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A red-eared turtle can live up to 50 years, provided that the owner carefully and carefully cares for his pet.

Many people want to make a house friend who will faithfully wait for their beloved owner to come home from work. And today’s variety of choices at the pet market allows you to show your imagination. Nowadays it is difficult to surprise someone with a large long-haired dog or domestic Mexican cockroaches.

However, not everyone can afford to keep a large or exotic animal in an urban environment. Therefore, in big cities, small red-eared turtles, which are easy to care for, are in great demand. At first glance, it seems that these completely harmless animals cannot do any harm, but if you anger them, you can be left with an impressive wound on your finger.

Before you get these cute creatures, you need to find out what can provoke them and why a red-eared turtle bite is dangerous.

What do turtles like?

One way to make friends with an animal is to scratch its back with a toothbrush.
Don’t think that his “house” exists on its own. This is a special organ that is connected to the entire body. He feels touch, although not as much as his paws or tail. Since the carapace consists of keratinized scales, their exfoliation is a normal natural process. Living outside their normal habitat, it is difficult for reptiles to get rid of dead tissue. Scratching a pet's back with a toothbrush gives him pleasure and helps.

A red-eared turtle can also be taught to be handled in the same way. Many owners notice that amphibians have a tendency to scratch their shells on hard protrusions in the aquarium. Therefore, such help will be appreciated by the animals.

Unusual Ways of Breathing

In addition to ordinary breathing through the nostrils, most representatives of freshwater species are able to obtain oxygen in another way. You can hear that aquatic turtles breathe with their butts - such a unique method really exists, and these animals are called “bimodal breathers.” Special cells located both in the animal’s throat and in the cloaca are capable of absorbing oxygen directly from the water. The drawing in and expulsion of water from the cloaca creates a process that can truly be called “butt breathing” - some species perform several dozen such movements per minute. This allows reptiles to make deep dives without rising to the surface for up to 10-12 hours.

The most striking representative using a double respiratory system is the FitzRoy turtle, which lives in the Australian river of the same name. This turtle literally breathes underwater, thanks to special tissues in the cloaca bags filled with many vessels. This gives her the opportunity not to float to the surface for up to several days. The disadvantage of this method of breathing is the high requirements for the purity of water - the animal will not be able to obtain oxygen from a cloudy liquid contaminated with various impurities.

What to feed a snapping turtle?

As a rule, owners do not have problems with feeding the snapping turtle. These creatures are practically omnivorous. In nature, they feed on any living creature that they manage to catch, and supplement their diet with vegetation. In captivity, you can feed them with live worms, crabs and crayfish, fish, or offer the turtle a special granular food.

In a word, the snapping turtle feels great on both live and synthetic food. They happily eat any living creature they can handle: mice, frogs, insects, even snakes. Often in captivity, when fed abundantly, turtles gain twice as much weight as in nature. Adult snapping turtles should be fed every other day or two.

Habitat of the snapping turtle

Cayman turtle photo

The snapping turtle is native to North America, namely the southeastern regions of Canada, as well as the eastern regions of the United States. In nature, it lives in various freshwater bodies of water: rivers, lakes, ponds. Prefers places with a high silt content so that it can burrow easily. In the cold season, from October to March, it hibernates, burrowing into the muddy bottom. This species of turtle has a wide temperature tolerance limit. For local residents, a reptile swimming under the ice crust is not an uncommon sight. The snapping turtle can be found in the semi-deserts of Texas and even in the Rocky Mountains at an altitude of more than one and a half kilometers.

The Cayman “Tortilla” is a completely aquatic animal; as a rule, it comes to land to change the reservoir or for the female to lay eggs.

Predatory pets

The little red-eared turtle loves to eat raw meat because it belongs to the category of predators.
It is worth remembering that the cute, now domestic, red-eared turtles were once part of the wild, in which they had to fight for survival. They defended themselves from lovers of turtle meat (both on land and in water), and competed for the best place in their flock. Therefore, careless play with this animal (especially at the time of eating, mating or pregnancy) can turn into a big nuisance.

