The smartest turtle. Red-eared slider

Turtles are a common type of pet. They are ideal for families with older children, but are not recommended for families with small children, as they may drop them, forget to feed them, or forget to wash their hands after touching the turtle (and there is a lot for this). important reason, which you will learn about below). If you are thinking about getting this exotic animal, you should know some facts and characteristics of turtles. Having studied all necessary information, you can do right choice and decide if a turtle is right for you as a pet.

Not all turtles swim

Land turtles, unlike sea turtles, live on land, as their name implies. However, did you know that not all sea turtles live in the water? Some species of sea turtles require access to water to keep their bodies hydrated, but they spend most of their time on land. Many people believe that sea turtles and land turtles are not much different. But in fact, the differences between them are striking. Sea turtles most often have webbed feet, while land turtles have separate toes. Also, many sea turtles are omnivores, that is, they eat both plant and animal foods, while land turtles are herbivores.

Turtles are long-lived

Many turtles that are kept in the correct temperature and humidity conditions are exposed to ultraviolet rays and receive the nutrition that suits their species, they can live for decades. A large number of turtles live longer than their owners and are passed on from generation to generation. Long duration The life of a reptile is something that a future turtle owner must take into account.

All turtles carry salmonella

Salmonella is a type of bacteria that many reptiles, including turtles, often carry in their intestines without being exposed to it. They periodically excrete this bacterium in their feces. In humans and other mammals such as cats and dogs, Salmonella bacteria can cause severe gastrointestinal distress such as severe nausea and diarrhea. This is why it is very important that every person wash their hands thoroughly with soap and water after handling a turtle, and especially turtle feces. This is especially important when we're talking about about children who usually put in their mouths the hands that were just holding a turtle. This is why turtles are not recommended as pets for families with small children.

You can tell the difference between a male and female turtle

With most exotic animals, it is extremely difficult to distinguish between male and female. However, in the case of turtles, there are several reliable methods. For example, males tend to have longer tails and their rectal openings are further away than females. In some species of turtles, differences may be noticeable to the naked eye, such as in the shape of the shell or the color of the eyes. Additionally, some males have longer claws.

Females can lay eggs without males

Just like chickens, female turtles can lay eggs without fertilizing them, and these unfertilized eggs will not hatch. Many wild turtles lay eggs in the spring, thus reacting to the change temperature regime and light cycles. This is why you can often see turtles on the roads in the spring - they are looking for a place where they could lay their eggs. However, if we are talking about domestic turtles, then this does not happen to them, since their living conditions do not change depending on the season.

Sea turtles need land

Most often, turtles live in rectangular aquariums filled with water, but even sea turtles sometimes need to go onto land. This is why every aquarium should have a dry area, such as a rock, where the turtle can lie down and rest.

Even small turtles need a lot of space

The length of the aquarium should depend on the length of the turtle. Every breeder will tell you that the basic rule is that the length of the aquarium should be equal to five times the length of the turtle living in it, and the depth of the water should be two and a half times the length of that turtle. How more turtle, the larger the aquarium should be.

Turtles need vegetables

Turtles really need vitamin A, since they do not have the ability to store it in their bodies. As a result, they need to get it from food.

Turtles know their owners

Many people don't realize this, but turtles can recognize... appearance, as well as the sounds their owners make. Moreover, many owners report that turtles swim out of the depths specifically to greet the approaching person. You may not realize it, but some turtles may even come to you if you call their name.

