habits.
The species of turtles that hibernate are:
- The Bolsón desert.
- The board of Florida Trachemys Scripta.
- The Testudo horsfieldii or Horsfield.
- The Clemmys or Wood Insculpata.
- The Guttata Clemmys or punctate.
- Box turtles
- Ninja Turtle.
If your turtle is part of one of these species, you should learn how to take care of it while it hibernates.
At the beginning of the hibernation of the turtles
In their natural environment, turtles begin to hibernate when temperatures begin to drop and are below 10 degrees. Normally, the hibernation process, depending on the weather, lasts 3 to 6 months.
The animal prepares for this process and stops eating three weeks before hibernation to completely empty its intestines (your health will be affected if they are full).
When turtles should not hibernate
It is important to prevent turtles from hibernating in these cases:
- If the animal is underweight or ill.
- If the shell is broken or damaged.
- If dehydrated
- If the turtle has an egg.
In these cases, if your turtle is not healthy, the best thing you can do is create an environment in the terrarium or aquarium similar to summer so that you do not feel the need to hibernate and can recover properly. Otherwise, he will die.
How to take care of a turtle that hibernates
Before hibernation, it is important to make sure that the turtle has not eaten for weeks and has no remains of debris in its intestines. Dip your turtle in water at 30 degrees and leave it there until it is ejected.
Once your pet is ready, lethargy will begin to hibernate. It is necessary to keep in mind that:
- The temperature> What are the symptoms that can alert me to the health of my turtle?
Turtle watching can help cope with your health problems. A sick turtle exhibits abnormal behavior that is expressed by the following symptoms:
Water turtle feeding
Water turtle diet: Feeding is a fundamental part in the care of water turtles. One of its characteristics is its voracious appetite, so a balanced diet at an appropriate temperature of the aquarium or cabin will guarantee the healthy and happy life of our turtle.
On the contrary, if our turtle does not show appetite and / or refuses food it would be a cause for concern.
They are omnivorous animals, that is, they eat meat, fish and vegetables. In freedom they usually feed on fish, crustaceans, snails, molluscs and aquatic plants, although when Trachemys, Graptemys and Pseudemys They are young, because they are growing they show a preference for proteins, so they are mostly carnivorous.
As we mentioned in other posts, turtles should eat and therefore be fed in the water, since they use it to swallow food and drink, and they usually go to the bottom to chop food. Hence, the water should be in the best possible hygienic conditions, and of temperature, since this will affect the metabolism of our chelonium.
Ideally, the diet should be as balanced and varied as possible, so that they have all the possible vitamins and nutrients, for their best development (but being varied within the foods and indications below)
The food BASE must be a I think Special for water turtles. These sticks or feed are balanced food preparations, especially for turtles, different from other feeds such as dogs or pond fish, the former being unsuitable for turtles and the latter not sufficient for turtles. Therefore, keep in mind that it is, we repeat, especially for water turtles.
Nutritional analysis that should contain good feed for water turtles:
Crude protein 35 - 42%
Crude fat 5 - 10%
Raw fiber 2 - 5%
Ashes 2 - 5%
Humidity 5 - 10%
You can find the best feed in pet shop, online stores and specialized pets. (above some examples)
The feed can be supplied daily and we will repeat the Pillar of our turtle's diet as it offers all the basic nutrients for our turtle's diet.
However, the feed could or should be supplemented with other animals (which they usually eat in their natural habitat) with fruit, vegetables and meat or fish, the latter to a lesser extent as we will see below.
Another food that is also important, could be:
Irons which c