Tortoise Cages

African Spurred Tortoises, when young, are cute, outgoing, and very cultured. Perhaps these reasons are all turtle prospective owner would seriously own one. But the African tortoise can not be the best choice for a pet as it grows very large and becomes very powerful. In fact, the African Spurred Tortoises are the largest turtles in the African continent and the third on the planet. They surely need a big space and lots of food. More importantly, they will need a lot of your time and money.

African Spurred tortoises are so named because of the shoot on their hind legs. Found in the hot, dry scrub areas of North Central Africa, adult female African Spurred Tortoise can reach a shell length of 20 inches, while adult males can grow even more, with shells 30 inches long. It has a large shell, oval, broken white bib, and a brown head. The body color varies from yellow to golden brown. This species also has very thick skin.

African Spurred Tortoises need a diet rich in fiber. They like to eat salads of greens and vegetables each day, with a pinch of calcium from time to time. Significantly, the turtles tend to become obese if overfed. Thus, every African should turtle owner to ensure that food is served in moderation. These turtles can be fed with fruits such as melons and apples during the hot months of summer, but only once every 10 days to two weeks. They should never be fed dog or commercial cat food.

African Spurred Tortoises require warm, dry environments. In their outdoor enclosure, a substrate of sand and three parts peat moss to one quarter is a must. Add a layer of grass hay on one side to serve as a shadow. This shadow turtles away from heat and provides a safe place to rest. Secondly, to provide heat for the animals, the use of a heat-emitting bulb in a lamp. Hang 12 inches above the substrate. You must also provide a place pilgrim, heated from 90 ยบ to 95 ยบ F. Make sure you also have space for a dish of water. For safety, ensure that the enclosure is without predators.

As the owner, if you decide to keep your turtle inside, you need a big house in the terrarium, not in an aquarium. Both housing options are in fact very different. These instructions apply only to a small or medium size Spurred Tortoise African countries. plastic tanks, wooden cages and other enclosures are acceptable for all sizes. It is worth mentioning that the African Spurred Tortoises, like most of their family, require a large amount of UVB for the synthesis of vitamin D3 (needed in calcium metabolism), and love the outdoors exposed to grass, plants and soil. It is therefore recommended to build homes for them outdoors whenever possible.

Owning and caring for all species of turtles require much time and money. You'll have to make informed decisions based on the needs of your breed of turtle. Do not become one of those owners who felt happy as a turtle keeper novice, but ended up selling, or worse, leaving your pet-cast, trying to fend for itself in the wild .