| general
|
| description |
A medium to large sidenecked
turtle , with a reddish brown carapace streaked with black
lines. A very rare turtle due to its restricted habitat
|
| a.k.a |
tortuga de herradura |
| distribution |
 
 South
America; Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil.
code : AR, PY |
| housing |
| natural
habitats |
Semi-aquatic;
Rock bottomed hill streams, where the water is very clear
and occasionallly cold |
| aquarium |
Medium to large aquarium
with suitable basking branch substrate Some smooth rocks
or stout branches as decoration which can be used as hiding
places. It is very active, so a deep aquarium will permit
them to swim. |
| substrate |
Soil, mud, gravel, coarse
sand |
| 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 |
27 - 29 ¢XC -- basking
spot (e.g. Basking
Spot Lamp)
22 - 26 ¢XC -- cooler area (e.g. Daylight
Blue Bulb)
18 - 25 ¢XC -- at night (e.g. Nightlight
Red Bulb, Infrared
Heat Lamp, Ceramic
Heat Emitter) |
| hiding
place |
Advisable, a place for
its privacy, security and sleep by day.
Possibllites include caves (e.g. Habbe
Hut, Heat Cave), etc |
| diet |
| wild
diet |
Carnivorous (meat-eating);
a variety of shellfish and live prey, sutiable to its
size |
| 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, tubifex worms
|
| occasional
food (2%) |
Small balls of ground
beef loaded with vitamin and calcium once every 2 weeks
|
| reproduction |
| reproduction |
Oviparous; a lengthy winter
diapause is normal in the egg development |
| incubation |
over 1 year |
