Feeders and drinkers for terrestrial and red-eared turtles, how to choose or do it yourself

The arrangement of a special place for a meal in the terrarium will make the process of feeding the turtle easier and facilitate subsequent cleaning. You can buy a drinker and feeder at a pet store or make your own.

How to choose a feeder

A land tortoise feeder is a ceramic or plastic container where you can conveniently arrange chopped vegetables and herbs. Such a feeder should be shallow, it is better to choose a flat and wide model so that the turtle can climb into it entirely.

An interesting solution would be to install a feeder that imitates natural stone or driftwood – it will perform an additional decorative function in the terrarium.

Water turtles are carnivorous, so much more biohazardous waste remains from their meal. Decaying pieces of protein food pollute the water of the aquaterrarium and become a source of an unpleasant odor. Therefore, the feeder for red-eared turtles is usually a separate container where water is collected. The animal is moved into such a depositor before feeding, after a meal it is enough to pour out the contaminated water and rinse the walls. For feeding on land, it is recommended to install the same model as for tortoises.

IMPORTANT: If a special substrate is used for feeding, an automatic feeder can be installed. Such products are sold in pet stores and are quite expensive, but they allow you to set feeding intervals and serving sizes. An automatic feeder is indispensable when leaving for a few days, when there is no one to entrust the care of a turtle.

Feeding trough do it yourself

To avoid unnecessary costs, a feeding container can be made at home. To do this, just find a suitable item, the following options are suitable:

• plastic pallets for flowers with low sides, lids from jars of large diameter – their minus is fragility and low weight, the pet will be able to move such a feeder;
• shallow porcelain saucers – their disadvantage is that the turtle can turn them over;
• ceramic ashtrays are the best option, due to the weight and stable bottom, such a feeder will be convenient for the pet;

When choosing, it is important to consider that the product does not have cracks and sharp edges that the turtle can get hurt on. It is also not recommended to use things that are too fragile, made of thin glass or porcelain – they can easily break. The feeder must be placed on land, slightly buried in the ground for stability. It is better if the container has a completely smooth surface, this will facilitate cleaning.

To make a jig for water turtles, you will need to find a home or purchase a plastic basin of a suitable size (depending on the size of the turtle). The reptile should turn easily inside to collect food from the surface of the water, but the jig itself should not be large, otherwise the food will spread and the turtle will not eat everything. For medium-sized individuals, you can use a large plastic food container – these containers are easy to clean, they are safe for animals.

Homemade drinker

A drinking bowl for land turtles is almost no different from a feeder – you will need to choose a shallow, stable container, best of all made of ceramic. A good homemade drinker will come from a heavy glass ashtray or a metal bowl buried in the ground. The water in the container should be warm – its temperature should not fall below 25-30 degrees, so it is better to install a drinker near the heater or under the lamp. Water must be replaced with fresh water daily.

If, nevertheless, it is decided to choose a product in a pet store, it is better to stop at a heated drinking bowl with a dispenser that will help provide the pet with fresh water during the departure of the owners.

IMPORTANT: A drinking bowl is not required for Central Asian turtles – the pet will ignore the water container. These inhabitants of the desert areas are quite satisfied with the moisture that they receive from vegetables and herbs. Also, the turtle drinks during the bathing procedure.