How to Care for a Small Turtle Through the Winter? Winter Feeding Methods and Precautions

We often see many small turtles that never wake up again because their owners failed to prepare them properly for hibernation, which is truly a pity. Many beginner turtle keepers worry about the problem of how to care for turtles through the winter. Here is an introduction below:

1. How to care for a small turtle through the winter

1. First of all, because the climate differs between the north and the south, the time when turtles enter hibernation also differs. Once the temperature drops below 20°C, turtles gradually become reluctant to move and their appetite decreases. At this point, you can reduce feeding frequency until you stop feeding altogether. If the temperature drops to 17°C, you can stop feeding completely. During periods when the temperature is unstable, be careful not to feed them, so as to avoid indigestion. You should also prevent the turtles from catching a cold. Before preparing for hibernation, we can use warm water to stimulate them to empty their intestinal waste, otherwise this waste will rot in the intestines and cause the turtle to die during hibernation. When we see that what they excrete is white flocculent matter, it means they have emptied themselves.

2. We can also prepare the materials for hibernation. Today we can teach everyone to use moss. First, remove impurities from the moss you bought and dry it thoroughly in the sun. Put it into a storage box. To prevent the turtle from getting sick during hibernation, we can disinfect it once. You can use a 1:2000 povidone-iodine (5%) solution, or you can use a potassium permanganate solution. The ratio is 0.2~0.5 grams of potassium permanganate added to 1 kilogram of water. Be sure to mix it strictly according to the ratio. Otherwise it can also harm the small turtle. You can buy the potassium permanganate tablets shown in the picture below at a pharmacy.

3. Once mixed, we can put the turtle into the solution for about 15 minutes. (Be sure that the small potassium permanganate granules are completely dissolved. Otherwise, if the turtle accidentally eats the small granules shown below, it can easily cause burns.) After soaking, you can wipe the turtle clean with warm water. You can also use a spray bottle to spray a small amount onto the moss.

4. Spray clean water onto the moss placed in the storage box. No need for too much; just squeeze the moss with your hand until no water drips out. At this point, you can put the turtle in. Place some moss on top of the turtle. Then cover it with the lid, but be careful not to seal it completely. You can poke a few holes in it to prevent suffocation.