What kind of turtles are found in the Mediterranean Sea. Species: Mediterranean turtle - Testudo graeca
The turtle has been living with us for almost ten years. My husband bought it, and I take care of it, well, everything is as usual. If you are thinking of buying such a creation for small child- not worth it. And in general, when buying it, think ten times - is it worth it? I’ll tell you why later.
Turtles are relatively easy-to-care creatures, but they also require special conditions. They are often bought as gifts for children, without thinking that they are not so easy to maintain.
Under no circumstances should turtles be kept on the floor; cold and drafts are harmful to them. And let them assure you that their turtle lived well for five years somewhere behind a closet, do not listen to them. Turtles live in hot climates, they need heating, absence of drafts and ultraviolet light.
It is best to keep them in spacious containers (for example for clothes). They need a place to walk, a place to eat, rest and sleep. You can’t keep them in a dark aquarium or jar, they need space. Unfortunately, there are no terrariums for such turtles in pet stores; you can actually find special custom-made terrariums on the Internet, but they are quite expensive.
The turtle needs to be cleaned regularly; pebbles, stones, and hay are suitable as filler. But we add wood filler because it makes it much cleaner. But its disadvantage is that a turtle can swallow it.
Whatever filler you use, the terrarium must have large stones on which the turtle can walk, exercise its muscles and grind its claws.
To sleep, you need a box (made of wood, plastic or Corton), where she can hide and sleep. Although they rarely drink water, they still have to keep it standing and change it every day.
Separate place for food. You can use a saucer or lid for this purpose. Our turtle got so used to the saucer that when he wanted to eat, he came to it and waited to be fed.
Turtles definitely need heating; an incandescent lamp of approximately 60 W is suitable for this purpose. Every day, 12 hours a day, all year round
. Under the lamp you can place a flat stone on which the turtle will sit and bask.
Since turtles are cold-blooded, they require warmth in order for their bodies to function properly.
They definitely need ultraviolet light to grow their shells. Lamps are sold in pet stores, ours are 15 watts. The cost is approximately from 1000 to 2000. It must be changed every 1.5-2 years. In the summer, it is necessary to take the turtle out into natural light and walk it, while making sure that it is not dragged away by other animals and that it does not run away. Despite their slowness and clumsiness, turtles crawl and bury themselves somewhere with enviable persistence. On green grass they are almost invisible. It is enough to turn away for a couple of minutes to lose sight of her.
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The land turtle is herbivorous. She doesn’t need any meat, cottage cheese or eggs. You definitely won’t go broke on food for a turtle. She eats little, once a day. In the summer, all food grows underfoot - dandelion, clover. And other food - apples, zucchini, pumpkin, etc. - is quite cheap or for nothing. Winter is another matter. But you can easily feed a turtle in winter, although it’s a little more expensive. But considering how little she needs, buying zucchini, salad and apples once a week is quite manageable.
Foods high in calcium are very useful - dandelions, parsley. In the summer, be sure to give dandelion flowers and leaves every day, fortunately it comes across until the fall.
Also give zucchini, apples, pumpkin, beets, cucumbers, carrots, lettuce, and various berries. Make sure that the food is varied, and not just cucumbers every day. Give cabbage rarely, as it interferes with the absorption of calcium.
The turtle has no teeth; it bites off food with its beak and swallows. Therefore, the food must either be finely grated or, on the contrary, coarsely chopped so that she can take a bite. She bites off with her beak, moves her head to the sides and helps with her front paws.
For example, she will not be able to eat such pieces, and if she does eat them, they will get stuck in her throat.
Water, I repeat, should stand at the turtle's free access, since they sometimes, especially in the heat, drink. And so they get moisture from juicy vegetables and fruits.
Periodically give vitamins for turtles, ground cuttlefish shell, eggshells. So that she eats it, grind it and sprinkle it on her favorite food.
It's also pretty simple. Periodically bathe in warm water.
Turtles have constantly growing claws and beaks. Some sources advise filing them with a file. We've never done this. The only thing is that at the veterinary clinic they shortened her beak. We did this with ordinary wire cutters. There are no nerve receptors there, so it doesn’t hurt turtles, it’s like our nails. In nature they wear off naturally when the turtle climbs and digs.
If these conditions are not met, the turtle may get sick, which is what happened to us. I ask animal defenders not to throw slippers or burn them at the stake, my conscience has already done that.
