How to determine the sex of red-bellied turtles and is this the only problem with their content?
Now it has become fashionable to keep housesonly habitual for us cats, dogs and fish, but also various exotic fauna, including red-bellied turtles. These reptiles belong to the family of freshwater turtles and are named because of the red (or yellow) spots, which are located on the sides of the head like ears. The natural habitat of this species is in the southeastern United States, however, because of the great adaptability and vitality, the red-bellied turtles have long been settled outside. When keeping these reptiles at home, the owner may face some difficulties.
The first is how to determine the sex of the red-earedturtles. It is certainly possible to find out when the tortoise reaches the age of 6-8 years. It is better, if the specialist of the turtles will determine the sex of the red-bellied turtles, although he will not be able to give an absolute guarantee. Usually in males the ventral side of the shell, or plastron, is more concave than in females. In addition, they have a long thickened tail. In females, on the contrary, a flat or slightly convex plastron, a short tail, and also much shorter claws on the forelimbs. If you have wondered how to discern the sex of the red-bellied tortoise living in your home, then remember - it will be much more convenient for you to do this when comparing it with other individuals. If you have only one animal, then it will be difficult for you to identify it on your own. Thus, how to determine the sex of red-bellied turtles is one of the main difficulties that lie in wait for the owner of an animal.
Further, it is believed that the red-bellied turtleIt is unpretentious, so it will not be difficult to maintain. This is not entirely true. The correct content of these reptiles can become for the owner no less of a problem than the question of how to determine the sex of red-bellied turtles. First, the turtle still needs a home that is as close as possible to its natural habitat. The red-bellied turtle is an aquatic reptile and, consequently, it needs a small artificial pond, but there it can not spend all the time - it needs to sometimes get out on land. It would seem that everything is simple: put the animal in the aquarium and make there a dry island of any material. However, this is not an optimal solution.
The fact is that the animal will find it difficult to get outon land, if not a gentle slope is provided. In addition, its surface should be fairly rough, as the turtle needs to claw its claws when lifting. Now they began to sell special inclined beaches for turtles, which are placed in the aquarium. The bottom of the latter can be sprinkled with gravel for the convenience of the animal, but it should not crumble and get into the water.
The land surface should occupy not less thanquarter of the area of the entire aquarium, while it is necessary that its capacity is about 150 liters. In addition, you need to keep the water temperature in the aquarium at least 20 degrees. Water should be changed at regular intervals once a month.
In addition, the red-bellied turtle needs to "bask onsun ", for which a lamp is placed above the aquarium.It will also be useful to irradiate the reptile with weak ultraviolet light once a week, and then every other day.It's important not to overdo it, otherwise the animal can get burns.
Feed the adult turtle 2-3 times a week. In the diet of these reptiles usually include crustaceans, mollusks, worms, meat, fish, as well as lettuce and sea kale. Turtles should immediately eat the food offered to them, so you need to accurately calculate its quantity.
From the above, it can be seen that the questiondetermine the sex of the red-bellied turtles, is complex, but far from the only one in their content. But when you create all the necessary conditions for an animal, the duration of its life can be more than 30 years.
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