Care Sheet for TurtlesAverage Rating Given To This Care Sheet Is 4.00 (1=lowest, 5=highest) Last Updated: 12/16/2006 |
Main Category: | Aquatic/Land |
Sub Category: | Turtles |
Care Sheet Submitted By: | Davidvd59 |
Years Experience: | Over 20 Years |
Species: | Aquatic turtles |
Other Species or Phases this Care Sheet May Cover: | Painted turtles, red ear turtles, map turtles |
Sexing and Characteristics: | Male turtles in painted and res have long thick tails, and long front claws in comparison to a female turtle. |
Mostly Active During: | Day |
Substrate and Water Needs: | I keep a 1/3 land area and 2/3 water area for my turtles. Depth of water can be several feet if you have the means, as long as the land area is easily accessible. I have used homemade ramps from wood leading into the water, I used aquariums, and even plastic ponds. |
Lighting and UVB: | Always maintain a basking spot with light bulbs or flood lights with a temperature in the 95 degree area. UVB always required, or metabolic bone disease will develop. The basking area MUST be large enough to completely allow the animal to dry off. Turtles who cannot escape the water completely will develop a fuzzy looking skin, which is a fungus infection, and the bottom of the shell will be very soft. Metabolic bone disease will be noted from the edges of the shell curling. UVB lighting 5.0 or higher recommended. No nighttime lighting is needed. Sunlight when possible. |
Temperatures and Humidity: | Water temperatures based on species location, painted turtles from northern u.s. will do very well at 72-77 degree water temperatures while southern U.S. red ear sliders do better in 78-84 degree temperatures. |
Heating and Equipment: | Water heaters required, basking spot lights required |
Caging Provided: | I have 2 turtles currently in a 75 gallon aquarium and they are 4-5 inches in shell length. I miss having the 125 gallon aquarium I had them in as the more space and water is fun to watch them swim. Land area about 14 inches by 18 inches, and water depth 10-12 inches. |
Diet: | Omnivorous |
Description of Diet: | Painted turtles are more carnivorous, while the red ear slider is omnivorous. Reptomin, night crawlers, crickets, some green leafy vegetables, gold fish are very good. |
Supplements, Nutrition and Usage: | Hard to give water turtles vitamins and calcium, reptomin helps with this but do not make the diet completely this. |
Maintenance: | Change water at least monthly, more if in smaller aquariums. Carbon outside filtration very useful. Keeping goldfish or feeder guppies with these turtles also helps to maintain biological filtration. Clean water is a must for healthy animals. |
Some Words on this Species: | Painted turtles are life long sunbaskers, as are the Red Ear Slider. The sliders are more skiddish than the painted turtles, but map turtles are much more shy yet. Coughing is a sign of too cold of climate, immediately increase water temps and the basking spot temps and seek out a vet for antibiotic treatment. Turtles will normally shed some light pieces of skin from their legs, and light scutes from their shells as they grow, large amounts of skin areas, or large numerous scutes indicate a problem. Turtles can be burned on their shells by too high a basking temp. causing increased loss of their scutes. |
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