The fact is that this predator can perceive such games as an attack on its peaceful existence and react very hostilely. This animal demonstrates its displeasure by strongly biting its ill-wisher.

Although these reptiles do not have teeth, the bite force of a turtle can be quite impressive. The animal’s powerful jaws bite into the “enemy” with an “iron grip” and often leave a bloody wound that takes a long and painful time to heal.

The red-eared slider is named for the colored stripes behind its eyes, but these animals do not have ears.

Contact between owner and pet

As soon as a new member appears in the family, you need to take care of the safety of the children. Babies usually love to pick up animals, fuss with them, and even try to kiss them and press them to their faces.

In relation to turtles, this behavior can be fraught with injury: some of them can be aggressive and bite painfully. The baby, not expecting pain, can throw the pet aside, causing it to be injured. And the child himself will hate the animal, be afraid of it, and will not care for it

Therefore, it is very important to first accustom your pet to handling, and only then allow children to handle it.

Video: how to scratch a turtle with a toothbrush

The red-eared turtle can also be handled. You should not be afraid that this will harm it: amphibians can do without a reservoir for up to 2 hours without harm to health.

The animal may not immediately make contact, because in nature it lives exclusively on land or in water. Height is detrimental to him. This only happens when it is attacked by predators. That's why it gets scared and hides.

If the pet is not given into your hands, you need to make it feel pleasure in your arms, make it pleasant for it. Then gradually the reptile will understand that the person does not wish it harm, that good comes from him.

First aid for a turtle bite

If you are bitten by a red-eared turtle, you should not panic; you must immediately provide first aid.

This video in this article clearly illustrates how a red-eared turtle can bite if provoked.

What to do if bitten by a turtle? Unfortunately, these animals are not known for their cleanliness, and their oral cavity is often a source of harmful bacteria, so the consequences of red-eared turtle bites can be very dire.

After an unpleasant incident, you should immediately wash the wound with soapy water. Then, when the bleeding has stopped, you need to treat the wound with any antiseptic (hydrogen peroxide solution, iodine or brilliant green), apply a tight bandage or plaster.

First aid has been provided, and now you must immediately contact a medical institution, where a qualified doctor will examine the wound and prescribe the necessary medications. If you do not visit the clinic in a timely manner, you may receive a couple of infectious diseases as a gift from your beloved pet.

These include:

1. Salmonellosis. An intestinal infection carried by the red-eared turtle. This disease in its final stages can be fatal.
2. Ascariasis. A helminthic parasitic disease. With this disease, worms infect the liver. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, fever, and vomiting.
3. Fungal infections. This disease manifests itself in the form of skin irritation, itching, burning.

However, you should not be hostile to these small animals; red-eared turtle bites are quite rare.

Are the bites of a red-eared slider dangerous enough to refuse its residence in your home? It is unlikely that the price for observing the basic rules of handling this sweetest creature is higher than the positive emotions that a beloved pet can give to its owner.

What are the dangers of keeping a turtle at home?

Turtles are not as harmless as they seem at first glance. Some of these amphibians are predators in the wild and happily hunt their smaller brothers.

The red-eared turtle is a medium-sized reptile native to Mexico and America. In captivity, she lives up to thirty years, subject to high-quality nutrition and compliance with all maintenance rules. Even in such a seemingly long period of time, a turtle will not become a devoted friend to a person, because it is difficult to tame this reptile. Having such pets in families with children is quite risky. The red-eared slider can be dangerous for two reasons:

1. The reptile sometimes expresses aggression. This manifests itself as quite painful bites.
2. The turtle is a carrier of several diseases.

Before getting such a pet, you should weigh the pros and cons of living together between a reptile and a child.

