólo miraron fijamente.

"Crueles, celosos y egoístas son los hombres",

dijo ella con una sonrisa fallida...

Su cuerpo exterior (su caparazón),

estaba carbonizado por el intenso calor de la tierra.

"¿Cuáles son tus penas?",

preguntó el hombre a esta gigantesca figura.

La Gran Tortuga de Barro respondió:

"No puedo sostener o equilibrar el mundo.

¡Ya no! Hay demasiado concreto,

calles, edificios, guerras, bombas;

el cambio de equilibrio en todo el mundo,

está rompiendo mi espalda,

está penetrando en mi escondite,

está atormentando mi carácter

y no quiero ser obligada a la opresión".

Pero a los hombres en la tierra

no les importaría aunque preguntarían otra vez

¿Por qué?

II

"El amor no se busca a si mismo para complacer

ni se interesa por si mismo; y yo,

yo te he amado incluso mientras estaba desesperado

(porque la tierra y el hombre están vinculados como uno,

yo, bien, soy sólo una tortuga de barro,

observadora del equilibrio entre el hombre y la tierra,

porque la tierra y yo estamos vinculados,

porque la tierra es lodo y el hombre es tierra,

todos nosotros somos uno)

Bueno, sí-tú ves-te he amado,

yo te he amado incluso mientras estabao desesperad

incluso mientras estaba pisoteado por tus pesados pies,

y tú aún, sólo buscabas complacerte a ti mismo,

aún durante la pérdida de otro; así,

la vida para el hombre no es sagrada,

es sólo él: a pesar del cielo o el infierno,

él no se doblega".

(La vieja tortuga tomó un suspiro profundo,

ella estaba exhausta y después continuó:)

"A él le dieron la primavera para disfrutar,

mañanas dulces para sobrellevar,

flores para cultivar alrededor y embellecer.

¿No siembra él sus noches para dormir?

¿No ara él sus sueños sin tristeza?

Esto, mi amigo, es debido al equilibrio,

yo, la luna, el sol, la tierra, el cielo

e incluso el infierno, ya que el cielo

elimina sus pesadillas".

III

Después de escuchar esto,

los hombres de la tierra,

soltaron a la Gran Tortuga de Barro,

de sus cadenas atadoras (en nombre de la libertad)

esperando que ella recuperara su satisfacción

pero ella se fue para no encontrarla,

y por eso, el equilibrio de la tierra

se tambaleó de un lado a otro,

fuera de sus ejes, y,

terremotos, huracanes, actividades volcánicas

y mucho, mucho más, llamados desastres naturales,

prevalecieron alrededor del globo

(los glaciares se derritieron, las montañas se cayeron,

los océanos rugieron y el cielo ardió como infierno)

y entonces, entonces el hombre supo,

que él se había maldecido a si mismo,

por tal labor imprudente...

desencadenando a la Gran Tortuga de Barro,

llamándola el Diablo,

entonces vino el invierno eterno,

no hubo calor en el aire,

ni tampoco las lluvia cayeron,

para espanto del hombre...!

IV

Un profeta vino sobre la tierra

(en su penoso séptimo invierno)

y dijo al hombre:

"Debajo de uno de aquellos árboles

allá en los bosques inmensos

(apuntando hacia los grandes bosques)

según lo sé, ¡hay una pequeña tortuga joven!,

quien no sabe de tu daño,

de tu corazón ni de tu creciente desesperación...

Te llevaré hacia el árbol:

¡Te mostraré dónde está!"

Preguntó el hombre lleno de enfado y odio,

"¿Es esta tortuga hijo de la Gran Tortuga de Barro?

Pero el viejo profeta

no respondió y continuó:

"Como te iba diciendo,

es mejor que tú encuentres a esta tortuga joven,

ella tiene los medios para equilibrar la tierra

(ya que ella tiene esa caparazón resistente),

aunque ella no sabe esto,

pero esto será para ti y para ella,

algo que tendrán que trabajarlo juntos".

Pero el orgullo del hombre

era fuerte -como un león-

y su corazón estaba lleno de enojo.

Así, ellos ahorcaron al viejo profeta,

donde estuvo...¡desgraciadamente!