Smart turtle African tale for children

There lived in the forest an Elephant, a Lion, a Leopard, a Pacasa and many other animals. Each of them had a plot of land, and each cultivated it, growing maize and sweet potatoes. But they could not eat anything that they grew, because they did not have a fire on which they could cook food. They only drank water and nibbled grass.
And nearby, on a huge tree strewn with fruits, lived a large green Lizard. Sometimes he would come down from the tree and talk to other animals.
One day the Elephant said to his comrades:
- Why do you think our friend the Lizard always walks around happy and never complains of hunger? He doesn't seem to need fire to cook food. Do you know what he eats? There are those things that hang on a tree and sometimes fall to the ground. Let's ask him why he is always full. Is it really from these raw fruits? But he won’t tell us the truth: he’ll be afraid that we’ll find out his secret. Better let's ask the great Nzambi, who sits in the sky and knows everything. Maybe he will take pity on us and save us from our troubles.
And everyone agreed. The elephant was the first to go to heaven to talk with the great Nzambi. He talked about the misfortunes that animals suffer without fire, and also about the fact that the big green Lizard gets its food right on the tree. Can the fruits of this tree be eaten raw? And what kind of tree is this? And the great Nzambi said:
- The tree, the fruits of which the Lizard eats, is called: tree-sapling, zelembua-muzelembua, muzelembua-kumuzelem-bua, magic tree! These fruits can be eaten raw. Go home and repeat this name dearly. True, it is very long, but try not to forget it. And when you come home, say this name loudly, and the tree will immediately fall to the ground. Then you can all eat well.
The elephant remembered everything that the great Nzambi said. He walked and repeated:
- Tree-sapling, zelembua-muselembua, muselembua-kumu-zelembua, magic tree! - He repeated and danced, rejoicing that he had learned the secret.
But the cunning green Lizard guessed what was going on. He saw the Elephant from afar, went to meet him and began to dance with him, singing different words. They danced and danced, and poor Elephant forgot the name that had to be repeated.
Very annoyed, he confessed everything to the other animals. And then Lev decided to go to the great Nzambi.
Great Nzambi received him well, spoke to him kindly, and told him the name of the tree. Lev, returning home, also joyfully repeated:
- Tree-sapling, zelembua-muselembua, muselembua-kumu-zelembua, magic tree!
But this villainous green Lizard met Lev in the same way, danced with him in the same way, and Lev also forgot everything.
One after another the animals went to the great Nzambi, and each time the same thing was repeated. Finally, little girl volunteered to go to the great Nzambi water turtle. The animals were so outraged by her insolence that they beat and cursed the poor Turtle.
- You must have forgotten who you are and who we are! We are smarter, stronger, and much bigger than you, and you walk around, barely moving your legs, and imagine that you can do something!
But the fair Monkey objected:
- Why do you offend her? What harm did she do to us? Is it Turtle’s fault that we have such a leaky memory! Let him go! Maybe she will remember the words of the great Nzambi!
And the Turtle set off on a long journey. She walked slowly, with a calm, slow gait. The Great Nzambi, of course, listened to her, even sympathized with her more than with other animals, and then wished her to get home safely.
When the Turtle approached the house, a green Lizard came out to meet it, like other animals. The Turtle was small, and the Lizard was big, very big.
- Oh, that's how it is! - he shouted angrily. -Have you taken up this matter too? - And bit off her head.
But the Turtle grew a new head, and she again began to repeat the name of the tree. The evil green Lizard tore her into pieces and buried her in the ground. But she resurrected and began to repeat again
magic words. Then the green Lizard chewed it and swallowed it. And the Turtle rose again, said the name of the tree - and it fell to the ground. And the green Lizard died of anger.
The animals greedily attacked the lying tree, ate everything - leaves and fruits, and again beat and scolded the Turtle. Only the fair Monkey took pity on the Turtle and saved some fruits and leaves for her.
As the days passed, the animals began to starve again and think about how to get fire. But where to look for it? Where?
Early one morning, the Elephant saw a small stream of smoke rising from the top of a distant mountain, and called all the animals:
- Look there! Do you know what this is? It's smoke! And where there is smoke, there is always fire.
The animals were happy and sent him for fire. He had already descended to the opposite slope of the mountain, when suddenly a loud, menacing cry was heard:

