The type of turtle depends on your personal preferences and capabilities

The type of turtle depends on your personal preferences and capabilities

The type of turtle depends on your personal preferences and capabilities

But the choice of turtles in pet stores is not so diverse. 

Most often, freshwater garnished (in particular, red-eared turtles) and Central Asian land are sold. Young red-eared turtles are brightly colored (red or yellow spots on the “ears” and a yellow plastron with a blurry dark pattern), but over time it darkens and fades. They are nimble and active, even at a relatively cool temperature. 

Trachemys (and indeed, most aquatic turtles) grow very quickly. For 5 years, a turtle about 5-10 cm in size turns into an adult turtle with a shell diameter of up to 30 cm, or even more! Therefore, it should be borne in mind that the aquaterrarium will need to be changed. Central Asian tortoises at a young age are sometimes more helpless than aquatic.

 They are painted in shades of brown, sandy, sometimes greenish tones, in the middle of the shields there are dark spots like a splattered blot. The Central Asian turtles grow more slowly than the Red-eared, but they reach no less sizes. They are slower at a low temperature, although if they are warm, they are very mobile. In the terrarium everyone will dig and turn upside down, so that plants, etc. better placed on stable elevations.

When you choose a turtle, you need to pay attention to its behavior (activity, coordination of movements), appearance: there should be no damage, the carapace must have the correct shape and even, tightly adjoining shields, as well as the absence of non-laid spots on the skin and tortoise shell.

 It is best to look into the mouth of a turtle: 

 in healthy reptiles, the mucosa is light pink in color, without plaque and whiteness, saliva is not viscous (does not stretch with threads and does not form bubbles), breathing is silent, there is no discharge from the mouth and nose.

Do not forget that the turtle needs to be transferred in something. For transportation of turtles over short distances, a cardboard box is suitable for storing crumpled household paper or the like. The box must be closed on all sides, as the turtle can get out. In the cold season, a heating pad is placed at the bottom of the box.

 It is also necessary to choose a terrarium. Appropriate equipment should be located in terrariums and aquaterrariums: heating lamps and an ultraviolet lamp, as well as closed filters inaccessible to turtles (for aquaterrarium). Land turtles in the terrarium need shelters, water turtles - an island on which they will rest and bask.