Description of red-eared turtles and species

Red-eared slider photo

Red-eared turtles are born with a shell length of only 30 mm and have a very attractive bright color. In the first 1.5 years, the turtle reaches a size of 75 mm. After which the growth rate decreases and on average the growth is 10 – 15 mm per year. Individuals are characterized by the presence of distinct red or yellow-red spots on both sides of the head. The shell and skin are olive, olive-brown or green with yellow stripes. The shape of the shell is oval. Legs with large claws and membranes between the toes.

This species cannot be classified as ornamental, since the average size of the freshwater red-eared turtle is from 125 to 289 mm, however, there are records of individuals reaching a size of 350 mm. In the wild, the red-eared turtle lives for about 20 years; in captivity, it can even live up to 40 years.

Over time, the turtle's large size and lifespan embarrass buyers, who are unable to keep the turtles in captivity for long periods of time and release them into the wild.

Trachemys scripta elegans.

Red-eared slider photo

The length of the carapace of Trachemys scripta elegans reaches 280 mm. There is a wide red stripe on the head and narrow stripes on the chin. On each costal carapace there is a transverse yellow stripe. Plastron with a large spot on each scute.

Trachemys scripta scripta.

Red-eared slider photo

The length of the carapace of Trachemys scripta scripta reaches 270 mm. There is a yellow postorbital spot on the head, connected to a stripe on the neck. Each costal carapace has a yellow stripe. The plastron is yellow with spots on most of the front scutes.

Trachemys scripta troostii.

Red-eared slider photo

The length of the carapace of Trachemys scripta troostii reaches 210 mm. The head has a narrow yellow postorbital stripe and wide chin stripes. Each costal carapace has a yellow transverse stripe. Plastron with a pattern of “eyes” or small black spots.

Signs characteristic of all species

Size. If you try to determine the sex of a turtle by its size, you need to compare two individuals of the same species and approximately the same age. The size of the female is usually slightly larger, which is due to the need for reliable gestation of eggs.

This does not apply, however, to such species of turtles as box and desert turtles, American marsh turtles, Mullenberg turtles and some other rare species where the male is slightly larger than the female.

The shape of the shell can also tell a lot. If the males have an elongated shell, and its back part almost touches the ground, then the females generally have a round house. In addition, females differ from males in that the surface of their shell is usually lumpy. If you imagine how mating occurs between individuals, then this characteristic feature becomes understandable.

Causes

Various factors can lead to softening of the shell:

• lack of light or insufficient amount of it;
• monotonous food;
• vitamin D deficiency;
• an abundance of white cabbage in the diet, which promotes calcium leaching;
• poor absorption of calcium by the intestines or impaired absorption of this mineral element in the kidneys;
• disruptions in the functioning of the thyroid gland.

As a result of calcium deficiency, rickets or osteopenia develop.

In 90% of cases, the cause of disease is improper living conditions:

• food without fortification with calcium and vitamin D 3;
• lack of ultraviolet lighting;
• regular feeding with calcium-leaching foods (white cabbage).

The remaining cases are associated with complex diseases:

• renal failure;
• hyperparathyroidism;
• nutritional osteodystrophy.

The body of aquatic animals is able to absorb vitamin D3 from supplements, but that of land animals is not. They definitely need ultraviolet light. Not every lamp is suitable for this, and beginners make mistakes when installing lighting.

Aquatic turtles also need UV radiation, but if fed with vitamin supplements, it is not as acute as for land turtles.

UV rays are 2-3 times more effective than food sources of vitamin D3.

Natural soft shell

Therefore, the softness of the shell, provided the pet is in good health, is the norm. The softness of the shell is a distinctive feature of flat-shelled turtles, which are called elastic.

As a rule, a shell that is not strong enough indicates that there is a lack of calcium in the turtle’s body due to some reasons, such as:

1. There is little or no calcium-rich food in the diet.
2. Lack of vitamin D2, which is involved in the turtle’s body’s absorption of calcium.
3. Lack or absence of UV radiation, which means the turtle’s body lacks vitamin D

In order to detect abnormal development of the animal in time, you should regularly examine the pet. You need to pick up the turtle and visually, as well as by touch, examine the condition of the shell and skin. Developmental defects include skin peeling. Softening of the shell, as well as the formation of various spots on it. Such an inspection should be carried out every month, and if such defects are detected, you should immediately seek advice from a herpetologist.

