| general
|
| description |
It is an attractive medium
sized, brackish water turtle of the family Emydidae |
| distribution |
along the eastern and
southern coasts of North America, from Cape Cod to Corpus
Christi |
| adult
size |
5" carapax length
for males;
9" carapax length for females |
| subspecies |
terrapin -- Northern Diamondback
Terrapin
centrata -- Carolinan Diamondback Terrapin
tequesta -- Florida East Coast Diamondback Terrapin
rhizophorarum -- Mangrove Diamondback Terrapin
macrospilota -- Ornate Diamondback Terrapin
pileaa -- Mississippi Diamondback Terrapin
littoralis -- Texas Diamondback Terrapin |
| housing |
| natural
habitats |
Semi-aquatic;
Small ponds and streams |
| aquarium |
Medium to large aquarium
with suitable basking branch |
| substrate |
Soil, mud, gravel, coarse
sand, smooth rocks |
| activity
period |
Daytime (diurnal);
12 - 14 hours each day with direct natural sunlight or
UV lamp (e.g. ReptiSun 5.0,
UV Heat Bulb) |
| temperature |
28 - 30 ¢XC -- basking
spot (e.g. Basking
Spot Lamp)
24 - 27 ¢XC -- cooler area (e.g. Daylight
Blue Bulb)
21 - 25 ¢XC -- at night (e.g. Nightlight
Red Bulb, Infrared
Heat Lamp, Ceramic
Heat Emitter) |
| hiding
place |
Advisable. Possibllites
include caves (e.g. Habbe
Hut, Heat Cave), etc |
| diet |
| wild
diet |
Carnivorous;
delicacies such as crabs, snails, shrimp, fish, mussels,
clams, and other assorted crustaceans |
| primary
food (75%) |
A good brand commercial
turtle food (e.g. Aquatic
Turtle Food) |
| secondary
food (23%) |
Whole prey items,prekilled
small whole fish, live earthworms, snails |
| occasional
food (2%) |
Small balls of ground
beef loaded with vitamin and calcium once every 2 weeks
|
| reproduction |
| reproduction |
Oviparous; lays 4 - 6
eggs |