I took care of the turtle exclusively. While we didn’t have children, I managed. And with my first child, I didn’t forget about her either. She even asked him to keep an eye on her - to make sure there was always water, to bring her food. At first he liked it. Then he forgot about her.
But when the second child was born, there was no time for her. Then both of our lamps broke and the turtle was left without light for some time, and we didn’t have the time or money to buy them all. The food was also bad - monotonous. Without light, she became lethargic, ate little and rarely went out.
So one day I decided to give her a bath, took her in my arms and felt that the shell below was soft... I felt how she was breathing and the shell was moving up and down. I even felt sick.
We ran to the veterinary clinic (not everyone treats turtles by the way, call in advance and find out), the doctor scolded us, threatened to sue and diagnosed us with rickets, lack of calcium.
Treatment was prescribed - liquid calcium injections for five days, ultraviolet light, dandelions, walking in the sun. The first injection was given right there, but the rest were given by my mother-in-law. The injections were made with the thinnest syringes - insulin, in the paw. By the end of the treatment, the turtle became active and began to go out and eat. Of course, we immediately bought and installed both lamps, varied the diet and took them outside in sunny weather. If it was not possible, then they put it in a box on a window in the sun. In this case, the window was opened, since ultraviolet radiation does not pass through glass.
By the end of the treatment, the shell became much harder. Activity has returned.
By the way, at the veterinary clinic the doctor told us that it was a boy, but all this time we thought it was a girl. This can be identified by the lower part of the shell and tail. I also counted the rings on the armor and approximately reported its age - 15 years.... turtles are like trees, they have tree rings, from them, in addition to age, you can also determine in what conditions the turtle was kept. If the rings are clear and large, the conditions were good, and if they were blurred, then the conditions were correspondingly bad. Our turtle did not hit the mud with its face - the rings were clear and large :)
I definitely don’t recommend a turtle as a gift for children. Of course, at first they are delighted with her, they take care of her, but then they quickly get bored with her. And you will have to take care. The turtle does not cause any particular joy - you can’t pet it, you can’t play with it. In the morning he goes out, eats, sits under the lamp and comes back. Get ready for the fact that you will simply contemplate it.
I really got the hang of stroking the top of her head with my finger, but she was very timid and quickly hid her head.
Its undeniable advantage is that it does not take up much space in the apartment,
Doesn't run around the apartment
Doesn't knock furniture
Doesn't howl, doesn't bark and doesn't piss in slippers
It is also suitable for allergy sufferers; it will not cause fur throughout the apartment.
You only need to walk him in the summer and not every day.
There will be no smell from it.
Eats little, food is not expensive
Therefore, if you wanted an animal that you can put in a box and forget about it, then a turtle is definitely not suitable. Better then get a cockroach
But overall, this is a cute animal, and if you put in a minimum of effort, you will be able to provide her with normal conditions.
That's all I wanted to tell you about keeping turtles, I will be glad to answer your questions in the comments. I hope my review was helpful)
Thank you for your attention!
View: Mediterranean turtle - Testudo graeca L., 1758
Type area: Saita Cruz (Oran).
Forepaws with 5 claws. The carapace is high, usually serrated in the back. On the light olive or yellowish-brown background of the carapace there are black spots that increase with age. There is one horny tubercle on the back of the thigh.
Distributed in North Africa, Southern Spain, the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula, Western Asia, Syria, Iran, Iraq. In the USSR it is found on Black Sea coast Caucasus, south to Abkhazia, in Dagestan, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia.
Forms 2 subspecies. Nominative form T. g. graeca L. is distributed in southern Spain and northern Africa; T.g. ibera Pall., 1814 inhabits the rest of its range, including within our country. It is characterized by a wider and relatively flattened caranax and larger overall dimensions.
Inhabits a variety of habitats - from dry steppes and mountain slopes covered with shrubs to lowland forests and gardens. It feeds on succulent herbaceous vegetation, mainly legumes (up to 98% of the volume), Asteraceae (up to 20%), sometimes fruits and berries. Eats small quantities of mollusks and insects. In summer it is active mainly in the morning and evening, spending the hottest hours in the bushes. At the end of October - in November it is buried in the sand.
