How to choose the best terrarium for a tortoise and what to look for when choosing

In the modern world of insane progress, calm land turtles have increasingly begun to settle in people’s homes as pets. This is due to the fact that it is not particularly necessary to take care of these sedate animals, and observing the calm and measured movements of pets allows you to restore the balance of vitality and peace of mind.

The main thing is to create good conditions for them from the very beginning, that is, to equip the right terrarium so that the turtle feels comfortable and does not need anything other than food. We will figure out how to do this and what should be the terrarium for a land tortoise.

How to choose the right terrarium size

Before buying a terrarium, you need to decide on the choice of turtle breed, and know to what size each individual grows. You also need to take into account estimated number of animals. If any more animals are settled in the room, then this must also be taken into account by increasing the total area.

Calculating how much volume is needed is simple. If it is intended to purchase a small animal measuring six centimeters, but the individual is expected to grow to fifteen centimeters, the living area should be sixty centimeters long, forty centimeters wide and fifty centimeters high. Two turtles multiply the sizes by two and so on. But these are the minimum volumes that provide normal conditions for keeping the animal.

Approximately the room of the land tortoise should be large one hundred to two hundred liters. This is an impressive structure, so you should think about whether there is room for such a large terrarium in the room.

Terrarium construction and materials

When choosing the ideal shape to house your pet, you need to take into account the factor that the turtle needs to move somewhere. Therefore, dwellings need to choose a rectangular shape. It is desirable that the room on top has a cover. This will prevent the animals from traveling around the apartment. It will also help to avoid the invasion of other domestic animals, if any, in the territory of the turtles. But there must be a small vent hole on the lid through which air will flow.

Almost any material is suitable for making or buying a terrarium for turtles. it glass, plexiglass, impact-resistant plastic. The connecting material can be wood or the same plastic.

As temporary dwellings in which an animal can be kept for a short period, ordinary cardboard or wooden boxes of large sizes should be noted. You can also make a paddock on the floor. Fencing off part of the floor with a solid frame, laying a piece of linoleum on the floor. But all these are temporary dwellings in which the turtle can live before moving to a well-equipped terrarium.

Animal care equipment

List of required equipment for a land pet is not so great, but it is very important for the proper maintenance of a pet.

• Lamp for heating. This equipment must be installed in every tortoise dwelling. It is installed in the corner area where the animals bask. Its power should be from 40 to 60 watts.
• Lamp with ultraviolet light. Such a lamp imitates sunlight, so it ensures the health of pets living indoors. Also, this lamp helps to absorb calcium and prevents the turtle from getting rickets.
• Stable feeder and drinker (separate containers).
• A house used by animals as a shelter.

What else do you need?

• Thermometer.
• Ground for covering the bottom in a terrarium. This is a very important point to follow. The lack of soil dooms the animal to deformity of the limbs, erasing of the nails. In the absence of a primer coating, the likelihood of colds increases. The bottom of the terrarium is best lined with smooth pebbles or coconut fibers. Other small coatings may be swallowed by the animal and cause irreversible effects.
• Tropical turtles need a bath. Not all tortoises do not like to swim, so you need to find out about the preferences of your pet. If it is a tropical turtle, then it needs a bath for bathing.

Such a set of necessary accessories will provide the turtle with comfort and will contribute to its good health and long life.

Plants in terrariums planting is not recommended. The turtle may mistake it for food. But if you really want to decorate the room in this way, then you need to conduct a whole study by studying the vegetation growing at the place of residence of your pet. Only plants from the homeland of the animal can be suitable for planting in the place of its current residence.

If the terrarium has transparent walls, then it happens that the turtles do not notice them and knock with their shells. To avoid this, you can make a visible limiter on the walls by pasting the entire terrarium with a matte film along the diameter at a height of ten centimeters.

The climate maintained in the terrarium

Turtle afraid of drafts and hypothermia, therefore, such a microclimate should be created in the room, which will provide the most comfortable conditions for the living of this animal.

You need to place the lighting fixtures in the room in such a way that the turtle itself chooses what it prefers to do at the moment. Warm up under a lamp or retire to a cool corner of the room. Where a heating lamp is installed, the air temperature should be around thirty degrees. In the opposite corner, the air temperature should not fall below twenty-three degrees. It is not recommended to heat the bottom of the terrarium with special equipment in the form of rugs; this can adversely affect the functioning of the animal’s kidneys. Therefore, if the temperature in the room drops below the specified heating lamp, you need to change it to a more powerful one.

The feeder is placed only for feeding turtles. Leftover food is removed immediately after the meal. The place that is best suited for this purpose is a warm corner under a lamp. In the same place, there should always be a drinking bowl with clean water.

The ultraviolet lamp in the pet room should be turned on daily for at least ten hours. But it is better to extend the procedure up to twelve hours. For other inhabitants of the apartment, including people, this lamp is harmless, so you should not be afraid of its impact. If in the summer it is possible to walk the turtle in the sun, then during this period the ultraviolet lamp can be turned off. The turtle will get everything it needs from the sun.

A swimming pool for tropical species should be such that the water can be easily changed daily. And the sides are low so that the animal can climb into it and get out without outside help. This container is installed in a warm corner of the room.

Sleeping house turtles are installed in the cold part of the terrarium. It is mandatory for the animal, so if you do not want to purchase a special design in pet stores, you can install a simple cardboard box in which the pet will hide.

The turtle is a symbol of wisdom, peace and friendliness. Such a companion can make her owners long years of friendship and understanding, if the owners provide her with normal living conditions.