Most people keep turtles as pets because of their long lifespan and simpler maintenance needs. After all, nobody wants to go through the pain of losing a pet, and turtles can easily outlive you if cared for properly. Moreover, as far as pets go, their demands are pretty straightforward: give them a clean tank, a basking area, and food, and they’d be satisfied.
It might come as a surprise to many, but turtles are fond of playing just like any other pet. These reptiles can also get bored if they spend all their time inside a tank. To make their life more interesting, you can add some toys to it. This will keep them busy, and seeing them in action will keep you entertained.
However, when we talk about toys for turtles, most people have no idea what would appeal to them. That’s why we’re here to tell you about the toys that your pet will go crazy about. Explore the list we’ve curated here and take your pick.
Tank Substrate
When it comes to keeping your pet’s tank clean, we know that a bare bottom is easy to maintain. However, if a little work for you means a fun time for them, won’t you be willing to consider it?
The whole purpose of giving your turtles toys to play with is to keep them happy and stimulated. And the first step towards achieving it is to make their tank resemble their natural habitat in the wild. Turtles that live in the wild are used to rocks lying around in which they can forage.
The first thing you need to consider before adding rocks to their tank is their size. You should always add large rocks in a turtle’s tank so that they don’t swallow or choke on them.
Moreover, if you’re collecting rocks by yourself, you need to be careful about their texture; they shouldn’t have sharp edges that might wound your pet. At last, you need to keep them in boiling water to get rid of dirt and bacteria before putting them into their tank.
If all this sounds too hectic for you, you can also simply buy rocks custom-designed for turtles online. This way, you wouldn’t have to worry about their hygiene. Moreover, these pebbles come in different shapes and colors that will keep your pet turtles fascinated and their tank decorated.
Caves, Hides, and Ledges
Caves, hideouts, and ledges are not merely toys for turtles but necessary addition to their tank, especially if you’re keeping more than one turtle in a single tank.
It is because turtles often need to be in an enclosed, hidden place in order to feel safe. This happens more often when they are sharing the tank with another turtle. The caves and hideouts provide them with a way to avoid difficulties and cool off in peace.
Even if your turtle is alone in its tank, having a secretive place all to themselves can be fun for them. There is a wide variety of caves, ledges, and hides available online, all in different shapes and sizes for you to pick from.
You can go with a cave that has a natural look, painted like rocks, with plastic trees attached to it. It will give them a sense of their habitat in the wild, something that they can relate to and feel safe in. These caves also have a basking space on top on which your turtle can climb.
You can also buy them a hideout that looks like a hollow log with several hideout holes. Then there are elevated island basking platforms available with steps attached to them and a hideout beneath. You can easily pick one of these and add a toy with a natural touch to your turtle’s aquascape.
Floating turtle feeder
Many pet-owners believe that turtles are one of the lazier aquatic pets. However, it is far from the truth. If you can provide your turtle with the right motivation to move, they will gladly comply.
A floating turtle feeder is just the perfect motivation for your pet reptiles! Check out this floating feeder on Amazon shaped like a fish with its insides hollow to store their food. Once you drop it in their tank, your turtles will chase it around, believing it to be a fish.
The feeder also has small holes on each side to release their food slowly as the fish moves around in the water. Built with solid plastic that doesn’t harm your pet’s health, the feeder is sturdy enough to withstand their bites and scratches and is practically unbreakable for them. Once they’ve had their fun for the day, you can safely remove it from the tank and clean it.
However, if your turtles are too young, this feeder might not work for them as it is designed to keep adult turtles in mind. In that case, you can look for smaller options in your neighborhood pet store or online.
Roller Puzzle Ball
We know what you’re thinking: these balls are basically dog-toys. But hey, you need to get more creative if you want to find your turtle toys that they would enjoy playing with. The roller puzzle ball is made of non-toxic and soft rubber that is easily bendable for the turtles.
With a larger ball, they will be able to get in and out of it through the large holes, playing among themselves. If you want to see more action, buy a small ball and stuff it with some turtle feed before placing it inside. Your little pets will go rampant on it, trying to snatch their pellets through the holes. Some pets might even like to push the empty ball around for fun.
The best thing about these balls is that they’re very durable both on the surface as well as underwater. If you clean them with warm water once a month, you’re good to go.
Bird Mirrors
Birds aren’t the only pets that are fascinated by a mirror. Many turtle-owners have confessed that their pets absolutely love having mirrors in their tank. Some turtles keep staring into it for hours, while others might even try to attack their own reflection.