Previously, the name “Greek” was used, this is incorrect, since this species does not exist in Greece; another species of the same genus lives there - the Balkan tortoise (T. hermanni), distinguished by a paired supra-tail scute. the ground, usually in the old seasons of foxes and badgers, where it winters. In April-May, mating occurs, accompanied by fights between males. Starting in June, it lays eggs three times a season, 2-8 eggs in each clutch. The eggs are buried in a hole dug in the ground. The eggs are almost spherical, 32-36 mm in diameter, weighing 22-23 g, white, covered with a calcareous shell. The incubation period is 2-3 months. The length of the shell of newly hatched turtles is 35-45 mm. In most cases, they emerge the following spring. Sexual maturity is reached at 12-14 years of age. The number is declining sharply. Included in the Red Book of the USSR.
Mediterranean turtle(T. graeca) has a wide range. It lives in North Africa from Morocco to Egypt, southern Spain, the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula, Asia Minor, the Caucasus, the countries of the Eastern Mediterranean and Iran. In the Soviet Union, the Mediterranean turtle is distributed on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus, in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Dagestan.
The Mediterranean tortoise is often called the Caucasian and Asia Minor, as well as the Greek. The last name, like the Latin name, is completely unfortunate, since it is in Greece that this species is absent, being replaced there by another, close species - the Balkan tortoise (T. her-manni).
The shell of the Mediterranean tortoise is convex, smooth, slightly jagged along the posterior edge, up to 30 cm long. The head is covered on top with large symmetrical scutes. Large overlapping scutes cover the outer surface of the front legs; there is one large conical tubercles on the hips. The tail is blunt and short. The coloration above is yellowish-brown, usually with dark spots on the scutes. The habitats of this turtle are varied: dry steppes, semi-deserts, mountain slopes covered with bushes, dry sparse forests. It is quite common in the lowlands, but also penetrates into the mountains up to altitudes of about 1100 m above sea level. Willingly visits gardens and fields in search of tasty fruits. It feeds on all kinds of juicy greens, sometimes diversifying its diet with worms, snails and small insects.
Winter time turtles hibernate, climbing into holes, crevices between stones, or burrowing into the ground to a shallow depth. In the spring they appear very early - already in February - March - and soon begin to reproduce. Mating occurs vigorously. Married couples can be found everywhere in the clearings and in the forest. Females, trying to get away from the annoying males, hide in the bushes of the eagles, in the thick of the grass, and excited males force the females to leave the shelter with blows of the shield and strong bites on the hind legs. They either run ahead or try to climb onto the female. During the act of mating, the male opens his mouth wide, tensely stretches his neck and emits strong growling wheezes. If one female is pursued by several males, which is quite rare, then fights occur between the males. Enraged males grab each other by the head and legs, sometimes inflicting serious wounds, tearing out pieces of meat along with hard, keratinized skin. When the strongest male manages to climb onto the female, the remaining males, despite their wounds, knock him down with blows of their shells, and the fight begins anew. This is repeated many times until, finally, only the strongest male remains, who manages to fertilize the female. Mating occurs up to 8-10 times a day, and there are cases when one female is fertilized by several males.
In June-July, females lay 2-8 white, almost spherical, slightly flattened eggs about 35 mm long. Oviposition occurs three times per season, and thus, during the summer, one female lays an average of 16 eggs. After 2-3 months, young turtles emerge from them. In most cases, they do not come out, but burrow even deeper and spend the winter next to the nesting chamber. Only the following spring, having become stronger and grown due to the yolk sac, do they appear on the surface.
The Mediterranean tortoise is very often kept in captivity. She is unpretentious and, with plenty of warmth and food, lives for decades. Individuals are known to have lived in captivity for about a hundred years. The meat and eggs of this species are eaten in some areas. Only occasionally can a turtle cause harm by damaging crops.
Mediterranean (Greek, Caucasian) turtle is a small reptile of the family Land turtles. The length of the shell does not exceed thirty centimeters. Males are slightly smaller. Their shell can only reach twenty-three centimeters. The body of the turtles is sand-colored, with spots of brown shades. The ventral part is also light. The shell is almost black, decorated yellow spots. The legs are short. Toes can be seen on the forelimbs.
The habitat of Mediterranean turtles is expanding in North Africa, Southern Europe, and Asia. You can see an animal of this breed in the steppe zones, near the foot of the mountains, in sparse forests. Caucasian turtles cannot tolerate heat, so activity is observed in the evening and early morning. The reptile prefers to rest, hiding under some small plant. Most often it can be seen between stones, under bushes. The turtle’s body reacts negatively to a sharp drop in temperature, so the animals sleep all winter. At the beginning of spring they wake up. At this time, young couples can give birth to offspring. You can distinguish a male from a female by the shape of its shell. In males it is more voluminous.