The elephant had never heard such a terrible voice and was very scared. The Elephant returned home and told the animals what had happened.
Then Leo volunteered to go get the fire. He considered himself braver than everyone else and was confident that he would deal with the insolent man.
But when he descended to the other side of the mountain, a menacing voice stopped him:
- Who dared to set foot on Grasshopper Mountain?! Well, go away, or I will swallow you, like I just swallowed Pakasa!
The lion got cold feet, put his tail between his legs and came back empty-handed.
All the animals, one after another, tried their luck and returned empty-handed. Then the Turtle volunteered to go, but she was beaten again. It was only through the intervention of the Monkey that she was finally allowed to set off.
- Who dared to set foot on Grasshopper Mountain?! Well, go away, or I will swallow you! - threatened the invisible brave man.
But the Turtle walked and walked, fearlessly, slowly moving its paws.
-Who are you? - asked the Turtle, having reached the very hole in which the Grasshopper was hiding.
He stuck his head out and moved his antennae:
- Ah! It's you, Aunt Turtle! Please come in! And I
I was scared, I thought who was coming... - And he invited her to sit down and rest. - What do you want, Aunt Turtle?
- I came to ask you for a coal. We live on the other side of the mountain and we have no fire to cook our food. If only you knew how hungry we are!
- That's all? Just think! Oh, how I was scared when I heard heavy footsteps. What would be left of me if our venerable friend the Elephant had put his foot on my hole! - And they both laughed.
While the sweet potatoes were baking in the fire, they continued their friendly conversation.
“I beg you, Aunt Turtle, don’t tell anyone that you met me here, otherwise they will kill me.” Say that you didn’t see anyone, you just walked up to the fire and took away the coal. OK? - And the Grasshopper gave the Turtle the coal for which she came.
Returning home, Turtle hid the truth and did not tell anyone. She quietly called her friend Monkey:
- Look, I brought fire. Just don't tell anyone anything. Let's go to your house together and cook food.
And the rest of the animals mocked:
- Well, didn’t we talk! We, who can do anything, were unable to get fire, and you, with your stupid head, imagined that you could achieve what we failed.
But it was impossible to hide the smoke. As soon as the fire lit up in the Monkey’s hut, a thin gray stream immediately rose above the forest. The outraged animals immediately ran there and spanked the poor Turtle. How dare she hide from them that she had brought coal! Just think! The turtle turned out to be the luckiest of all!
- They will pay for what they did to me! - the beaten Turtle complained to his friend Monkey. - Now I’ll go to the shore of my native lake and settle scores with them. You know, Monkey, when you get thirsty, climb the tree as high as possible and wait until I call you, just be careful not to go to the lake with other animals.
In the evening, as usual, the animals went to the shore of the lake to quench their thirst. The elephant came first. He lowered his trunk into the water, but stumbled upon something hard. I touched a stone with my foot, there was only stone all around, but no water. And the Elephant sang in a plaintive voice:
Water, water, I pulled it out
your trunk,
But I didn't find anything!
Oh, how thirsty I am!
Mom, I'm going to die!
Water, water, I stretched out my trunk, But I didn’t find anything! Oh, how thirsty I am! My father, I am dying!
He tried several times to feel the water with his trunk, but kept bumping into a stone.
Lev came after him. He also tried to get drunk, and also cried out to his parents. And so all the animals gathered on the shore of the former lake. And then - bang! - the blue stone burst, split into pieces, which crushed all the animals, and they died. Only one Monkey escaped punishment because he was true friend Turtles.

If you ask someone which pet is the smartest, many will say without a second thought that it is, without a doubt, a cat, a dog, a decorative rat, and possibly a large parrot. Yes, it’s true that our four-legged friends are intelligent creatures, but are only mammals intelligent? An intelligent pet must be able to communicate with its owner, understand his commands, the word “no”, know his place to sleep in the house, and so on. But are turtles smart? The fact is that the turtle has a different mind, unlike domestic predators or rodents.

When we want to get a pet, our goal is to get animals that would not only serve as decoration in the house, but would also benefit their owner morally and physically. Such a benefit should be expressed in the fact that the animal will not be indifferent to the owner, will come to his lap, look into the owner’s eyes, play with him, in a word, the animal (if it behaves in this way) will become a friend for the owner. Of course, such complex things as communication, understanding, finding " common language" with humans are accessible mainly to cats, dogs and rats.

Perhaps the most successful representatives are quite high intelligence Among the common turtles are red-eared turtles, and we will talk about them. Yes, maybe someone will say that what intelligence is there? Do they know how to take objects in their teeth? Remember the owner, respond to your name, perform acrobatic stunts? Yes, on the one hand, outwardly, perhaps, it is so. But to say that this animal is definitely stupid would still not be fair. It is quite possible to teach her tricks, or anything at all. You should note that training red-eared turtles is more difficult than training a dog or cat.

At home, a turtle may show some ability to train. This is explained by the fact that in captivity the turtle does not use its shell to its full potential. The turtle may not use its shell, may not retract its legs and head at the slightest noise, or when it is picked up. The turtle loses the fear of being eaten by the enemy, and uses its defense less.

Turtles that live with people get used to the fact that their owner loves them, feeds them, and takes care of them in every possible way. The turtle’s soul no longer worries about how to feed itself, and it can become lazy and reduces its level of initiative. In such a situation, turtle training will be very useful. It will not be just entertainment for the owner, but also a benefit for the turtle itself.

