TURTLE & TORTOISE
SOCIETY – WATER TURTLE CARE-SHEET
Turtles are long-lived
animals that have special needs that necessitate a commitment by the pet owner
to fulfill. The hobbyist needs to
learn as much about the species of turtle they are keeping and their special
needs in order to assure a long and healthy life for the turtle. This care-sheet provides some basic
guidelines for the care and housing of the more common and hardy aquatic turtles
available in the pet trade.
Turtles are cold-blooded
animals whose activity levels rise and fall with their body temperature. We note this right up front and
frequently throughout this care-sheet because common aliments can be attributed
to the turtle’s inability to maintain and regulate its body temperature to that
which is optimal to the turtle’s health.
If a turtle can not regulate its temperature, common easily cured health
problems can lead to secondary complications, which will, if not properly
diagnosed and treated eventually lead to the untimely death of a one time
healthy turtle. Keeping a turtle
between 65 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit for prolonged periods of time is a common
cause of death. They are too warm
to hibernate yet too cool to feed regularly, and their immune system becomes
depressed.
One
should never rely upon the subjective feel of the ambient temperature, since
what feels good or warm to human may not meet the turtles needs. Likewise, the setting on your house’s
thermostat is not a true reading of the temperature that the turtle is
experiencing. Thermometers are
necessary. You will need to know
the temperature of the water and of the basking spot.
A
turtle’s habitat should always provide the turtle keeper access to monitor the
turtle’s activities, particularly during feeding. Generally speaking, a turtle will feel
more comfortable if in can live its life with some secrecy, with plenty of
things to hide behind and underneath.
But elaborate setups prevent the proper monitoring of the turtles
activity and health. So a balance
needs to be struck between providing secluded space for the turtle and easy
viewing for the keeper.
Good water quality will need
to be maintained in order to provide the best environment for your turtle. This may be accomplished by a complex
filtration system with ultraviolet sterilizer, but systems like this tend to go
beyond what most hobbyists feel comfortable spending. Without a filtration system, water
quality must be maintained by either full or partial water change out. The frequency of the change out depends
on the number of turtles and the volume of water in the habitat. The goal should be to perform change out
frequently enough so that the water never gets cloudy from the combination of
food and fecal debris. Aeration of
the water will help maintain the healthy aerobic bacteria, which aid in
maintaining water quality. Aeration
can be accomplished by air pumps and bubblers or air stones of by a submersible
pump re-circulating the water to an above ground nozzle or water fall for a nice
aesthetic effect.
Since water change out is an
important part of maintaining water quality the method of water removal should
be integral in the design of the habitat.
Drains can be mounted in habitats built above ground to aid the water
removal process. A siphon can also
be used however, this can be a messy operation and is therefore best suited for
outdoor setups A small submersible pump maybe added to provide re-circulation,
aeration, and some filtration. The
flow rate desired will depend on the species of turtles keeping in mind that the
less adept swimmers such as mud, musk and spotted turtles, may be uncomfortable
with a strong flow rate. A siphon or net may also be used to remove large pieces
of fecal matter and leftover food debris, thus delaying the need for water
change out.
An
aquatic turtle’s water area must be deep enough so that the turtle can right
itself if it was to turn over on its carapace. This is typically a depth greater then
the shell width of the largest turtle in the pool. If the water is not this deep or if
access to this water depth is hindered by obstructions, the turtle won’t be
buoyant enough to flip back over if it should end up on its back in the water
and will drown. Conversely the
water depth must not be so extreme that the turtle struggles to get to the
surface. The maximum water depth is
highly species specific. Adult pond
turtles such as Trachemys scripta
elegans (red-eared slider) can be comfortable in depths of one to four feet,
which is too deep for less adept aquatic turtles such as the Clemmys guttata (the spotted
turtle). Spotted turtles, mud and
musk turtles, which are more adept at crawling on the bottom of their habitat
than swimming through open water, do well in ponds that never go beyond six
inches in depth, and would eventually drown in the deep-water habitant of the
pond turtles. It is therefore
important to know the natural habitat of the turtle species you are
housing. A good field guide to
reptiles or a turtle identification guide is helpful in determining your turtles
natural habitat.
Turtles in any habitat must
be provided the means to self regulate their temperature. Turtles bask in order to raise their
body temperature thereby increasing their metabolism, which encourages the
turtle to eat, aids in digestion and allows for the effective function of their
immune system. Each aquatic habitat
must provide a means, such as a ramp, for the turtle to climb out of the water
to bask. Basking is encouraged in
indoor habitats by suspending a light bulb (40 – 60 watts is usually sufficient)
above the turtle’s’ basking spot.