The causative agent of pneumonia is an infection that enters the lungs of an animal. This is possible in two cases: infection enters the lungs from the outside or from the inside, as a result of blood poisoning. As a result, inflammatory processes begin to occur in the lungs. As a result, the density of the lungs changes and fluid begins to accumulate in them.

• As for tympania, it develops in the red-eared turtle as a result of a lack of calcium, which causes the appearance of dynamic intestinal obstruction. The fact is that calcium contributes to the normal functioning of the intestinal tract. With a lack of calcium ions, intestinal function is impaired, which leads to the appearance of excess gas in the amphibian's intestines.
• This deficiency can result in spontaneous spasms of the intestines and sphincter.
• Another reason for the appearance of tympania in a red-eared turtle is its overfeeding, while the turtle has a weak gastrointestinal tract.
• This disease can manifest itself against the background of a change in diet.
• Tympany may be the result of a foreign body in the rectum or sphincter.

Why does the shell soften? In red-eared turtles, softening of the bone plates most often causes a disease such as rickets.

Rickets is a disease associated with a lack of vitamin D obtained from food or produced under the influence of sunlight. In the summer, you need to take your animal for walks so that she is exposed to the sun. In winter, you need to arrange a source of ultraviolet radiation, but take care of the turtle's eyes, since radiation can cause blindness.

Turtles love to swim and bite!

- Well, shaggy, are you going to be friends?

Who will Tortila make friends with?

We bought a good terrarium for our turtle, with a water tank. And now we’re thinking, is it possible to put someone there for company?

Vasilievs.

- In fact, there are many options. Unfortunately, you didn’t write what kind of turtle you have, but I think it’s most likely a red-eared one.

Firstly, you can throw fish into the pond. Small turtles are usually not dangerous to any fish, but as they grow older they will begin to hunt them, so the number of fish will gradually decrease. Non-aggressive turtles can be housed together with large fish (cichlids, barbs, koi carps, catfish). But for this you need a very large aquarium, at least 500 liters.

Secondly, you can keep other non-aggressive turtles - the same size, but different species from similar habitats. For example, it is possible to keep a red-eared turtle from a swamp, Caspian or geographic, but it is impossible with trionics and snapping turtles. It is possible to keep Central Asian and Mediterranean turtles together, but you should not bring forest and steppe turtles together.

In addition, you should not keep turtles with frogs, toads, newts, salamanders, mollusks, snails, lizards, and snakes. Some of them can be eaten, and some can cause the death of turtles.

Boy or girl?

They gave me a turtle, but they didn’t tell me who it was... I’m calling it Willie until I find out exactly the gender.

Oleg.

— In different species of turtles, species differences are expressed in their own way. For example, male red-eared cats have much longer noses and claws than females. These characteristics also apply to species similar to red-eared ones (geographical, decorated, painted).

Swamp turtles: males have a whitish upper lip, a thick and very long tail, and brown eyes. Females have no notch, yellow eyes, and a thinner and slightly shorter tail.

Central Asian: males have a much thicker and longer tail than females; the tail, due to its length, often curls under the shell, whereas in females it simply sticks out. Females have a small short tail.

Trionics: in females, tubercles remain on the carapace with age, while in males they smooth out. From the age of three, the male grows a rather long tail with a light longitudinal stripe on top, while the female’s tail remains small.

To bathe or not to bathe?

Is it necessary to arrange baths for the Central Asian tortoise? And what conditions should be created for swimming?

Olesya.

- Of course, bathe! And at least once a week. To do this, the turtle must be placed in a basin or other container with lukewarm water, about 32 degrees, not hotter. It is better to use a water infusion of chamomile, which softens the water. The water level should be no more than 2/3 of the height of the lying turtle. You need to make sure that the turtle's nostrils are not in the water.

