Contrary to popular belief, terrapins are not exactly easy pets to care for. But they do make great animal companions if you are not into furry pets. Plus, we think it’s pretty therapeutic to watch them move about and interact with one another.
Here are the top 4 things to take note of for your pet terrapins’ well-being:
1) Food
Like us, terrapins need variety in their diet. Good quality pellets or dry food form the bulk of the diet but you should also provide supplements. Feed pellets together with thoroughly defrosted freshwater fish or shrimps. Feeding them different kinds of freshwater fish also provides variety. For additional nutrients, feed them live insects (e.g. blood worms and locusts), vegetables like sweet potato and carrots, or plants such as pond weed. You can also mix vitamin supplements into their dry food. Just remember to follow the quantity recommended by the manufacturer.
Frequency of feed is around every two days and you should offer only as much as they can eat within 5 minutes. Remove any uneaten food from the water which can rot and foul the water.
Try to weigh your terrapin regularly as well so you can be sure they are not putting on weight too fast.
2) Space
You can house young terrapins in large tanks.
How large? We recommend that you start with a larger tank that can accommodate an adult terrapin so you can save cost and time on upgrading. Males grow up to 21cm in length, while females can reach up to 25cm. Terrapins also have long lifespans in captivity of up to 30 years.