Choosing a Turtle Tank
When choosing a turtle tank there are many things to consider. First of all you need to know the environment your turtle should be kept in. For instance a slider turtle likes lives in the water, so you will need to provide a nice size water area for them to swim around in. On the other hand a desert turtle or tortoise likes heat and sand. Providing your turtle with the ideal environment will provide a healthier longer life for your reptile friend. Below you will find some tips on how to set up an environment for your turtle.
If you are planning to keep your turtle in a tank there are some things you will want to consider. First thing is the size of the tank. Of course you should provide the turtle with an area as big as possible, however reality says that is not always possible. You should have at least a 40 gallon tank for your turtle as this will provide enough room for it to swim or walk around and feel comfortable. If you turtle is a water turtle, you should fill the tank about half way to provide enough water for the turtle to dive down and enjoy his swim. The water in a turtle tank should be kept at about 75 degrees and should be filtered through a commercial filtration system. Be careful not to have a big enough hole for the turtle to get caught in the filter system. If your turtle is a land dwelling turtle, a mix of soils and rocks/logs for him to enjoy will be good.
Water turtles will spend most of their time in the water. However, they will still need to come out of their water pond and eat and or get some “sun”. You will need to provide a place for them to get out of the water and rest. This can be a floating log, a couple of rocks, or even a commercially made ramp. As far as creating the sun for the turtle you’re going to need a heat lamp and a UV light. The UV light is to give the turtle its natural sun rays and the heat for obvious reasons. Even though your UV light will still be working after 6 months, you will want to change it. The lights will start to loose their UV effectiveness at this time and will no longer be beneficial to the turtle.
Keeping you turtle’s environment clean is crucial for their health. Even though a turtle can be a little messy doesn’t mean their tanks should be. If you are keeping a desert type of tortoise, you should clean the sand by sifting it through a screen to get rid of the waste. Then replace the sand about every 10 months or so. If you are keeping a water turtle, a clean tank is more vital. It is very crucial that you clean the filtration system often. It is quite common for the filtration system to get plugged up form feces and food particles. You should watch this at least once a week until you can determine the habits of your turtle. You should clean your turtle’s tank every time you start to see algae forming. You can clean the tank with some Clorox bleach diluted with water.
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