Land turtles have a tendency to defecate in water, so don't be surprised if the water soon becomes very dirty. The turtle is kept in a basin of water for about half an hour, then taken out and wiped with a soft paper towel. After bathing, you should not take the turtle out into a draft or outside, only release it into a warm terrarium.

Avoid walking on the floor!

We just bought our child a land turtle. But the seller warned that it is necessary to acquire a terrarium and it is unacceptable to keep the animal “free-range” in the apartment.

Is it so?

Dina.

— The seller was absolutely right. Turtles can only be kept in terrariums or in specially equipped pens and in no case on the floor. Reptiles that live without special conditions are simply doomed to slow death from disease and hypothermia.

An incandescent lamp of 40 - 60 W, an ultraviolet lamp, and a house should be installed in the terrarium. Remember, fluorescent and ultraviolet lamps do not heat. Therefore, you will need incandescent lamps (for example, a table lamp). Having a bowl of water for the Central Asian turtle is desirable, but for other species it is mandatory.

It is important to avoid large temperature changes in the terrarium and in the environment surrounding the turtle. But the terrarium must have two zones: warm, illuminated, and shaded, cool.

A terrarium with any equipment can be ordered or purchased at a pet store - preferably at the same time as purchasing a turtle.

Why does she bite?

We have a very angry turtle - you take it in your arms, and it tries to claw it... Is it possible to tame it somehow?

Nina.

- Keep in mind that a turtle can bite, and therefore you need to accustom it to handling gradually. First, she should stop reacting negatively to touch (don’t hiss, don’t hide), then you can sit her on your arm or leg so that she doesn’t hang in the air (they don’t like that). A little later, you will be able to take the turtle in your arms, stroke it, scratch it. It makes them happy.

Algae on the shell - from dirt

I noticed that the shells of our turtles were overgrown with algae, and in some places the shields began to delaminate. This is fine?

Sofia Volkova.

— Under natural conditions, the shells of many turtles are overgrown with algae. If there is a small amount of algae, this is not dangerous. The growth of algae on the shell is facilitated by constant contamination of the water with food debris, an unsuccessfully chosen location for the terrarium, and poor performance of the water filter. Heavy algae growth causes the turtle's shell to begin to peel off. Sometimes, in advanced cases, they fall off and the turtle is deprived of its reliable protection.

To cure a turtle, you need to treat its shell with a Lugol's solution, Lugol's with glycerin, or a 1% solution of copper sulfate.

The solution is smeared on the shell, and the turtle is placed in a dry box for 2 - 3 hours. It goes without saying that the terrarium must be cleaned more often and thoroughly.

Shedding is not a disease

Our turtle's legs are peeling. Is it molting or a disease?

Yura.

— In land turtles, only the skin sheds and not much; if the skin comes off in layers, then most likely it has a fungus or vitamin A deficiency and needs to be treated. At this time, it is recommended to bathe the land turtle in warm water with baking soda (1 teaspoon per liter).

In aquatic turtles, the molting process is invisible. If the scutes of an aquatic turtle peel off or the skin becomes shaggy (most often in the form of whitish threads or films), this indicates

about a fungal disease that needs to be treated. For prevention (especially for newly purchased turtles) and treatment more often

In all, they use a special blue, which is diluted in the water of the aquaterrarium. Blue is sold in pet stores in the aquarium departments.

Ask questions to experts in the “Living Corner” community at: https://blog.kp.ru/community/881327/

Appearance

It is not difficult even for beginners to distinguish a snapping turtle. They have different colors - black, brownish, light. The shell is rough, covered with projections and pits. The head is large, equipped with powerful jaws and beak. The snapping turtle is a very fast and dangerous predator. In case of danger, it instantly throws out its head and inflicts strong bites.

