| general
|
| description |
A turtle with a very long
neck, and a rough carapace, especially when young. These
turtles hunt their prey like mata matas, with a sudden
lunge and swallowing prey and water. This is an enjoyable
experience, so feeding live fish is reccomended for this
reason. These turtles do not usually bask. |
| a.k.a |
tortuga de cuello de vibora |
| distribution |
 
South America; Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil
code : AR, PY |
| housing |
| natural
habitats |
Semi-aquatic;
A variety of water bodies, including small ponds and shallow
streams |
| aquarium |
Medium to large aquarium,
depth 2-3 times carapace height |
| 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 - 29 ¢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; a variety
of small live prey and occasionally carrion, sutiable
to its size |
| primary
food (75%) |
Small live or whole fresh
fish, crayfish, snails, earthworms, tubifex worms |
| secondary
food (23%) |
A good brand commercial
turtle food (e.g. Aquatic
Turtle Food); Most turtles will learn to take it as
a primary food after some teaching |
| occasional
food (2%) |
Small balls of ground
beef loaded with vitamin and calcium once every 2 weeks
|
| reproduction |
| reproduction |
Oviparous |
