Keeping Freshwater/Land Turtles in Tanks, by Dr. Adrian Lawler

Keeping Freshwater/Land Turtles in Tanks

by Dr. Adrian Lawler, Ph.D.
(retired) Aquarium Supervisor (l984-l998) J. L. Scott Aquarium Biloxi, MS
Denise and Joey Skrmetti
(former) Volunteer Staff- -J. L. Scott Aquarium- -Biloxi

Original to Aquarticles

Freshwater and land turtles are commonly kept as pets or used as aquarium display animals. Some people feed the box turtles in their yard on a regular basis. Turtles make interesting display animals. Such displays can help educate the public about turtles and their conservation and protection. At the Scott Aquarium we had a large paludarium-type vivarium (an enclosed exhibit with both water and dry areas) containing various turtles and alligators, and other turtles (cooters, soft-shell turtles, snapping turtles, sawbacks, sliders, etc.) spread around other freshwater tanks and small vivariums, and sea turtles of various sizes and species in the larger salt water tanks. A gopher tortoise was also kept. Various injured or sick turtles brought in by the public, or agencies, were also kept in recovery tanks as they healed. Over the years we had 40 to 50 plus turtles on hand at any one time.

Some Species to Keep

We have divided the land and freshwater turtles one could consider keeping in captivity into three main groups:

---Basking ….... cooter, map, painted, sawback, slider, etc.
---Bottom-dwelling …… mud, musk, softshell, snapping, alligator snapping, etc.
---Land/water (those that live primarily on land, some may go into water) ……. box, bog, wood, gopher tortoise, etc.

All types of freshwater and land turtles can be held in paludarium-type vivarium settings; basking and bottom turtles can also be held in tanks full of water. We believe it is better to keep a farm-reared turtle rather than take one from the wild.

If you are hoping to confine and keep turtles privately, you should first verify with the state and federal Fish and Wildlife Service (or similar agency in your state, or country) what you can legally do with various species, how many you can keep in captivity (if any), and obtain any permits needed. It is also suggested you have a local veterinarian familiar with turtle health in mind in case there are health problems with your animals.

People interested in working with turtles could also work with local aquariums or zoos, local wildlife rescue organizations, and wildlife veterinarians, and receive valuable turtle care experience.

Compatibility

For display purposes it is nice to have several types of turtles in the same tank/vivarium. It is better to have turtles of about the same size to hopefully decrease fights and minimize aggression.

Snapping (and alligator snapping) turtles usually do not get along with each other or other turtles, and can be very aggressive. Also, do not display them with valuable fish that could get eaten.

Do not place different sized softshell turtles in the same tank, as the larger may pick on the smaller.

Placing a male box turtle in an enclosure with female box turtles may lead to frequent, aggressive mating by the male (as he has captive females easily available). If you do not want such activity in the enclosure, do not add a male.

Food and Feeding

Live food can consist of mealworms (Lawler, 2004, Raising Mealworms for Animal Food), earthworms, tadpoles, aquatic insects, snails, and plants as hornwort, elodea, duckweed, water lettuce, and water hyacinth growing in the tank and constantly available as food. Various potted plants can also be placed in tanks and vivariums to offer other live plants as food.

Other green plants as lettuce, leaf lettuce, romaine, endive, etc. can also be offered as food. Other food offered can be turtle pellets/food, non-fatty meat, dead or injured minnows, fish pieces, shrimp, oysters, clams, various cut-up pieces of fruits and vegetables as bananas, berries, melons, tomatoes, watermelons, etc. Offer a variety of foods to see what your turtles will eat. Remove uneaten food after turtles have finished feeding so the enclosure/tank water is not fouled by decaying food, and fruit flies (or other flies, etc.) are not attracted.

Do not feed sinking foods in water over a particulate bottom substrate that could result in substrate ingestion when turtles try to eat the sinking food (Lawler, 2005, Substrate Ingestion by Tank Occupants) or feed land turtles on gravel or other particulate substrate. Ingested substrate can irritate digestive tract and lead to internal infections, and also to intestinal blockage and death. Hand feed, with large forceps, or place food on bare surfaces.

Try feeding at least every other day, but more often if temperature is higher than normal and turtles are more active. Having live plants in the tank plus snails and tadpoles will provide food sources between your feeding times. One can also use potted grass or various potted plants in enclosures so turtles can eat on them as they wish.

Turtle tanks should contain scavengers in the water to eat food scraps left by turtles to decrease problems with water fouling. This would include tadpoles, snails, small fish, small catfish, crawfish, and small bottom turtles (if other turtles are not aggressive), etc.

Filtration

Water in a tank/vivarium/enclosure should have efficient biological, chemical, and mechanical filtration to give good water quality, and good water clarity for observation. A good mechanical filter is needed (at least periodically) to filter out turtle wastes, detritus stirred up when they dig in tank substrate, and detritus made when they eat on water plants.

