Quiet little pets, aquatic turtles have rather exotic origins. They are voracious and highly intelligent little omnivores who actually quickly learn to recognise the person feeding and caring for them. They are commonly known as red-eared turtles. What do you say we learn more about them?
The most common sweet-water turtles have characteristic red stripes alongside their little faces, right over the tympanic membrane. Their carapace is oval and green, and it gets darker with age until it turns almost black. The female of the species is larger than the male, who grow to 13 cm compared to the 28 cm the females can reach. They can live to a ripe old age, sometimes even reaching 30, a feature to be taken into serious consideration when deciding whether to adopt one.
Another interesting feature is how their gender is determined. If the eggs are incubated at a temperature of less than 27°C, males will be born. If the temperature is over 30°C, then females will emerge.
Aquatic turtles are timid creatures and they run and hide under water if there is a sudden loud noise or someone unknown to them approaches. Their appetite is a good measure of their health. If you notice they are leaving their food, then it’s time to take the turtle to the vet.
The space in which they live and the temperature of the water is also very important. Their aquarium should be kept clean, the water changed regularly or filtered and kept at between 25-28°C with a water heater.
If you decide to breed sweet-water turtles at home, you need to set up an aquarium that suits their needs, remembering that they grow over time and that you will probably have to eventually move them into larger quarters to accommodate their new size.
Aquariums for turtles differ from those for fish in that they are not completely filled with water, they need to have a dry area on which they can rest. You could start out with tubs for far smaller turtles, like OASI, which is oval, or ARRICOT, made of resistant plastic with a little palm tree on the island.
As they grow larger, you will need to provide them with a larger space, perhaps a HAITI 40, the rectangular glass tub with a simple, streamlined design. For more needy cases there is JAMAICA, which is 40 lt, or even JAMAICA 80 AND JAMAICA 110 SCENIC Ferplast’s largest turtle tanks. The JAMAICA line models are very robust and have an elegant design with every detail well-studied. They are graced with shaped glass at the sides and a solid base underneath. The glass in the front is lower.
We will soon show you a video with tips on how to put together a turtle aquarium and tell you more about what aquatic turtles need to live a long and happy life with us.