The average size that snapping turtles reach is approximately 45 cm, the average weight is 15 kg. Although there are individuals that exceed this figure twice. There is no exact data on how long the snapping turtle lives in natural conditions. It is only known that many turtles can live at least 20 years.

The snapping turtle is very similar in appearance to its larger relative, the snapping turtle, which can reach one and a half meters in size and weigh more than fifty kilograms.

Description of the snapping turtle

Cayman turtle photo

Snapping turtles have powerful beak-like jaws and strong paws with long claws, which they are not averse to using for both defense and attack. In addition, the reptile has a rather long neck, tucked into its shell in the normal state, but during an attack the turtle quickly throws it out and captures prey.

The color of the shell is usually modest, ranging from light brown to black. The horny scutes of the carapace are irregularly shaped and, depending on age, can be almost smooth or have many irregularities, in the form of depressions, notches, forming three sawtooth ridges, which gives the carapace a certain exoticism and power.

Among other things, the reptile is distinguished by a large head with expressive bulging eyes and a rather long tail compared to other species.

Which turtle should you prefer, land or aquatic?

Although aquatic turtles are divided into marine and freshwater, almost no one keeps sea turtles at home, so only freshwater species of turtles are sold on the market or in pet stores, as well as land ones.

land turtle

• If you need to go somewhere, you can take the turtles with you or entrust the maintenance to neighbors or friends.
• There are no special costs for food, and the turtle eats under normal sanitary conditions.
• It is believed that aquatic turtles are more aggressive, although not always.
• Cleaning up after a turtle is quite simple and less time consuming.
• The land turtle is difficult to find, as many species are listed in the Red Book.
• When traveling abroad, it is hardly possible to obtain documents for it.

Aquatic turtle

• Aquatic turtles lead a more active lifestyle and also have brighter colors.
• They can be bred in captivity, so they are cheaper than land animals. This factor allows you to avoid causing damage to nature.
• Some species of aquatic turtles are capable of caring for each other.
• There are many more species of aquatic turtles, and it is possible to inexpensively purchase a turtle that you will love.

Land turtles tend to spend most of their lives on land, although there are species that require a small body of water for normal development. Basically, their diet consists of plant foods, but some species hunt mice, bugs, worms, etc. Aquatic turtles spend most of their lives in the water and only occasionally come to land. Some species of aquatic turtles spend a lot of time on land, others very little, but all require land.

Reproduction

How ready an individual is for reproduction is determined by its size. The length of the carapace of a sexually mature male is 10 cm (it is typical for individuals 2-4 years old), females - 12-13 cm (age 2-5 years).

Mating games in these animals begin with the active actions of the male. He turns his muzzle towards the female, swims in front of her and waves his paws. This happens in March and June (if the turtles live in the wild). For a successful pregnancy, it is necessary to be warm. In addition, the female requires increased nutrition.

Shortly before laying eggs, the female looks for a secluded place to lay eggs. This is done on land. A few months later, babies hatch from the eggs. Usually this takes about 2 months, but in bad weather the period of formation of small turtles is delayed. The female does not look after the clutch and does not take part in the life of the cubs.

What diseases does a turtle carry?

Based on the fact that humans are mammals, and reptiles are amphibians, diseases in them are caused by completely different pathogens. For example, there is no way that people can develop pneumonia, to which the red-eared turtle is susceptible. Why is this reptile dangerous for a child?

• salmonellosis is a very serious intestinal disease. The disease in humans is manifested by profuse vomiting, diarrhea, and high fever. Unfortunately, in some cases, salmonella infection can be fatal. The risk of the disease increases significantly if the turtle eats raw meat or walks on the ground outside. To prevent infection with salmonellosis, it is necessary to teach the child to observe basic rules of personal hygiene, always wash his hands after contact with the pet, and never kiss him or bring him close to his face;
• fungal diseases - can provoke itching, peeling of the skin, and allergic reactions in humans. Infection is possible, for example, when bathing a sick turtle in a shared bathroom and insufficient subsequent disinfection;
• helminthic infestations - reptiles are carriers of roundworms, which also parasitize the human body. If infected, a child may experience abdominal pain, nausea, drowsiness, and lack of appetite. These symptoms arise as a result of intoxication of the body with waste products of roundworms. To avoid helminthic infestation, you must always follow the rules of personal hygiene.