The light bulb should be high enough to prevent contact with the turtle’s
carapace, keeping in mind that turtles will climb on top of one another. Make sure the light can’t fall into the
water and electrocute you or the turtle.
The basking area should be between 85 and 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a thermometer and do not rely on
your feel of the temperature. To
obtain the appropriate temperature either adjust the distance the bulb is from
the basking area or the wattage of the bulb. Have the basking light on for eight to
ten hours during the day. Turtles in an outside habitat should have a basking
area in a sunny location to encourage basking.
When a turtle is warmed
enough from basking, it needs to be able to be able to cool itself by seeking
cooler water or shaded areas of an outdoor pen. Indoor water if needed can be heated
with a submersible aquarium heater to between 70 – 74 degrees Fahrenheit,
keeping in mind to never trust the setting on the heater, but to use a
thermometer to check the water temperature. Turtles do occasionally break
submersible heaters, therefore for personal safety plug heaters into a
ground-fault interrupter and always unplug the heater before putting your hands
in the water. This water
temperature assumes there is a warmer basking area available for the turtle. A
heater may not be necessary for some of the more common North American species
if a warm basking area is provided.
It
is mandatory that the turtle have a ramp to exit the water in a heated habitat
in the event that the heater malfunctions in the energized state, to prevent
cooking the turtle. This is not as
much concern for outdoor setups as long as there are shaded areas available and
the water depth is not too shallow.
In-ground pools are much less susceptible to overheating due to
conduction to the surrounding dirt, however a dark shallow plastic lined pool
may over heat on a hot sunny day.
Sun and shade time periods should be considered for all outdoor
setups. Also never place an
aquarium in a sunny window or outside in the sun for a day. Temperatures in a glass aquarium can
rise quickly causing heat stroke in your turtle.
Indoor habitats can be quickly made to accommodate all your turtles needs or made elaborate in order to provide an aesthetic supplement to the décor of your house. The simplest setup is an aquarium, appropriate in size for your turtle with a simple ramp into the water for your turtle to bask on. A 20 gallon long aquarium is an adequate size for 2 small turtles (4 inches or less) or one larger turtle, not exceeding 8 inches in shell length. A good rule of thumb is to add an additional ten gallons per additional turtle. Never use a ramp that blocks a significant portion of the turtle’s access to the surface. Turtles will drown it they can’t reach the surface to breathe.
It is not true that the
best outdoor setup duplicates the natural environment of the turtle. One can never really duplicate the
natural environment unless one has a natural pond and then your turtle would
eventually behave as a wild turtle.
A pool made with a pond liner may look like a natural setting, but it
prevents the turtle from seeking cover in the soft substrate on bottom that a
natural pond would have, and is therefore immediately made not natural. Consideration must be given to how this
loss of a natural retreat, hiding place, and potential hibernating location will
affect the turtle, and compensating provisions need to be
made.
If
you opt for an outdoor habitat the turtle will not be able to flee harm from
natural predators like it would in its natural environment. All but the largest pond sliders are
easy prey for opportunistic predators such as raccoons, and if the outdoor pond
is not surrounded on all sides and topped with chicken wire or wire mesh, a
raccoon will find a way to make a meal of your pet turtle. Besides raccoons, large birds, such as
crows, will find small turtles an irresistible meal unless the pen is
constructed to prevent access to the turtles. Even the pet dog finds turtles to be an
excellent chew toy. To prevent this
the outdoor pond and any land area accessible to the turtle should be completely
surrounded. The added requirement
of providing physical security for your turtle adds additional expense, which is
not incurred for the indoor habitats.
However the fun of watching your turtles bask on a sunny day makes this
expense well worth it for some turtle keepers.
A healthy turtle should be an eager eater and will come up to the side of its habitat to be fed when food is presented. In these cases, give enough food that it will be eaten in ten-minute period. If too much food is given the uneaten food will lead to water quality problems. Young turtle should be fed daily, while older adults do well being fed every other day.
There are a wide variety of
prepackaged turtle foods available today.
Most water turtles like a product called Reptomins and grow well eating
it. Avoid such things as ground
beef and chicken. Many turtles will
eat them but they are not a good balanced diet for your turtle. If you have a reluctant feeder offering
live foods such as small worms will often get them eating.
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