# A question about turtles



## Deadleafmantis (Oct 5, 2006)

Hi, I have a 6 inch turtle, he's great. He has such a unique personality but I was wondering would it be possible to introduce any type of fish to his tank or would he just go on a feeding frenzy?

Also is there anything that I shouldn't feed him?

He gets a dry food staple diet with fresh treats most days including:

Tomato
Cabbage
Apple
Pear
Prawns
Banana
Grapes
Peas
Cucumber
Fish (cooked, after I have fish and chips he gets a small amount of leftover fish, no batter though.)
carrots

I've tried him with coconut but he's not interested in it and just buries it.


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

Hello and welcome!!!!!!

My first question to you sir, before I answer anything else....is what type of turtle is it that you have?


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## Deadleafmantis (Oct 5, 2006)

hmm, there is a reason why I didn't say that in my first post. I have forgotten what type he is. I did know when I bought him.

here is his picture, maybe you can conclude what type he is.


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

Some type of cooter or slider? Can you get a shot of the side of its head and neck?

You can probably do away with most of the fruits and vegetables...feeding it greens is important..and commercial turtle diets will work well..the grapes maybe on occasion....keep the fish proteins in check...maybe 1/4 of its diet currently...and yes, if the tank is large enough and offers hiding spaces th eturtle can not reach..you could have fish in with it...but yes the turtle will most likely attempt to eat at the fish..


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## Deadleafmantis (Oct 5, 2006)

I'll try to get a shot of him later, the fruit wont do him any harm though will it? he loves tomato and banana.

He doesn't get much fish, maybe once in two months.


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

No the fruit won't harm him/her at all....but it will make for loose smelly stool..=dirty water......


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## Deadleafmantis (Oct 5, 2006)

yeah, I have to clean him out pretty regular. I have noticed he often eats his own stools. Is this normal?


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

scatophagy is typical ...gross as it is.....in many species the juveniles are truly dependant on adult fecal matter for help instarting their probiotic intestinal colonies....weird eh?


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## DiscusMel (Jul 21, 2004)

It does look like a cooter, they seem to like the veggies
even more than the slider types.Mine would munch
lettuce all day no worries.

Lol and ALL 5 of my turtles on occasion eat they're own poo









Would love to see a pic of your setup.


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## mrodge (Nov 13, 2004)

to me it almost looks like a map turtle, i had bass in with my turtles, there too fast to get eaten, and they acutally got along great, the only thing was the fish grab the food quicker the turtle can get it, and if theres any food sticking out of the turtles mouth the fish will steal it, atleast thats what happened in my case


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## Deadleafmantis (Oct 5, 2006)

yeah, he's a type of map turtle, out of interest what is a good size tank for him? because I am looking for a new tank as he is definately out growing the one he is in now.

As for set up its actually pretty bare, I constructed a basking platform from 2 archway ornaments. I used some aquarium sealant to glue a piece of that polystyrene type sheet that you can use as a background, and I also have 2 rocks for him to use to climb out.


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

I would like shots of his head and neck form the side and top.....it doen't look like a map to me at all from that initial pic....


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## DiscusMel (Jul 21, 2004)

Doesn't look like a map turtle to me either

Tank size rule of thumb for turtles is approx
10 gallons per inch of turtle.It will need a basking
lamp and UV light.If it is a cooter it will grow
quite large at around 12in if not more.

Heres mine to compare, top
pic cooter and bottom pic one of
my maps


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## Deadleafmantis (Oct 5, 2006)

Okay, so I was doing some maintanence on my turtle tank today so I took the chance to get a few more snaps of him. hopefully you can identify him properly now. It was hard to get a decent pic of the back of his head since he follows me everywhere, not letting me get a decent shot. I had to feed him to get the ones i did.

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Also, does he look healthy? he always seems active so I'm guessing he is but is he overweight or anything? some advice from some more experienced keepers would be most welcome.


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## DiscusMel (Jul 21, 2004)

In my humble opinion its a male cooter, looks
in great health too!!


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## Deadleafmantis (Oct 5, 2006)

just a quick question on his claws, you can see on the pics that they are quite large, are they ok to be that long , or should they be clipped. I ask because my cousin used to have an iguana that had long claws and it actually caught its own face once and caused an infected abscess to appear which actually killed the iguana. I just don't want to risk a similar thing happening to him.


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## CrocKeeper (Dec 26, 2003)

His claws are long on the front because he is a male..no worries...do not worry about it....I also believe it to be a beautiful example of what an adult amle cooter should look like! IU will do some homework later and get you a species specific ID...keep up your keeping he is gorgeous!


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## Deadleafmantis (Oct 5, 2006)

wow, high praise indeed, he'll be full of himself when I tell him, lol. It's good to know that I'm keeping him well, It's the first time I've kept anything like this and I actually bought him on an impulse with very little knowledge to go on, just a fact sheet the store had when I bought him so those comments have kept my mind at ease there.

I was really surprised at how active he is, when I first got him he stayed right at the back of the tank and out of sight but now he's so inquisitive and if I'm sat on the other side of the room and just move position to get comfy he sees me and is straight over to the side of the tank to see what I'm doing, he's very comical to watch.

My Grandma came round the other week and she sat in the chair we have right next to the tank, he's never seen my Grandma before but he went straight to her and splashed around on the surface of the water (which he does when he wants something to eat) and wouldn't stop until she fed him. He gets so excited when he sees the food tub, he legs wave around like crazy and he's so focused on the food tub he doesn't notice that I've put the food in the water until after I put the tub away, lol.

I have so many fun stories about him. My Uncle is fascinated with him too, whenever he comes round with my Auntie he sits and watches the turtle while my Auntie talks, he's a great focal and conversation piece in the household.


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## mrodge (Nov 13, 2004)

yea my bad map turtles deffinatley have more jagged shells


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