Heaven for turtle lovers.

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Here are some of the points I would like to share with all of you who have turtle as a pet. When they are young, they are mostly carnivorous. At this age they eat mostly maggots, larvae, and beetles. As they mature, they become omnivorous, eating snails, insects, crayfish, leeches, tadpoles, small fish, and many types of plants. When a turtle eats, it does not chew its food. Instead they use their beaks to slice the food and the strong throat muscles to gulp down the food. To ensure the survival of the species, turtles must reproduce. Reproduction starts when the male performs the courtship dance for the female where the chases her and vibrates his long claws for her. When she accepts, they reproduce. A few days later the eggs are laid on land. Once they hatch they go off to fend for themselves. Painted turtles like to sleep in water, or on half submerged objects such as logs and rocks. the painted turtle is mostly aquatic, but still required a dry area for time outs. The painted turtle must be kept in a larger tank, or pool, and its water must be kept clean. Painted turtles are also omnivorous, and can be given feeder fish, chicken meat, special food sticks, and lettuce as food. 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. 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 long. The female of the species is usually bigger, but the male has a thicker tail, and long claws on it's front limbs. 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. Most of the turtles I will discuss can be kept successfully in glass aquariums, although other enclosures can be used. Unless noted otherwise, a turtle tank should contain water deeper than the turtle is wide, to allow the turtle room to flip over if necessary. The aquarium should have a filter of some type - large canister filters work better than undergravel filters. A submersible water heater is often required and a thermometer should be installed to monitor the temperature of the water. Many turtles require a land section where they can dry off - cork bark, driftwood or smooth rocks work well. If a spotlight is positioned appropriately, turtles will bask under the lights, just as they do in their natural environment. An area containing soil or sand is only necessary if you intend to breed your turtles. Let me know your feedback if you liked it. Also let me know if you have any more information for me.