Substrate

Recently crushed gravel and crushed coral can abrade/injure/cut turtle shells and skin when turtles (especially softshell turtles) try to bury up in the bottom substrate and can lead to bacterial infection and death of softshell turtles (Rebarchik et al, 1995). Substrate used in a tank should be bought already rounded, or put through a rock tumbler to wear off sharp edges. Rounded substrate should also pass through the digestive tract easier, and with less internal damage, if ingested.

Temperature

At the Scott Aquarium the tank temperature was the same as room temperature, usually 70-72 F. Displays with dry areas had hot rocks and/or incandescent bulbs that allowed turtles to warm up and dry off. Full tanks had tied off floating or otherwise fixed logs that enabled basking turtles to crawl out and warm up under incandescent bulbs (that were positioned above tanks to provide the tank display lighting). Tank logs were not positioned near tank edge so turtles could crawl over top of tank and escape tank.

Some turtles (basking) need a log or crawl out place to dry off, and a hot rock or incandescent light bulb provides heat for warming up and drying off. Drying off helps combat skin bacteria and fungi. Warming up speeds up their metabolism, and thus increases their activity, increases their healing, and speeds up food digestion.

Land turtles should have a crawl-out area (as in a vivarium) where they have a choice of water or dry area. The dry area should have a hot rock or incandescent bulb for heat (for drying off) to help combat bacterial and fungal infections, and to aid in increase of metabolism/activity/digestion. Most bottom turtles do not normally leave the water to warm up or dry off.

Research the optimum temperature ranges for the turtles you want to keep.

Diseases Transmitted to Humans

Various reptiles, including turtles, can carry various strains of Salmonella, which can be transmitted to humans when they handle the animals, work in their tanks, or touch areas where the animals were. Wash thoroughly after handling turtles or their tanks, and do not put turtles on surfaces where people can pick up their bacteria.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned the sale of turtles under 4 inches shell length because it was thought that turtles over 4 inches were not normally picked up by small children because of their larger size. Smaller turtles were less frightening to small children and were picked up and handled. So, to help stop spread of Salmonella to small children, the small turtles were banned from sale. Most turtles that were sold (in US) were young red-eared sliders from southern areas.

Mycobacterium chelonae, Mycobacterium abscessus, Mycobacterium marinum, and other Mycobacterium species can occur in various waters and can be carried on turtles. Infections caused by Mycobacterium can be dangerous to humans, so it is not good practice to handle turtles if one has cuts or abrasions on his hands. Also see various articles by Lawler on Mycobacterium (Fish TB) at the Aquarticles website.

Diseases/Injury

Turtles that have algae growing on their shells can be left as they are if one wants to mimic what happens in nature. If one wants a clean turtle shell so viewing audience can see turtle markings, etc., then turtles should be cleaned carefully because brushing too much with stiff brushes can cause abrasions on shells/skin where infections can start. Also, do not force shedding (of skin or keratin covering of shell) to make their appearance neater by pulling off still well-attached keratin or skin, which could also lead to injury and infections.

Betadine, gentian violet, hydrogen peroxide, iodine, malachite green, methylene blue, and various antibiotic/antifungal solutions normally used on humans can be used on turtle minor skin and shell infections. More serious infections may need antibiotic/medication injections and veterinarian care.

Turtles, being cold-bloodied, are slower to heal and antibiotics/medications take longer to work than in warm-bloodied animals. Do not expect a quick cure.

As turtles are less active than many other animals, their symptoms/signs of maladies are less obvious. Look for discolorations/lesions on shell and skin, discharge from nose and/or eyes, extreme lethargy, not eating, spastic movements, swollen body parts, unbalanced in swimming posture, etc.

Turtles that tilt to one side, while floating at water surface, can indicate fluid in the lung on the down side, and indicate a respiratory disease. Such turtles may, or may not, also have a nasal discharge. They should be treated ASAP, as respiratory infections in turtles can be fatal. Consult a veterinarian.

Turtles that cannot stay floating at water surface, and appear to be weighed down at their rear, so they sink rear end down first, may be showing the signs of substrate ingestion, and a digestive tract retaining ingested substrate. Consult a veterinarian.

Consult a veterinarian for treatment of maladies other than minor external scrapes/cuts/abrasions.

References:

Lawler, A. 2004. Raising Mealworms for Animal Food.

Lawler, A. 2005. Substrate Ingestion by Tank Occupants.

Rebarchik, L.M., D. Rebarchik, and A. R. Lawler. 1995. Bacterial infections in the spiny soft shell turtle, Trionyx spiniferus. Wisc. Acad. Sci., Ann. Publ., April l995 (Un. Wisconsin, Madison)

Fish TB: http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Lawler_Mycobacterium_fish_tuberculosis_FAQ.html

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Lawler_Human_Mycobacterium_Infections.html

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Lawler_Diseases_Mycobacterium_marinum_fish_tuberculosis.html

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Lawler_Diseases%20Transmitted%20to%20Humans.html

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Lawler_Infection_Details.html

http://www.aquarticles.com/articles/management/Lawler_Tank_Safety.html

Some Links of Interest:

http://critterguy.museum.msu.edu/Care/AquaticTurtles.html

http://www.turtlepuddle.org/kidspage/questions.html

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