So how do you train a turtle? A fairly easy trick you can teach a turtle is the food trick. First, make a feeder for your pet. It is advisable to make the feeder with a complex shape, and place the food in some compartment of the feeder. The turtle will soon guess where the treat is and will then be able to quickly find it.

You can teach your turtle not to be afraid to take food from your palm. You can give it to her from tweezers or from a pipette.

Over time, the turtle will get used to the fact that you feed it all the time, it will begin to perceive you as a breadwinner, and you can easily teach it to follow you and meet you (as cats do). And if the turtle often scratched you, then you can wean it off this.

Turtles are also not indifferent to different toys. Like cats and dogs, a turtle can play with a ball. But biologists say this is most likely just the turtle's reaction to a foreign object. Try leaving a small ball of bright color (red, orange, yellow) in the turtle’s aquarium for three weeks, but don’t be too small, the turtle can swallow it (more than 4 cm). The turtle may guess that it is a round ball and will push it with his nose. You can put a mirror in the terrarium. The turtle, seeing its reflection, will think that it is someone else's turtle and will show aggression.

As for how a turtle goes to its toilet, turtles are trained to go to specific place in the terrarium where they eat. Many turtles can be trained to relieve themselves in a certain corner.

Main advice for the owner. There is no need to be afraid or lazy to communicate with an animal. By communicating and making contact with your pet, over time you will notice how his attitude towards you will change, how quickly and intelligently he will learn from you various tricks, small games that you can demonstrate to your friends, and you yourself will be satisfied.

The speed of a turtle depends on the size of its carapace. How large sizes a land turtle has, the larger its carapace, which means the lower its movement speed. Therefore, it is generally accepted that marine and freshwater species turtles are slightly faster land turtles. As for the sea turtle, it is capable of accelerating up to 35 km/h while moving in the water.

All turtles are good swimmers

Only sea turtles, freshwater turtles and some species of land turtles can move well in water. Other types of turtles cannot swim and can easily die in the water.

Turtles can live up to 100 years, and some species even more.

In fact, few turtles can live that long. Turtles that can live this long include large land species, such as elephant and Galapagos. “Pets” that grow up to 30 cm in length can live no more than 50 years if they are provided with appropriate living conditions. Turtles that grow from 50 to 70 cm in length live 70-80 years. In other words, the age of a turtle can be calculated by its length.

All turtles have a hard shell

Most reptiles have a hard shell. Although there are species that have a soft shell. The soft shell helps her protect herself from predators: she climbs into a narrow gap and inflates, after which it is very difficult to get her out of there. Soft-shelled turtles (trionics) and leatherback turtles have a covering that does not consist of horny scutes, but of ordinary hard skin.

Turtles are considered amphibious creatures

In fact, turtles are reptiles or reptiles, as they are also called. And amphibian species include frogs, newts, salamanders and other types of amphibian animals.

A turtle can leave its shell

Unfortunately, this is not the case, since the shell is one piece, consisting of fused rib bones and the spine. It is practically the skeleton of a reptile, from which it can hardly get out.

Turtles live in or on sand

There are a huge number of turtle species in the world, found almost everywhere, but you won’t find turtles on clean sand, even if we are talking about the desert.

Turtles are wise and intelligent animals

Naturally, this myth is most likely associated with her longevity. It is believed that with age a person becomes smarter and wiser, and a turtle is no exception. In fact, these animals are a little “smarter” than amphibians, but their “smartness” does not reach that of birds, including mammals.

Common mistakes about turtles

UFO (UFO) – translated from English means “unidentified object” or “UFO”, as we call it. In fact, it is a UV lamp, or rather an ultraviolet lamp. It is intended to irradiate the turtle with ultraviolet rays.

Amphibian turtle

In fact, amphibians are amphibians, like frogs, and a turtle is a reptile.

Mediterranean turtle

There are (Central) Asian turtles and (among) Earth sea turtles.

Sea red-eared turtle

Among large quantity Species, turtles are divided into freshwater, marine and land. If a turtle can live in salt water, then it is considered marine, and if it can live in fresh water, then it is a freshwater animal. The red-eared slider cannot be classified as sea ​​view turtles.

Tortoise breed

Reptiles do not have breeds, but only species and subspecies. Cats and dogs, although they have a lot different breeds, still belong to the same species.

