Baby Turtle Care
Baby turtles are harder to take care of than adult turtles. They need specific needs. When they first hatch they will most likely have a yolk sack on the bottom of their shell. Now, don't freak out, it is natural for it to be there. When they were in the egg, that yolk sack was their food, and it will continue to be their food until it disappears inside of the turtle. You can still feed the baby while it still has the sack, but don't feed it much. This is to get the baby remembering who it's feeder is, and what food it will be eating. Until the sack is gone, don't put the baby turtle in deep water. Some owners don't put them in water at all and that's okay. Some babies can barely walk with the yolk sack on their bellies. We don't want them to drown so keep them in about a half an inch of water. Once the yolk sack has disappeared, you can fill up the tank to about an inch and a half full of water. This will allow the turtle to build muscle and become more comfortable swimming. By this point the babies will be able to eat. I recommend feeding them leafy greens, small worms/insects, guppy fish, and hatchling turtle food. 50% of their diet should be leafy greens. That part of their diet will stay the same through adult hood. Worms and insects should be small enough for the little turtle to eat, and also the guppies are small enough for the babies to eat. They will make a good snack for when they are hungry and it isn't time for their owner to feed them. Last but not least, by feeding your turtle store bought hatchling turtle food, it will fill in all the other nutrients the baby turtle need to grow and be healthy. Calcium is a big part of their diet. You can get it in 2 forms. Number one is powder. You would simply mix it in with your turtle food or you could even dip an insect in it. The second form is a calcium bar. This will float at the top of the water. It dissolves into the water little by little, and it is consumed when the turtles drink the water. The turtles will also bit at it but that is okay. When the babies first hatch, their shells will be kind of soft. That doesn't mean that they have a lack of calcium. All babies have soft shells when they hatch. They have soft shells for about 3 months. As time goes by their shells will harden. That is one of the reason why turtle owners and breeders say hatchlings are breakable. Babies can get sick or hurt really easily. If you follow my instructions, you will do fine and your baby turtle(s) will be nice and healthy. Most likely if your turtle(s) survive their first 6 months then they will survive. Back to the water rising, after a week you can raise the water level up 2 or 3 inches. Watch your babies and see how they adapt. They should have no problem and look very happy. After having your tank that deep for about 3 days, you can raise it as full as you want. Keep in mind that they are babies. They will get tired fast. Make sure you have plenty of resting spots on the surface. The best places are on both ends of the tank and one in the middle. This way they don't have to go far to rest at the surface. What size of tank do you need for a baby hatchling? A 10 gallon will work fine for quite some time. Don't over crowd your tank with turtles, decorations, and fish. They should have plenty of room to swim around and not bump into or be bothered by anything. Turtles do have feelings, and they can feel uncomfortable. My number one goal is to make the tank as natural looking as I can get so the turtle are satisfied and comfortable. What do you need to house a baby turtle? The most important thing to have for a baby turtle is a basking area with UVA and UVB lighting. Without this it will make it extremely difficult for you turtle to grow and it can cause deformity or even death. Being an in door pet deprives the babies of natural sun light. By having UVA and UVB lighting available to them, gives them the nutrients they need that the sun would give them. You need a heater to keep the water around 75 to 80 degrees F. Unlike adult turtles, babies need to stay in a warm environment. Otherwise they can get sick and possible die. Make sure your heater is plastic not glass. The heater can get knocked up against something and break. That would be very harmful to the turtles and anything living in the tank. Number one, there would be shards of glass everywhere in the tank. The piece can be swallowed, float in their eyes, or cut their skin. Number two, anything living in the tank can get electrocuted. Turtles are not like fish, they grow no matter how big the tank is. They rule for adequate housing for a turtle is 5 gallons for every inch of your turtle. You measure your turtles shell, from the head to the tail. So if your turtle is 2 inches, then you will want a 10 gallon tank. They can always be put in a tank that is bigger than what is needed. The bigger the better. The longer you have your turtle, you will begin to realize turtles are very good pets, and you will get very attached to them like people do dogs and cats. Before you know it, you will realize you need that turtle like that turtle needs you.