Difíciles fueron los tiempos

a partir de entonces.

Y llegó a pasar que los hombres

se extinguieron de la faz de la tierra

y desde sus tumbas todo lo que podían ver

(sus cadáveres, sus espíritus, sus esqueletos,

sus ojos llenos de cenizas, sus residuos)

todo lo que podían ver era:

piedras y más piedras, azufre,

escombros, ríos y lagos secos;

océanos secos y una tortuga de barro

caminando con su hijo.

Turtle Tanks

I am a turtle enthusiast and I want to share some basic tips for turtle care and how to build the ideal turtle tank!

Turtle Tank

First we need to talk about what size tank to buy or build if you are going to make a custom tank. I would suggest nothing smaller than 20 gallons and it would be ideal for the tank to be about 75 to 100 gallons because turtle need lots of room to move around. Not only that but turtles unlike goldfish keep growing no matter what size tank they are in.

When it comes to turtle tanks you can't just throw in some rocks and fill it with water, you need to make sure that your turtle has the correct substrate, temperature, and amount of dry land.

Substrate

Most people think that you can just use any old gravel in their turtle tank but that is not true. If you use some smaller gravel your turtle may eat it and that can cause health problems. I would suggest using sand or medium sized river rock.

Temperature

A turtle needs the right temperature so that its body can function correctly, also turtles are cold blooded so they can not create their own body heat. This is why it is important to have a good heat lamp for your turtle to bask in. It is also important to have a water heater so that the water does not get too cold for your turtle at night.

Dry Land

You also have to make sure that there is a good place for your turtle to get out of the water and dry off. I suggest that you make a space that is two or three times the size of your turtles body. I would also say make sure that there is more water than land so that your turtle has a lot of room to swim.

Diet

A turtle has a very complicated diet and it needs to have a good assortment of fruits, vegetables and proteins. There are some really good turtle pellets but I would suggest fresh food. I would say give your turtle fresh carrots, romaine lettuce, strawberries, watermelon, minnows, and even some night crawlers.

Turtles are great pets and if kept healthy some can outlive their owners. Turtles are a lot of work but a lot fun!

Things To Consider When Choosing A Turtle As A Pet

Many parents are choosing a turtle as a pet for their children. These are great pets especially for young children as they; generally speaking, do not require as much demand on a child's time that other pets such as a dog may require. However there are several considerations that you need to carefully consider before purchasing a turtle.

One of the important things that you need to consider is whether you want to commit to take care of a turtle for its entire life. Turtles have a long life expectance and will require caring for during that time. In fact many pet turtles can live to be 25 years old. This is a long time to commit to the caring of a pet so make sure that you are willing to do what it takes for its life time.

Secondly consider that turtles are not "people pets." What this means is that they are not going to wag their tail when you enter a room, they are not going to lick your face, and there will not be any teaching it to do tricks. That does not mean that you can't take the turtle out of its cage and hold it or talk to it. It just means they simply do not interact with people that way so make sure that this is the type of pet you would like.

There are also safety concerns to bear in mind when you are choosing a turtle as a pet. For example some turtles may spread certain diseases such as salmonella. So you are going to need to take some precautions when it comes to handling the turtle. For example when anyone holds the turtle or cleans its living area you are going to need to wash your hands thoroughly. This is especially important when you have young children in the household as they are more prone to picking up these diseases.

Setting up their environment is also important. They are going to need fresh water daily, food and vitamins. Their bedding also needs to be kept clean. They require attention everyday and cannot be left alone when you go on vacation so you will need to keep that in mind. They also will hibernate anywhere from 10 to 20 weeks a year and you will need to have the right bedding and environment so that they can do so. They also need to have their housing temperature maintained so that they can live comfortably.

Raising a turtle as a pet can be a rewarding experience. Make sure that you understand the commitment that a turtle will require. Once you have decided that you are willing to make that commitment you can go and purchase a turtle. One important thing to remember is to buy a turtle that was born in captivity; wild turtles turned into pets do not fare as well in captivity and are prone to illness and diseases. When choosing a turtle as a pet it is important to know the facts, that way you can make the best decisions for you, your family and your turtle.