How to Handle Red Eared Sliders

The red-eared turtle loves a warm environment, but it should be placed in an aquarium. This is where the pet will feel most comfortable.

There is also a small instruction that will help you live in harmony with your red-eared turtle:

1. Don't tease your pet by putting your finger near its face. In this case, the reptile will definitely bite.
2. Carefully remove the animal from the aquarium. This will prevent deep scratches from the turtle’s claws.
3. Observe basic rules of personal hygiene. After each contact with a reptile, you must wash your hands with soap and avoid touching your face with unwashed hands. It is forbidden to kiss the turtle!
4. If your pet's behavior changes (lethargy or unusual activity), it is necessary to show it to a veterinarian. Perhaps the pet is sick.

Interestingly, observing the life of a red-eared turtle has a very beneficial effect on the human central nervous system. Therefore, it is often started for therapeutic purposes.

This photo clearly shows the red-eared turtle's lack of teeth, but this does not make its bite any less painful.

What is the danger of the red-eared turtle?

Yes, despite its calmness and regularity, the red-eared turtle still has a certain level of danger for children, like, in fact, any other pet from the fauna world.

This reptile is also capable of inflicting long-healing and long-lasting injuries. In addition, turtle bites are quite painful.

So, the first thing that a turtle is dangerous for a child is its bite. Despite the lack of teeth, turtles bite quite painfully. Such a painful bite is due to the presence of hard and powerful bone jaws in the reptile. The animal closes them tightly and can injure a person’s fingers until they bleed. Therefore, you should not disturb the turtle too much, this is especially dangerous when it is eating.

The second danger comes from turtle claws. They can scratch her. Its claws are sharp, long and very dense. With their help, the turtle moves quite successfully on land. And when you pick it up, it can push off with its hind legs and unintentionally cause injuries.

If a turtle bites or scratches a child, the wound must be quickly treated with antiseptic agents, after thoroughly washing with warm water and soap. It is strictly forbidden to scratch the site of a bite or scratch. Thus, it can become infected and the wound will begin to fester.

The most dangerous moments when you should not disturb a turtle are eating, mating and pregnancy.

Causes of turtle bites

The red-eared reptile is a terror in fresh water bodies, and in its “weight class” it is a dangerous predator. Tasting your fingers can be a natural manifestation of instincts. The red-eared turtle bites if it is hungry, or believes that its territory or food is being encroached on from the outside.

If an animal is not tamed, it may perceive people as a threat and defend itself using methods available to it. In this case, the turtle bites the person, may kick and scratch with its claws.

Signs that your pet is not willing to communicate:

• hiss;
• mouth wide open and head stretched forward and upward;
• covering the head and limbs under the shell;
• beak clicking.

Even tamed individuals can get their fingers caught along with the offered treat. If a red-eared turtle bites when you feed it by hand, then this is more likely a manifestation of impatience and hunger, but not aggression.

The experience of reptile owners has shown that freshwater and land reptiles can, through bites, try to convey to the owner an important request, or a message about their discomfort. The lack of support under the paws and careless touching of the eyes and nose cause discomfort for the pet. It often happens that a turtle bites simply because it is hungry.

In order not to scare the turtle, attempts to pet and pick up should be made while in the pet’s field of vision. Do not touch your pet unless absolutely necessary if it shows signs of anxiety.

Aggressive breeds include caiman, vulture and trionica. The latter's body structure allows it to reach the hand in the back of the shell. Males of any breed become irritable during the mating period. At this time, natural instincts are greatly aggravated. The character of females deteriorates during pregnancy. Even domesticated reptiles show aggression if they are disturbed while sleeping, eating or mating.

