Housing your terrapin

You will need to buy your terrapin a vivarium to live in. It is best to get the house (and also the things that you put in it) from a specialist reptile shop. A vivarium made of glass or plastic is a good idea as these materials are easy to clean.

A glass or plastic vivarium is ideal; within the vivarium you should try to create a world which mimics the environment your species of terrapin would live in if they were living in the wild. Therefore, it is very important that you fully research your chosen species so that you can create the correct living environment.

Terrapins live in water but must have dry land to be able to bask in the sun. A vivarium with water and an area with rocks or a built in basking area needs to be included within the house.

It is also important to think about where you will place your terrapin’s house in your own home. The best place to put it is in a room that is used regularly, like your bedroom or the main living room not an unused room with cold temperatures. Your terrapin needs to be somewhere with a constant temperature. Do not put his house beside a window or over a radiator as the temperature will rise and fall too much in these areas.

Substrate is the material used to cover the floor of your terrapin’s house. Gravel that is used for fish tanks is suitable to cover the floor of your terrapin’s house. But ensure your terrapin does not try eating this as it will cause an impaction which may need to be removed surgically.

You will also need to put some furniture in the house. Your terrapin needs to have somewhere to hide, especially if the house is in a busy room. You can buy a plastic cave or you can use pieces of wood or small logs to make a hide.

Life on Earth is supported by the sun. The sun provides heat and also light. Animals need both heat and light to survive. Mammals can control their own body temperature. The food they eat provides the body with energy and heat. If they are too cold they shiver and if they are too hot they sweat. These processes use a lot of energy.

Your terrapin is a reptile and reptiles regulate their body temperature very differently from mammals. This is a major and vitally important difference. Reptiles are cold blooded (ectothermic). This means that their bodies cannot produce heat from the food that they eat. Because of this they need much less energy from food to survive. A 100 g reptile needs only 5% of the energy that a 100 g mammal needs. To keep warm they need to bathe in the sun or sit on a warm rock. They have no hair, no sweat glands and do not shiver. This means that your terrapin will show no obvious signs that they are too hot or too cold. Activity levels may change if the terrapin becomes  cold so it’s important to know your terrapin’s normal activity level.

You need to provide sources of heat for your terrapin within his house. This could be a heat bulb, a ceramic bulb or an under floor heating mat. It is important that you know the temperature in your terrapin’s house, both the hottest and the coolest areas. To do this you will need to use thermometers in their house. The temperature in the vivarium depends on the species of terrapin. Your terrapin’s vivarium temperature should be warmer during the day and cooler at night. The vivarium should have a warmer and a cooler end to allow your terrapin to control his temperature.

If you are not aware of the temperature in your terrapin’s house there is a danger that he could become too hot. As he cannot sweat to cool off or remove layers of clothing as we would, he will need to try to hide in a cooler part of his house.

It is more common however, for a terrapin to find himself in an environment which is too cold. Cooler temperatures are unlikely to kill him but will put a strain on his body and organs. His muscles, lungs, intestines and heart will struggle to work if they are too cold. If this goes on for a long time it can lead to illness and even death. This is why it is important to learn your terrapin’s normal activity level as this will change during illness.

As well as producing heat and light the sun also produces ultraviolet (UV) light. This is a type of light which we cannot see but terrapins can. It affects the skin and in humans it can cause sunburn. Reptiles use UV light to make vitamin D3. This helps to keep their bones strong and healthy and enables their intestines to absorb calcium from their food. To obtain vitamin D3 he will need exposure to UV light for 12 hours a day. If your terrapin does not receive enough vitamin D3 his shell may become soft and spongy. The shell and the bones act as a huge store for calcium.  It is also important to note that because terrapins eat whole food, such as mice, they are not as dependent on vitamin D3 from the sun as other reptiles such as chameleons. Terrapins and snakes eat a lot of vitamin D3 in whole or complete pray. UV should always be present.

Ultra violet light can be provided in the form of a combination bulb or a UV tube. The tube needs to be no more than 30cm away from your terrapin. Remember that a regular UV tube will not provide him with any heat. The bulb should be changed once a year and although it may appear to be working,  over time becomes weaker and it eventually stops producing any UV light.

In the UK there is a good source of UV light from March until September, so where possible adult terrapins can spend time outside on sunny warm days in a suitable enclosure. However, be warned… terrapins are escape artists!

Terrapins are unusual because they are one of the few pet reptiles that live in water; water quality is important! The quality of water does not need to be to the exacting standard for keeping fish, but it is important that it is clean and regularly changed. A good quality under gravel filter can help to keep the water free of bacteria.

Humidity is also an important consideration when setting up your terrapin’s house. When water evaporates it forms an invisible gas called water vapor. Humidity is a measure of the amount of water vapor that is present in the air. When water is present in the house, your terrapin may have the opposite problem of other commonly kept reptiles. It is hard for the shell to dry out, making them more prone to skin disease.

In hot dry areas like deserts, there is very little water vapor in the air which means that deserts have low humidity. Rain forests are also hot but have lots of water vapor in the air and so they have high levels of humidity. Some species of terrapin need to have a water heater.

The level of humidity required for your terrapin will depend on what sort of terrapin he is and therefore what type of environment he needs. You can use a gadget called a hygrometer to measure the humidity levels in your terrapin’s house to ensure that it is suitable for him.