Hi! So from tomorrow on I'm going to take care of two Chinemys Reevesii turtles... And I dont know anything about them... I'm going to have them until late summer or fall. I have tried google and there's very little info on how to care for them. The owner hasn't had them for that long, but she says they don't bite but arent fully "tamed" yet. They arn't fully grown yet, but I think they are like young adults. Not juweniles. I don't know how tame a turtle gets... I have both several aquariums and a leopard gecko and hoping that some of my knowledge about them might be of use for the turtles. The tank they live in is in cm LxDxH = 70x35x35 They have UV lights I dont know what sex they are, or theire name, I'll ask about it tomorrow. - I've found out a bit about what they eat, but not how often and how much? - How often do I change the water in the tank? - How much water should I change? - What temperature should they have and how much water? - Should I let them come outside of the tank to walk a bit on dry land? If so how long and how often? - How long should the lights be on? - Are they day or night active? If there's anything else I should know about, please say so. I'm really looking forward to having new housguests, but I want to make sure I do my best for theire wellbeing!!! I've tried finding caresheets, but those I found were not good... Very little information in long texts... But if anyone know a good and simple caresheet, please share Thx for all help!!!
- I've found out a bit about what they eat, but not how often and how much? One to two times a day, and an amount about the size of their head. Plant matter can be given more excessively, but don't give in to their demands for more protein unless you want fatties. - How often do I change the water in the tank? Once a week, more if needed - How much water should I change? About 1/3, more if needed - What temperature should they have and how much water? Basking spot should be around 80, water should be around 70. The water should be at least a few inches deeper than their shell is tall--this allows them to be able to flip themselves back over if they become overturned. - Should I let them come outside of the tank to walk a bit on dry land? If so how long and how often? They should have a land area available at all times within the tank. This should function as a basking spot which allows them to completely dry off. Handling and free roaming is not necessary or recommended. - How long should the lights be on? 12 on, 12 off - Are they day or night active? Day Aquatic turtles are really more of display pets. They don't typically become hand tame, although they can be taught to accept hand feeding and shell petting inside the tank. Handling should be avoided for the most part though. Try googling Mauremys reevesii, Chinese pond turtle, or Reeve's turtle for a better variety of information. Let me know if you have any more questions. =)
Thanks for answering! Okei, so I have been changing all their water til now but I'll cut down to 1/3-1/2 I'm fixing a new aquarium for them right now, and yesterday I put in a wall to make a land side in there. It's going to be very nice Also Im giving away one of the turtles, because one of them bites the other one and fight all the time. I have ordered a new filter pump to them, a bigger and better one than the internal filter they have now. The new one is one of those outside the aquarium. Also I let them come out and walk on the bathroom a couple of times a week, which they seem to enjoy. I let the shower be turned on so they have the possibility to go and bath a bit in very shallow water. I understand that they are a type of "display pets", and I respect that. I don't handle them to much and I don't hand feed them. They seem like having fun catching the food by them selves They accept being "petted" on the head and shell, and they seem to like it when I pet their chin. They strech theyr necks and close theire eyes I wil try googling a bit more and see what info I can get I do have one more question: is it okey to use the same bucket for water change as the ones I use for my fish or should I keep using a bucket just for the turtles. I read that some people have fish with the turtles, and someone said that the turtles could be poisones for the fish so til now I've been using seperate buckets and hoses. I have no intention keeping fish with the turtles since fish have so many things they need as caves and plants and a substrate and so on. But it would be nice to know if I can use the same equipment for them all.
One more thing, what type of meat is it okei to give them? I know about shrimps... should I buy the frosen ones and defrost them and bath them several times to remove salt? What else can they have? They dont seem to like any of the fruit or vegetabiles I give them... they just spit it put again if they even bother to take it in theire mouth....
Using the same bucket and siphon for both is perfectly fine. The trace amount of waste left in the bucket after you have dumped the water out from the turtle tank will be tiny and inconsequential. If you are really paranoid you can give the bucket an extra rinse, but I would not be too worried about it. Turtles don't produce "poisons" as some people might put it; they just give off a lot of waste, which can create an ammonnia spike if they are kept with fish in too small of a setup. The more variety the better. They can eat crickets, mealworms, waxworms, roaches, and an assortment of frozen fish foods such as brine shrimp, bloodworms, tubifex worms, and so on. If they seem to be enjoying the shrimp, it would be best to pick up some live ghost shrimp from a pet store rather than feeding them anything processed and intended for humans. You can also feed them live minnows and feeder guppies in moderation, but be careful where you get them from as feeder fish are often riddled with disease. If your fish tank happens to be a community setup, you could try your hand at breeding your own guppies and using the babies as food. All you need is a 1:2 male:female ratio and a breeder net or lots of ground cover to keep the babies sheltered from the parents (which will eat their own young). The aversion to veggies is pretty common in young turtles. From the little I've read, reeves seem to be mostly carnivorous anyways, so I wouldn't worry too much. One thing you can try is picking up some anacharis from a pet store or place that sells pond plants. A lot of anti-veggie turtles will pick at the anacharis even when they won't touch anything else. As an added bonus, live plants often come with "pest" pond snails on them, which your turtle will see as a nice treat.