Recently, Greek tortoises have been taken as pets. This decision is explained by the fact that this breed reptiles are quite hardy. At proper care the pet lives up to thirty years. Before buying a turtle, take care of housing. A terrarium or aquarium is perfect. There should be room for the animal in it, so you should decide on the breed of turtle in advance. Cover the bottom of the “shelter” with a thick layer of a special substrate (sand, peat). At the bottom you can plant small plants (oats, millet, other grains). The sprouts will serve as additional food for your pet. It is not recommended to plant two males in one terrarium at once. Sometimes they can provoke conflicts that will negatively affect the health of one of the animals. It's better to buy a couple. Individuals of different sexes get along well together. Later they can give birth to offspring. Some time after mating, the expectant mother begins to lay eggs. The female buries them shallowly in the soil. It is recommended to immediately transfer the eggs to a special container. This will protect the embryos from injury and premature hatching. In the incubator, the eggs are kept under special ultraviolet paws for four months. Newborn babies (about five centimeters in length) are born completely unprotected. At first, they perceive the environment poorly.
Adult turtles eat almost everything. You can safely give fruits, vegetables, meat, fish, and boiled chicken eggs. Dairy products are also beneficial for growing reptiles. You can buy special food at the pet store. Nutritional supplements, vitamins. Change the water in drinking bowls daily. Remember that turtles are used to light. Therefore, take them outside regularly. The sun's rays are very beneficial for the animal.
Candidate of Biological Sciences V. BOBROV.
Broad-leaved forests of the lower mountain belt in the Caucasus Biosphere Reserve are the habitat of the Mediterranean tortoise.
Caucasian biosphere reserve- the only place in our country where the Mediterranean turtle is protected.
Science and life // Illustrations
In the mountains of the Western Caucasus there is an amazing protected land - a kingdom of mountain forests, azure lakes, alpine meadows and rocks. At the foot of the mountains there are dense broad-leaved thickets of chestnut, oak and hornbeam. Wooded ridges covered with spruce, fir and pine forests rise higher. Above them are alpine meadows. At the highest mountain ridges, above which pyramidal snowy peaks proudly rise, a continuous carpet of grasses and flowers gives way to sparse islands of dwarf plants adjacent to glaciers.
In these places there is the Caucasian Biosphere Reserve, which is home to rare animals listed in the Red Book: for example, the bison, the rarest species of birds - the bearded vulture, the griffon vulture, the Caucasian black grouse, the amazingly beautiful Caucasian ground beetle...
In the lower belt of mountains, at an altitude below 1100 meters, you can find a rare representative of reptiles, also included in the Red Book - the Mediterranean turtle. It belongs to the family of land turtles.
In addition to land turtles, soft-bodied and freshwater turtles also live in our country. It is not difficult to distinguish them from each other: in soft-bodied turtles, the shell is covered with soft skin on top, and the tip of the muzzle is extended into a soft proboscis; in freshwater turtles (these include the marsh and Caspian turtles found in Russia), swimming membranes are stretched between the toes, while in land turtles the toes are fused and there is no swimming membrane. There is one more difference: in land turtles the head is covered with large symmetrical scutes, while in freshwater turtles it is smooth.
The Mediterranean tortoise can be found not only in the Caucasus Biosphere Reserve, but also on the weed-covered dunes of the Caspian coast, in the riparian forests of the Kura and Araks rivers, in dry steppes and foothills, and in the gardens of the lower mountain belt. It is sometimes confused with the Central Asian tortoise, a common species often kept in home and school habitats. They are really similar: the same convex yellowish-brown shell with black or dark brown spots. These turtles can be distinguished by the claws on their feet: the Central Asian turtle has four, and the Mediterranean turtle has five.
The life of turtles proceeds slowly and orderly: hibernation, awakening, mating season, laying eggs, preparing for hibernation. These animals spend almost half of their lives in hibernation, so they begin to prepare for it in advance: they dig underground shelters for themselves, the depth of which sometimes reaches more than a meter. Sometimes they also use abandoned holes of rodents or foxes. If the turtle fails to climb into the hole, it takes refuge in a crevice among the stones, between the roots of the bushes. At this time, animals are unsociable and inactive; they pay almost no attention to their relatives. In November - early December, with the onset of cold weather, turtles go to winter, and wake up in March-April, with the first fine days.