What to do if you are bitten

Medical intervention is inevitable if the turtle's rhamphothecae are closed on vulnerable areas, such as the earlobe or lip. Therefore, it is strictly not recommended to bring turtles, including domestic ones, to your face. Although rabies does not occur in cold-blooded animals, it is also better to show a wound from a wild reptile to a doctor.

Children instinctively pull a bleeding wound into their mouth; this should absolutely not be allowed. A turtle can be an asymptomatic carrier of salmonellosis.

Alarming symptoms include discharge of pus from the wound for more than three days, fever, and strong tumor growth. Additional measures are necessary if the animal has torn out a piece of flesh, the bleeding cannot be stopped, or the rhamphotheca marks are more than 1 cm deep.

First aid for a pet turtle bite:

1. The wound must be washed immediately under running water and laundry soap.
2. After this, treatment is carried out with an antiseptic.
3. The victim’s well-being is monitored at home for a week.

If you are bitten by a turtle, red-eared turtle or land turtle that is kept in proper conditions, a visit to the doctor is usually not required, but discomfort from the wound may bother you for a long time

Care should be taken when handling pet turtles; even tame and docile pets can, under certain circumstances, bite the owner

Lifespan in captivity

How long a red-eared turtle lives at home is determined by the conditions created for it. Before purchasing such a pet, a person must find out how to take care of it, what to feed it, and so on.

The main factors that influence how long a red-eared slider lives:

• Nutritional features. The reptile must receive a sufficient amount of plant and animal food.
• Living conditions. The maintenance of the house should be as close to natural conditions as possible.
• Compliance with hygiene rules. Home care is simple, but it requires regularity. The owner will have to frequently clean and clean the aquaterrarium.
• Treatment of diseases. Very often these animals die due to infections and parasites. Therefore, if there are any changes in your pet’s behavior, you should seek help from a veterinarian.
• The presence of communication with other individuals. This condition applies to cases when the red-eared turtle is still small. For mature reptiles, solitude is preferred.

It is also important to find out how long a red-eared turtle can live without water, because water is one of its most important needs. People who accidentally left their pet without access to water for several days are especially worried about this.

How long a red-eared turtle can survive without water is influenced by various factors. This:

• age,
• features of the environment,
• pet health.

Experts do not recommend keeping it on land for long. It is better to avoid such situations altogether and not find out how long a red-eared slider can live without water, because it is unknown how such an experience will affect the well-being of the reptile. Usually turtles live 4-5 days, the maximum period was a week.

When is it best to get a turtle?

It is best to do this in the summer, when the weather is warm outside and the turtle is quite active. Thus, you can easily distinguish a healthy pet from a sick one.

It is very important that after purchasing, when carrying it home, there is no possibility of catching a cold. In other words, you should choose the right day to purchase a turtle, then there will be no problems with keeping your pet

In the warm season, it is much more pleasant to arrange a place for keeping.

If you buy a turtle in winter, then in 90% of cases you can buy a sick reptile. As a rule, those animals are sold in winter that could not be sold in summer, based on one reason or another.

If you purchase a smuggled land turtle, you should remember that they are transported under extremely unfavorable conditions, which can contribute to their illness. By purchasing such a turtle, it is possible that problems with its maintenance are guaranteed.

Anaerobic respiration process

After inhaling, the turtle slowly sinks, the processes of oxygen absorption from the lungs into the blood continue for the next 10-20 minutes. Carbon dioxide accumulates without causing irritation or requiring immediate exhalation, as in mammals. At the same time, anaerobic respiration is activated, which at the final stage of absorption replaces gas exchange through the lung tissue.

During anaerobic respiration, tissues located at the back of the pharynx, in the cloaca, are used - the layering makes these pads look like gills. It only takes a few seconds for the animal to remove carbon dioxide and then take in air again when ascending. Most species exhale sharply into the water before raising their head above the surface and drawing in air through their nostrils.