Gammarus are dry shrimps

In fact, gammarus is a type of dry freshwater amphipod crustacean.

So, you have become the happy owner of a turtle (you should definitely find out the information you will find about keeping it at home) and are now thinking about how to establish contact with it? Well, you should be prepared for the fact that such a slow pet of yours is unlikely to learn to jump over a barrier like a dog or bring you slippers. However, you can teach your turtle things that will allow you to consider it quite tame. By the way, you can even demonstrate her peaceful mood and friendliness in action to your friends and acquaintances. Rest assured, they will definitely envy you.

What can you teach a pet turtle?

Before we begin the practice of taming, let's first talk about theory. What can your turtle theoretically learn to do? And how to achieve this?

How to teach a turtle to eat from your hands

You can teach your turtle to eat from your hands or from tweezers. In principle, it’s a fairly primitive skill, but it looks impressive. Although, the mechanism of its activation is very simple. When a turtle is hungry and looking for food, seeing it in front of it, it doesn’t bother too much about whether it eats from your hands or from tweezers. By the way, you can also train your turtle to eat at a certain time.

In fact, the feeding mechanism produces a very strong attachment reflex in the turtle (this is how we perceive it). The pet associates you with you as the only breadwinner, therefore, every time she sees you, she will pull her head towards you and follow you around the room on your heels, like a hungry cat. Some owners even manage to teach their turtles to wave their paws, but this is already aerobatics, however, you can try to do this.

How to stop a turtle from biting

Although, looking at turtles, it is very difficult to believe that they can be aggressive, but this is true. We often hear from offended owners that their Tortilla bit them painfully. There is little pleasure in this, therefore, we would recommend that you a priori wean your turtle from this habit. How to do this? First of all, do not offend the animal and pick it up more often (with the exception of a waterfowl turtle, since it cannot stay without water for a long time), over time your pet will get used to your hands, and even if it bites, it will do so very quickly. extreme cases.

How to teach a turtle to play with toys

I have heard about turtles that love to play with toys, balls, for example. From a human point of view, this is nothing more than an interested reaction to an unfamiliar object. But, from the point of view of zoopsychology, this is quite possible. However, you can try to accustom your turtle to the toy yourself and see the result. To do this, place in a terrarium or aquarium - depending on the type of turtle, a bright-colored ball with a diameter of more than 4 centimeters (smaller - not worth it, as your pet can swallow it). Perhaps after a while you will notice that the turtle is pushing it from side to side, as if playing with it.

By the way, regarding games -

You should not hang mirrors in terrariums or make mirror walls.

As practice shows, the turtle perceives its reflection as an enemy, and a very real one at that, so it will show aggression towards it, which can result in injury to the animal (read more about) or serious nervous stress.

Continuing the theme of games, I would like to note that turtles are sensitive to sounds - they have good hearing, therefore, you can accustom them to a certain sound, which will be the signal to start the game.

How to communicate with a turtle

Is it possible to pick up turtles?

As we already wrote above, tactile contact is a very important component of the process of taming a turtle. Therefore, if you want to make friends with her, you must be able to carefully pick her up, stroke and even scratch her. At the same time, you can pick up both amphibians and aquatic turtles(on short period time).

Well, what kind of turtles you shouldn’t pick up are representatives of such aggressive species, like trionics, snapping turtles and vultures. It is better not to disturb them unnecessarily with tactile contact (they bite very painfully).

Does a turtle have intelligence?

Sometimes pet owners place too much hope on their pet, although he (due to his natural disabilities) simply cannot (and not because he does not want) to respond to their call to be friends. The same can be said about turtles. Their psychological and morphological level is significantly different from that of dogs and cats. And, although turtles are superior in their level of intelligence to other reptiles (for example, lizards - read about the peculiarities of their maintenance) - it would be too bold to expect almost human attention and responsiveness from them.

You can develop in an animal conditioned reflexes and behavioral stereotypes, but, alas, one cannot count on conscious attachment.

Playful behavior, games with a maze, the ability to overcome obstacles in one’s path (if not over the top, then around), identifying the correspondence between the image of an object and a real object, and even the ability to behave atypically, the ability to quickly adapt to new conditions, the ability to adopt skills in other turtles - all this is the potential that your pet has, and you need, if you really want it, to simply develop the skills inherent in nature.