Post by Amanda on Mar 15, 2006 11:37:49 GMT 7
These are some basic things you need to know before owning/purchasing a turtle. I hope these help anyone thinking of getting a reptillian friend 
Research the species available:
A lot of pet stores and breeders sell two basic species, the Maquarie shortneck turtle (Emydura macquarii macquarii) and the Eastern longnecked turtle (Chelodina longicollis). These species are easy to keep and to breed, hence why they are so readily available. But there are lots more things to keeping these two species that many stores don't know/ won't tell you!
About Maquaries: These short necks are cute when babies but they are the second largest species available in AUS (commercially). the adults can grow up to and over 30 cm (that's their shell only People!) at maturity. So a cute as a button 10cm long, fits in your hand turtle will grow out of a 3ft tank in less than 6 months! The minimum basic requirements for one turtle to be kept in the house would be a 6ft tank with a large cannister filter with weekly water changes. This would be a lot of work and effort to keep indoors but can be done! Also a lot of people don't know that this species Hibernates, so regular control of temperature and checks on health are needed. Knowledge on carapace health is a must because their shell can suffer damage due to poor water quality, as well as knocks and scrapes.
The Eastern Longnecks:
Are a little smaller in size and can grow up to 26cm in length. This species is also known to hibernate in winter and will also let off a "musk" if scared or handled roughly.
All turtles need a controlled environment with humidity, minimum lighting, water qualities, water PH and temperatures all regulated. In summer Turtles should receive 10 to 12 hours of light and lowered to around 6 in winter. The easiest way to achieve this is to turn the lights on at sunrise and off at sunset. You will need a UV light which will produce high levels of UVA for appatite and normal behaviour and UVB to prevent Bone disease and strengthen Shell growth and health. You can also have a basking light but make sure it doesn't interfere with the temp of the tank too much and in a spot where the turtles can move away as it will cook them. having it focused on a small part of the basking area will be most beneficial.
You need a basking area for the turtle to leave the water, basking is a natural part of their behaviour.
Heating is best achieved with an aquarium heater placed in the water. The lighting will also produce heat keeping the environment nice and warm for them.
Hibernation is very complex and if you wish to own a turtle that will hibernate I advise that you research all you can about this before purchasing.
Water quality is very important, if you own fish already this will be easy for you. The PH should be 7 (neutral) and water PH must be tested regularly. Acid and alkaline water can aid disease breakouts and cause damage to the skin and shell. When setting up your turtle home it is advised to let the water cycle in the environment for a couple of months to aid in good bacteria growth in the filter and substrate. Ensure the filtration purchased is adequate for the tank and occupant. I recommend buying a filter that would do a tank at least 3X the size of the one your setting up, this will help for when the turtle gets bigger. Turtles produce more waste than any other aquatic animal! It won't put as much a strain on the bacteria as it grows bigger. Don't forget to treat the water for chlorine and if you can smell the chlorine in the water when you turn the tap on (without sticking your nose in the water
) double or triple the dose. Most councils only add .5PPM to town water but in some places like the tropics or after a flood/ heavy rain they do add more to about .7PPM, all commercial dechlorinators do up to .5PPM! So it doesn't hurt to add more.....just incase 
Feeding: MOst turtles are omnivorous (eating both meat and veg) They mainly eat plant material (50%) and the rest being bugs etc
The things you can feed them are:
algae, valisneria, elodea, water cress, duckweed, alfalfa, swiss chard, non fibrous greens, celery tops, cabbage, spinach, kale, lettuce (dark coloured not iceberg), squash, tomato, sweet potato, pumpkin, zucchini, corn, dried (dehydrated but watch out for preservatives (No 220 is actually harmful to mostly everything...maybe us too) or fresh fruits like figs, melons, apples, peaches, strawberries, banana etc and bread.
bugs like crickets, daphnia, dragonflies, earwigs, roaches, fish, flies, mealworms, mice, moths, mussels, shrimps, slaters, snails, spiders, worms, yabbies, non fatty meats and organ meats (liver etc) tinned and dry dog and cat foods, fish flakes, trout pellets, yabby pellets, reptile foods etc.
Ensure that all uneated foods are removed (say after a couple of hours) as that can affect the water quality.
