The turtle craze is something that was started with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle franchise and these reptiles have remained popular ever since. Many of the households that get turtles as pets are households that have children that are adamant that they want a and many parents oblige by rushing out and buying baby pet turtles.
Kids will invariably be delighted with a baby as their new companion and parents may mistakenly believe that they are in a win win situation, where the kid gets the ideal pet and the household gets a pet that is cheap to look after and requires no more effort other than to put some food in the tank. However, this is not the case.
When you get a baby the first thing to bear in mind is that these creatures will grow. The size that they will grow to will depend on the gender and the type of turtle that you get. However, don't be fooled into thinking that you only need to invest in a small tank because of the size of the baby turtles. If you only buy a small tank you will end up upgrading as they grow in order to keep them healthy and happy, which means that it may be worth investing in a more expensive, larger tank in the first place, especially if you are having two or more baby pet turtles.
You also need to remember that because you are buying the turtles as babies they are going to have a very long life ahead of them if they are properly looked after. If you are only getting the turtles to please the kids do bear in mind that the kids will have probably grown up, flown the nest, and settled down with their own families before the turtle even hits middle age in some cases! So, you need to be prepared to either send the turtle off with the kids when they leave home or look after it yourself once they have gone.
When you initially buy your baby turtles you will have to shell out money to get them set up in a suitable environment. This includes buying things such as the tank, water filtration system, and UV lamp amongst other things. Remember, you need to keep turtles in an environment that is close to their natural habitat, which means providing dry land and water within the tank, as well as plants, rocks, and the heat from the UV lamp to enable them to bask.
To learn more about keeping pet turtles visit: Terrapin Care Guide
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