However, you must make sure that the mirror you’re placing in their tank has no rough edges that could wound your pets. Moreover, you must also remember that mirrors are prone to rusting in water.
If the mirror in their tank appears to be rusting, you should discard it immediately. If your turtles have grown fond of it, you can always get them another one; they’re surprisingly affordable as well.
Mega Marbles
With their colorful, shiny appearance and smooth and polished surface, marbles appeal to the turtles just as they do to our kids. Most turtles just love the fact that they can push it around so effortlessly, and they’re at it for hours.
You can find the set of 24 mega marbles on Amazon; all colored brilliantly with interesting patterns drawn upon them. If you have two or more turtles in your tank, adding a single marble in the tank can result in all of them playing together with it. However, if your turtles have a temper and can pick a fight with each other easily, it’s better to give them their separate marbles to play with.
There’s another thing that you must keep in mind: placing marbles in the tank of a large-mouthed turtle is a bad idea since they might consider it their food and try to swallow it. These marbles make ideal toys for pet Musk, Bog, and Spotted turtles.
Moss Balls
The main purpose of adding moss balls to a tank is to keep it clean and odor-free. These artificially designed balls contain absorption resin, which doesn’t allow the accumulation of organic compounds in the tank and promotes healthy growth of both the animals and plants living in the tank.
However, they’re called “ball” for a reason. They’re green in color and spherical shape and, therefore, make an ideal play material for the turtles.
They are completely harmless to them and keep their tank clean as well; it’s like killing two birds with a single stone. These balls are also very affordable, which means changing them every month won’t be a problem for you.
Grass Ladder
Do you want your turtle to do some kind of physical exercise on a regular basis? If you do, then you’re going to love these grass ladders. They are large, easy to attach, and your turtles would never get bored of them.
While one part of the ladder has a straight surface to provide your pet with a basking space, the other part is slanting and acts as a ladder.
To fix it in their tank, you need to attach the straight end to a wall of the tank and the slanting end to the base of the tank. They have suction hooks on both ends to hold the whole set-up firmly even underwater.
You should place the basking platform above the water level of your tank so that the turtles can climb up on it to bask on the dry, grassy surface. The platform is durable and doesn’t decay even after staying submerged in water for months. However, you should clean them separately every time you clean their tank.
Glowing Bath Toys
Glowing bath toys that are ideal for your kids are also a good toy choice for your aquatic pets. These little toys come in a variety of shapes: octopuses, fish, mermaids, dolphins, mermaids, ducks, even dinosaurs! As soon as you drop them into their tank, they light up automatically, drawing your turtle’s attention.
Since they’re meant for toddlers, the plastic used in these toys is non-toxic, so even if your turtles try to bite it or chew on it, you have nothing to worry about. They will chase these toys around the tank or simply watch them glowing, awed. These toys can also act as a namesake company if your turtle is feeling lonely inside.
A Powerhead for your aquarium
Most of the turtle species are used to living in moving water. However, inside their tank, the water is stagnant. Adding a powerhead to their tank is an innovative way to add movement to the water and replicate their natural habitat.
The powerhead is listed as a toy here because many turtles love to swim in the slow-moving current. Many turtle-owners have confessed that they often find their pets floating right over their powerhead, enjoying themselves.
Moreover, the powerhead is not merely a toy for your turtle but also provides better water circulation, which helps the filter in keeping the aquarium clean for a longer period of time.
Live Prey
It might sound ridiculous to add your pet’s food to the list of toys. However, turtles enjoy foraging for live food far more than they would enjoy playing with any toy, which is why it makes sense.
All turtle-owners use custom-made pet food to feed their turtles on a regular basis. However, while these feeds fulfill their nutritional needs, the turtles forage for food in the wild, something that they immensely enjoy. This is why adding live prey into their tank every now and then is a good idea.
Should you catch some crickets and worms from your garden to feed your turtles? No, you should never do that since many of these worms might be carrying bacteria that can make them sick. Instead, you can either find a trustworthy supplier or simply buy live turtle food online.
Best toys for pet turtles (summing it up)
Turtles are considered to be one of the most low-maintenance aquatic pets. These reptiles are quite content to spend their day eating and basking. However, if there’s a way to spice up their life inside the tank a bit, why shouldn’t you give it a try? The toys we talk about above do exactly that. It’s time for you to experiment with them and determine which ones are the best for your turtle.
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