Turtle Care Sheet

Turtles are an ancient animal dating back to the dinosaurs and owning one as a pet can give you a glimpse into that past. When cared for properly they integrate well into the family displaying a diverse range of interactions with their owners...most noticeably around feeding time. There are a number of species available on the market for purchase at your favourite pet shop. It is important to note though that some States do require licensing to own one as a pet. Three popular species are the Eastern Long Neck, Murray Short Neck also known as the Macquarie River Turtle and the Saw Shell Turtle which have a distinctive jagged edge on their shell.

• Common Name: Eastern Long Neck/ Murray River Short Neck/ Saw Shell Turtle

• Scientific Name:Chelodina longicollis/ Emydura macquarii/ Myochelys latisternum

• Distribution: Australia

• Size:18 to 30cm

• Life Span: Up to 40 years or longer (Pending Species)

Habitat

A turtle when juvenile should be kept in a tank no less than 60cm in length whereas an adult should have no less than 150cm in length. A zoomed Turtle Dock or Exo Terra Turtle Bank make a great basking platform. Position the basking platform directly below your Heat Lamp and UVB source to maximise the environment for your turtle to aid in the uptake for the required amount of UVB that is essential to their development. A great filtration system such as a Fluval, Marina, Smart Filter or Aqua Pro will help maintain the quality of their water. Adding Dr Turtle or Nutrafin Calcium conditioning blocks will also aid in their calcium requirements.

Temperature, UVB and Water Quality

Temperature requirements is best done through a reptile basking heat light such as Zoomed or Exo Terra and your local shop should be able to provide the best wattage comparative to your tank. Placing your reptile basking heat light close to your UVB light will encourage the turtle to sit on the platform to bask and will benefit from the UVB. The UVB should be on between 3 to 8 hours and this is pending to the UVB output of your globe or tube, again a talk to your specialist retailer will give you a great idea as to your requirements here.

API have a great range of Turtle water conditioners to remove Chlorine and Chloramines from the water along with Turtle Sludge Destroyer to aid in removing built up excess waste in the tank.

API Turtle Fix will also aid in repairing damaged tissue, wounds or Bacterial infections.

Food and Feeding

In the wild as omnivores turtles eat small insects, worms, yabbies, small fish and aquatic vegetation. A variety of foods should be offered to keep your turtle healthy.

A good quality pellet food such as Exo Terra Turtle diets, Nutrafin Turtle food or Frozen turtle diets should be given as the main part of your fish's diet.

A small proportion of Ocean Free blood worms or shrimp along with Exo Terra Canned Fish or Shrimp can also be given as a treat.

Always remove uneaten food from the tank after about 5 minutes to prevent polluting the water or alternatively remove your turtle from the tank and feed in a separate smaller container to reduce any water quality issues within their tank environment.

Placing the Exo Terra or Nutrafin pellets into a Exo Terra Holiday Feeder will help you feed your turtle when you are out of town!

Turtle Behavior

Your pet turtle should like to bask if the required heat distribution is correct and are very active when their environment is at the higher end of the temperature scale. They love to eat and will follow your every movement swimming back and forth if you are perceived to be close to them. It can be fun to spend some time with your turtle outside as he/she can enjoy some natural sunlight. Alternatively adult turtles have been known to be kept in outdoor ponds.