Does anyone here keep turtles? I'm thinking of getting some Reeve's turtles. In the future I'd love to keep North American box turtles too.
I've kept five terrapin species over the years, including Spanish, which are closely related to Reeves'. The main problem with them indoors is keeping the water clean, otherwise they are delightful. A male Florida Cooter and female Red-ear that I had for 15 years were eventually re-homed to someone with more time and space. This was after they had graduated to a six by two feet tank which was a lot of work to keep clean, and the Cooter was the size of a dinner plate. Reeves I believe don't grow so big. The currently very popular Musk Turtles are worth considering, as remaining fairly small. My recent mixed species pair were fed mainly on dog food pellets, ingredients of which were fish and rice. The Cooter especially would eat green food (pond weed, lettuce and watercress) in greater quantities as he matured. Earthworms were a great treat, as was any fresh fish or meat offered. Hope this is of some help. Enjoy your turtles.
I really like Reeve's because of their smaller size and I think they are a very attractive turtle. They are also said to have quite responsive personalities which I find appealing.
Reeves' are great turtles. They get really tame and I totally recommend them. They are only semi-aquatic and don't like temperatures too high (they're not tropical turtles). They are really good climbers and escape artists too so bear that in mind! They need a lot of vegetable matter in their diet.
Do you think they need a water heater or is the heat from a basking lamp enough? I read somewhere they should have a water temperature of 20-26 degrees c.
yes the water should be heated to low twenties, and the basking spot should be roughly ten degrees Celsius higher than the water temperature. When they are new to an enclosure they tend to spend most of their time in the water until settled in, and then they spend most of their time on land. They should be fed in the water, and should have a varied diet. Turtles need a lot of calcium to keep their shell healthy. Make sure the surfaces in the land area aren't rough (e.g. concrete surfaces etc) or the plastron will get scratched up. They like digging too. Because they are good climbers make sure they can't get somewhere where they might fall from, which obviously risks damaging their shell. They get very friendly and seem to be really intelligent. They always watch what you're doing and seem to show a lot of interest in things outside their enclosure.
The most important things with turtles are: *pay attention to water quality (they are very susceptible to Ammonia poisoning); have a good filter and do regular water changes because they are messy animals. *they need a varied diet. *they can't digest food if the temperature is too low. *basking spot is important and UV very important. Ideally the UV bulb should be around 10-15cm above the turtle because the effectiveness diminishes rapidly with distance (for a Reeves' position the UV bulb next to the heat lamp, that way the turtle gets good exposure while basking). You can't tell when the UV output of a bulb is fading, so replace the bulbs every six months at the least. If the turtle doesn't get adequate UV it ends up with a deformed shell (you've probably seen turtles that look really munted, and that's why). *Just one point, in NZ we don't generally heat our houses so the water in the turtle tank needs to be heated. I gather in the UK houses are kept much warmer, so you *may* not need a heater for the water. It depends on your situation. Also obviously don't put the tank in the sun or you'll cook your turtle.
I don't normally advocate caresheets or this magazine, but Paul is a solid guy. There are some great top tips to get you started should you pursue M. reevesii. You can also reference the article if you choose to save it. http://www.reptilechannel.com/turtles-and-tortoises/turtle-care/reeves-turtle.aspx I will add on, enclosure placement is key. Place the enclosure in a stable room, preferably on an inside wall away from any heating/air conditioning vents as to prevent dehydration. Just because they will have access to water, does not mean they will not get dehydrated. Also, place the heat lamp(s) closer to the animal. Avoid high-wattage bulbs. No need. Use lower-wattages, you don't want to compete with the ambient air temperature or make up for the lack thereof. Offer multiple basking sites of different basig temps if housing two or more.Say, 85F for one, 95F for the other. Choices are key. It is late/early here, if this doesn't make sense, I'm sorry. Feel free to ask any questions here or in PM. Cheers.