In April-May the mating season begins for turtles. Males are unrecognizable at this time - they are mobile and aggressive, eat almost nothing and, when they see rivals, enter into tournament fights.
At the end of July, females begin laying eggs: they look for a secluded but well-lit place with wet sand and begin to dig a shallow hole. At the same time, the turtle rakes the earth with one or the other paw and gradually turns in a circle, so that the hole takes on a perfectly round shape. Having finished digging the ground, the animal rests for some time, dangling its paws over the depression. Then the turtle lays several (from two to eight) tiny round eggs in the hole with a shell that quickly hardens in air. The masonry is carefully covered with sand, which the turtle levels and slightly compacts, and this is where the care for the offspring ends. After two or three months, the motionless sand in the place where the masonry was laid comes to life, sways, as if boiling: these are newly hatched turtles being released into the wild. They are very tiny, only 3-4 centimeters long, but their first meeting with the world begins with hard work, and then many difficulties await: the soft yellowish shell, until it hardens, does not protect either from the fangs of foxes and dogs, or from the claws buzzards, eagles and falcons. Many young turtles die at this time. Those who survived quickly grow up on succulent spring food - young leaves and shoots of cereals and legumes. The turtle bites off the heads of flowers, and “cuts down” leaves and shoots with its powerful serrated jaws. Later, juicy fruits appear in the turtles’ diet; they also do not refuse snails and slugs, worms, and insects.
In the spring, turtles are more mobile, although in general they are distinguished by being homebodies: over several years they move around their area no more than a kilometer. Seemingly slow and clumsy, these animals sometimes with amazing tenacity overcome obstacles encountered on their way and climb steep mountain slopes. In this case, the turtle happens to roll over on its back. Then she furiously waves all four paws, spinning on an overturned shell, as if on a plate, until she rests one paw on the ground, after which she returns to her usual position in a matter of seconds. Mediterranean turtles are very friendly towards each other, they never have fights for territory. In summer you can see turtles slowly crawling about their business only in the morning or evening; during hot hours, animals hide in the shade, between stones or under bushes, and burrow into last year’s foliage.
Unfortunately, recently these cute and peaceful animals have become a huge rarity in our country. It wasn't always like this. According to experts, in the forties on the coast of the Caspian Sea there were 8-11 turtles per hectare, now only one lives on two to four hectares in the same area. The most disastrous situation of this species is on the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus - in the thirties the turtle was a common inhabitant here, but now it has almost disappeared. There are many reasons for this: the usual habitats of turtles are increasingly being inhabited by people, tourists and vacationers are increasingly appearing on them, who, not suspecting that the turtles they meet are not ordinary, Central Asian ones, catch these rare animals for their home living corners. But in captivity, the Mediterranean tortoise does not live long at all and almost never reproduces: for this, it needs the conditions of a zoo or a specially equipped terrarium, in which the laid eggs are kept at the required temperature and humidity for two months. In nature, Mediterranean turtles also reproduce very slowly: animals reach sexual maturity only in the twelfth year of life, and their offspring often serve as prey for predators and poachers. So it turns out that many more turtles die than are born. The Mediterranean tortoise is protected only in the Caucasus Biosphere Reserve. This species can only be saved if new territories are allocated in which it will be subject to protection, and the trapping of turtles in all their habitats is prohibited.
Shell length: 10 - 20 cm.
Weight: 5 - 15 kg.
Lifespan: 25 - 40 years.
Greek tortoises are easily identified based on their unique features, particularly the spurs on their hips. This gives the turtles a truly unique appearance.
Description
The carapace is convex, smooth, slightly serrated along the posterior edge. The color of the shell is yellowish-brown, usually with dark spots on the shields. The head is covered on top with large symmetrical scutes. The outer surface of the front legs is also covered with large scutes; there is one large conical tubercle on the hips. The tail is blunt and short.
Habitat
Mediterranean turtle widespread in North Africa(from Morocco before Egypt), Southern Spain, eastern part Balkan Peninsula, V Asia Minor, on Caucasus, in countries Eastern Mediterranean And Iran. Despite its Latin name Testudo graeca , in Greece itself it is not.
