Terrapin Safety: For Owner and Animal
 Terrapins are soft and delicate creatures and hence utmost care should be taken keeping the question of safety in mind.
A few ground rules should be followed to avoid any hazards.
Not only the terrapin but the owner also needs to take care to stay away from certain serious infections.
An account of the safety measures, for both the turtle (Terrapin) and the handler, is given herewith!
Terrapin safety:
1) Arrange a Terapinarium (Vivarium) before buying a terrapin.
2) Never bleach or use any strong chemical in the terrapinarium.
3) While picking up a terrapin, hold it from its side over a platform to avoid dropping it on the floor. Dropping may cause fatal fracture of your terrapins limbs or shell.
4) Proper temperature (neither too hot nor too cold), light (natural or artificial to get UV rays), clean water and calcium rich balanced diet are what they need for healthy survival in their enclosure.
5) In your absence, give responsibility to look after your pet terrapin to a person who takes interest in animals.
6) In case you have other pets like cats, dogs or birds, take care not to leave the terrapin in front of them. The terrapin may end up inside their stomach.
7) Watch out for the birds while it is basking in the sun outdoor. To be safe erect a wire enclosure around and above your terrapins outdoor home.
8) Observe them regularly to detect any disease in time.
9) Separate an infected terrapin immediately from other healthy ones.
10) It is not safe to allow a sick terrapin to hibernate, as it may cause deterioration further.
11) Never clip the Long claws of your male terrapin. They need them to woo the female during courtship.
12) Always consult a veterinary doctor whenever your terrapin shows any change of behavior.
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2. Safety for the handler:
1) Like other reptiles terrapins can also carry microorganisms like Salmonella. They may get transmitted to the human beings to cause Salmonellosis, a dreadful disease, due to careless handling.
Washing hands thoroughly with mild disinfectant is important after every contact with the terrapin or the water in the tank.
2) Never allow a child to handle a terrapin.
3) Always use gloves, but still wash your hands.
4) Never allow the water to come in contact with any household things, especially in the kitchen.
5) After washing the tank, clean the washing enclosure with disinfectants.
6) Hold them from side to avoid a painful bite.
For more terrapin safety tips check out my terrapin care book review. |