(special note: do not harvest the plants above from the wild and please to not dump those plants into waterways and streams. If you harvest from the wild it can contain bacteria and diseases that will affect your captive bred turtle. Check with your local council before you obtain those plants too, as they are all pest species in Australia)
Research the species available:
A lot of pet stores and breeders sell two basic species, the Maquarie shortneck turtle (Emydura macquarii macquarii) and the Eastern longnecked turtle (Chelodina longicollis). These species are easy to keep and to breed, hence why they are so readily available. But there are lots more things to keeping these two species that many stores don't know/ won't tell you!
About Maquaries: These short necks are cute when babies but they are the second largest species available in AUS (commercially). the adults can grow up to and over 30 cm (that's their shell only People!) at maturity. So a cute as a button 10cm long, fits in your hand turtle will grow out of a 3ft tank in less than 6 months! The minimum basic requirements for one turtle to be kept in the house would be a 6ft tank with a large cannister filter with weekly water changes. This would be a lot of work and effort to keep indoors but can be done! Also a lot of people don't know that this species Hibernates, so regular control of temperature and checks on health are needed. Knowledge on carapace health is a must because their shell can suffer damage due to poor water quality, as well as knocks and scrapes.
The Eastern Longnecks:
Are a little smaller in size and can grow up to 26cm in length. This species is also known to hibernate in winter and will also let off a "musk" if scared or handled roughly.
All turtles need a controlled environment with humidity, minimum lighting, water qualities, water PH and temperatures all regulated. In summer Turtles should receive 10 to 12 hours of light and lowered to around 6 in winter. The easiest way to achieve this is to turn the lights on at sunrise and off at sunset. You will need a UV light which will produce high levels of UVA for appatite and normal behaviour and UVB to prevent Bone disease and strengthen Shell growth and health. You can also have a basking light but make sure it doesn't interfere with the temp of the tank too much and in a spot where the turtles can move away as it will cook them. having it focused on a small part of the basking area will be most beneficial.
You need a basking area for the turtle to leave the water, basking is a natural part of their behaviour.
Heating is best achieved with an aquarium heater placed in the water. The lighting will also produce heat keeping the environment nice and warm for them.
Hibernation is very complex and if you wish to own a turtle that will hibernate I advise that you research all you can about this before purchasing.
Water quality is very important, if you own fish already this will be easy for you. The PH should be 7 (neutral) and water PH must be tested regularly. Acid and alkaline water can aid disease breakouts and cause damage to the skin and shell. When setting up your turtle home it is advised to let the water cycle in the environment for a couple of months to aid in good bacteria growth in the filter and substrate. Ensure the filtration purchased is adequate for the tank and occupant. I recommend buying a filter that would do a tank at least 3X the size of the one your setting up, this will help for when the turtle gets bigger. Turtles produce more waste than any other aquatic animal! It won't put as much a strain on the bacteria as it grows bigger. Don't forget to treat the water for chlorine and if you can smell the chlorine in the water when you turn the tap on (without sticking your nose in the water
) double or triple the dose. Most councils only add .5PPM to town water but in some places like the tropics or after a flood/ heavy rain they do add more to about .7PPM, all commercial dechlorinators do up to .5PPM! So it doesn't hurt to add more.....just incase Feeding: MOst turtles are omnivorous (eating both meat and veg) They mainly eat plant material (50%) and the rest being bugs etc
The things you can feed them are:
algae, valisneria, elodea, water cress, duckweed, alfalfa, swiss chard, non fibrous greens, celery tops, cabbage, spinach, kale, lettuce (dark coloured not iceberg), squash, tomato, sweet potato, pumpkin, zucchini, corn, dried (dehydrated but watch out for preservatives (No 220 is actually harmful to mostly everything...maybe us too) or fresh fruits like figs, melons, apples, peaches, strawberries, banana etc and bread.
bugs like crickets, daphnia, dragonflies, earwigs, roaches, fish, flies, mealworms, mice, moths, mussels, shrimps, slaters, snails, spiders, worms, yabbies, non fatty meats and organ meats (liver etc) tinned and dry dog and cat foods, fish flakes, trout pellets, yabby pellets, reptile foods etc.
Ensure that all uneated foods are removed (say after a couple of hours) as that can affect the water quality.
(special note: do not harvest the plants above from the wild and please to not dump those plants into waterways and streams. If you harvest from the wild it can contain bacteria and diseases that will affect your captive bred turtle. Check with your local council before you obtain those plants too, as they are all pest species in Australia)
So in the future, when we have our own place I'll be setting up a secure pond for a pair to live in, if not that a really nice tank set up!