The habitats of this turtle are varied: dry steppes, semi-deserts, bush-covered mountain slopes, dry sparse forests.
It feeds on all kinds of juicy greens, sometimes worms, snails and small insects.
Reproduction
In early spring, waking up from hibernation, the Mediterranean turtle begins to reproduce. Mating occurs vigorously and is sometimes accompanied by battles between males for the female. In June-July, the turtle lays 2-8 white, almost spherical eggs about 35 mm. in diameter.
A subspecies of the Mediterranean tortoise, the Greek tortoise (Testudo graeca), is most often kept in captivity. It is placed in dry terrariums and kept at a temperature of 26-31°C during the day and 20-21°C at night. This turtle needs a wintering period of 2-3 months at a temperature of 3-8°C and higher than usual air humidity. Greek tortoises mate from May to August. The duration of pregnancy is 85-130 days. Laying 4-12 eggs occurs from July to September. Incubation at a temperature of 28-32 °C lasts 58-102 days.
Place and conditions of detention
For keeping in captivity, a terrarium with a bottom area of at least 0.4 m² per pair is required. The Greek tortoise is a less “burrowing” species than the Central Asian one, therefore, the soil layer can be about 5 cm. It is best to use garden soil or a peat mixture as soil; you can also use alder-beech chips or hay, if it does not cause allergies in the tortoise .
As a design and for additional fertilizing, wheat or oats are sown in the soil.
Sprouted cereals give the terrarium the appearance of a corner of the steppe. In addition, they are readily eaten by turtles. This species is less demanding of insolation than the steppe tortoise, but it is still recommended to place the tortoise in direct sun on occasion, if the climate and season permit.
The terrarium must have soil (large pebbles in a warm corner, sawdust, wood chips, hay), an incandescent lamp of 40-60 W, an ultraviolet lamp for reptiles (10% UVB), a house and a feeder. The UV lamp should be located approximately 25cm from the turtle (not lower than 20, not higher than 40).
An ultraviolet lamp does not heat the terrarium, but provides the necessary ultraviolet radiation for the turtle, which in nature they receive with the help of sun rays, - ultraviolet light is vital for turtles for normal life, absorption of calcium, vitamin D3 and many others.
A heating lamp (incandescent) plays the role of a heat source, creating the necessary temperature gradient at which the turtle can choose the optimal temperature for itself.
Warmth is also vital for a reptile because they can only stay warm from external heat sources in order for the body to function properly.
Without heat, low metabolism becomes even slower, food is not digested, but rots in the stomach, and problems with the gastrointestinal tract are possible. The temperature is 24-26°C in a cold corner near the house and 30-33 in a warm corner under a lamp. The temperature under the lamp can be adjusted by changing the light bulb itself in the lamp (put different ones in power), or by lowering or raising the lamp. Any drafts and sudden changes in temperature, even when kept in a terrarium, can cause colds in these animals.
There may be a shelter in the terrarium where turtles are happy to climb and a drinking bowl and bathing station, but if the turtle ignores them for a long time, then you can remove them and get by with bathing the turtle once every 1-2 weeks.
Nutrition
In nature greek tortoise feeds on a variety of succulent and dry vegetation, occasionally eating found fruits, vegetables, insects, and slugs. The turtle readily eats the leaves of trees and shrubs, the fruits of plums, apricots, grapes, apple trees, etc.
In captivity, turtles are recommended to be fed romaine lettuce, adding vegetables and fruits once a week in winter, and local edible plants (dandelions, alfalfa, clover) in summer. Lettuce is very nutritious, contains a lot of moisture, vitamins and even calcium if it grows in soil rich in limestone and not in greenhouses.
Cut the food and give it to the turtle on a plate or in a bowl; it is better not to feed it by hand. An adult turtle usually needs one head of romaine lettuce, and a young turtle needs 1/2 or 1/3 of a head. Occasionally (extremely occasionally) you can try feeding insects, such as earthworms, mealworms, crickets, small snails or slugs. No more than once a month.
Once a week, the turtle needs to add vitamins and calcium to its food in the form of powder from foreign companies. You cannot give meat, fish, milk, bread, cottage cheese, eggs, other human food or dog or cat food. She doesn't need to drink regularly.
There is no point in putting bowls of water in the terrarium: they will be trampled, spilled, or overturned; excessive moisture is harmful.
