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Published:
April 7, 2020

Turtles & Tortoises For Dummies

Overview

Your fun guide to selecting, caring, and loving your turtle or tortoise!

Coexisting with a turtle or tortoise may not be a warm and fuzzy experience, but it definitely has its rewards. And with more than 250 species to choose from, you’re bound to find one that’s right for you. Looks-wise, they can range from very plain and unadorned to a brightly colored and embellished with every manner of crest, crown, spike, and dewlap. As for personality, you’d be amazed at how very different they can be, ranging from shy and withdrawn, to outgoing and friendly, to outright aggressive. And when it comes to longevity, well, let’s just say that when you commit to a turtle or tortoise, you’re in it for the long haul. For example, the standard American box turtle can live more than 125 years, a leopard tortoise has a life span of up to 100 years, and an aldabran tortoise can live to be more than 200 years old!

This fun guide will help you choose the perfect turtle or tortoise for your lifestyle and give it the care it needs to thrive. Turtle and tortoise expert Liz Palika provides cl ear, step-by-step instructions on how to:

  • Select the appropriate turtle or tortoise
  • Provide a suitable environment for your new pal
  • Care for a variety of chelonian (turtle and tortoise) species
  • Supply you pet

with a satisfying and healthy diet

  • Create an indoor or outdoor home
  • Understand your turtle’s or tortoise’s special needs
  • Generously illustrated with line drawings and high-quality photographs, Turtles & Tortoises For Dummies covers all the bases. Topics covered include:

    • Deciding whether a turtle or tortoise is right for you
    • Choosing between a turtle and tortoise
    • Who’s Who of turtles and tortoises—a complete guide to dozens of species, where they’re from, what they’re like, and how they are as pets
    • Creating a safe and healthy environment for your pet
    • Recognizing and treating common health problems and finding a good veterinarian to help you care for your chelonian

    Turtles & Tortoises For Dummies is your fun guide to selecting, caring for, and sharing your life with a chelonian.


    P.S. If you think this book seems familiar, you’re probably right. The Dummies team updated the cover and design to give the book a fresh feel, but the content is the same as the previous release of Turtles and Tortoises For Dummies (9780764553134). The book you see here shouldn’t be considered a new or updated product. But if you’re in the mood to learn something new, check out some of our other books. We’re always writing about new topics!

    Read More

    About The Author

    Liz Palika is an award-winning writer of 45 books on pets. She has written articles for Newsweek and all the major pet publications, including Reptiles magazine.

    Sample Chapters

    turtles & tortoises for dummies

    CHEAT SHEET

    Your shelled pet may not have the warm fuzzies of more ordinary choices, but turtles and tortoises definitely have a cool factor that mammals can’t touch. As the owner of a turtle or tortoise, you enter a world with a whole new vocabulary and a different set of records to keep.

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    Articles from
    the book

    You can house your terrestrial turtle or tortoise in a number of ways: glass aquariums, commercially designed reptile cages, home-built wooden enclosures, and plastic swimming pools. However, before you decide which type of cage to use, you need to figure out how large it should be. In addition, you need to make the cage escape-proof.
    As your turtle's or tortoise's caretaker, you are ultimately responsible for its good health. You aren't able to hear directly from your turtle or tortoise when it is unwell or has been hurt. In fact, your turtle or tortoise is genetically programmed to hide illnesses and injury, because in the wild, predators prey upon the weak.
    Keeping records on your turtle or tortoise is a necessity. Do you remember exactly when you bought your pet? When were those eggs laid? In addition, with so many species protected by law, you need to be able to show where, when, and from whom you got each pet. Records and photographs can also help you identify your pets if one is stolen or escapes.
    In the wild, aquatic and semi-aquatic turtles live wherever there is a constant source of water, coming out to forage, bask in the sun, or lay eggs. Quick-running rivers, slow, meandering streams, and tiny creeks all support turtles. Swamps, ponds, lakes, and even brackish (salty) marshes have chelonian residents.
    Your shelled pet may not have the warm fuzzies of more ordinary choices, but turtles and tortoises definitely have a cool factor that mammals can’t touch. As the owner of a turtle or tortoise, you enter a world with a whole new vocabulary and a different set of records to keep.
    When you think of turtles, do you think of the tiny quarter or half-dollar-sized turtles that used to be sold in pet stores (and in some places still are)? If so, you're not alone. That image is the one that comes to mind when many people think of turtles. However, those tiny little turtles (most of whom died shortly after their purchase) are only one of many different types of turtles and tortoises, many of which can be long-lived, healthy, hearty pets.
    Turtles and tortoises are not your run-of-the-mill pets, and if you choose to add a chelonian (a turtle or tortoise) to your family, you may want to broaden your vocabulary beyond what you need when talking about more, uh, ordinary pets. The terms here are some of the words used in reference to turtles and to
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