what to feed my side neck turtle

• Snails
• Clams
• Fish pieces
• Earthworms
• Crickets
• Crustaceans
• Dubia roaches
• Mealworms
Krill and shrimp
Bloodworms
Mussels
Mustard greens
Dandelion greens
Collard greens
Romaine lettuce
Red-leaf lettuce
Carrots
Mixed vegetables

Full Answer

What do African side-neck turtles eat?

Like most aquatic turtles, African side-necks are omnivores. They eat some plant material but they also eat insects, fish, crustaceans, and aquatic turtle pellets while swimming. Meat (such as chicken and beef) should never be fed to your aquatic turtle.

Are side necked turtles easy to take care of?

Sidenecks have moderate care needs but can be suitable for beginners if you're willing to put in the work. Common Names: African sideneck turtle, African side-necked turtle, African helmeted turtle, marsh terrapin, crocodile turtle African sidenecks have longer necks than most other species of turtles.

What can I Feed my turtle?

If your turtle is aquatic it will need to eat small fish such as comet goldfish, mosquito fish, or even aquatic snails. You can get live worms and crickets from your local pet store, as well as pre-packaged dead ones. Feeding your turtle live crickets can seem a little tricky, but it helps to replicate how a turtle would eat in the wild.

How often should I Feed my sideneck turtle?

Adult sidenecks should be fed as much as they will eat in a few seconds, once every second or third day. When they’re young and growing, Insects and protein should make up the majority of your sideneck turtle’s diet. As they get older they tend to give up most of their carnivorous tendencies.

What can side neck turtles eat?

For meat proteins you can feed your sideneck earthworms, snails, clams, fish, aquatic insects, cooked chicken pieces, beef hearts, crustaceans, and maybe some small amphibians. As for the greenery, stick to nutrient-rich greens like spinach, romaine, and red-leaf lettuce (never iceberg).

What fruits do African Sideneck turtles eat?

West African Mud turtles (also known as African Sideneck turtles) can be fed occasional pieces of fruit. This should be used as a treat, not as a main dietary staple due to the high sugar content. Some good choices include apples, grapes, guava, mango, melon, and peaches.

How often do you feed African Sideneck turtle?

An African sideneck turtle will eat anything his owner sets out for him, because he has the same opportunistic feeding mindset he would have in the wild. Feed a hatchling once a day, a juvenile every other day and an adult twice weekly. Feed no more than the turtle can eat in 15 to 20 minutes.

How do you take care of a side neck turtle?

Ideally, you should have at least a 75-gallon aquarium that is half to three-quarters full of water. Also, provide a dry land area using a floating dock or large rocks, so your turtle can climb out of the water to dry off. Use a secure metal mesh screen lid to keep your turtle safe, especially if you have other pets.

How long can an African Sideneck turtle go without eating?

How many days can turtle survive without food? In terms of days, a turtle can survive around 160 days without food. However, they must also have access to water during this time period as well as a healthy amount of light.

How much water do African Sideneck turtles need?

The sideneck turtle is aquatic and it will enjoy diving and turning underwater. It needs at least a 75-gallon tank and it should be at least half full of water. There should be some dry land, which can be provided with a rock or a dry dock area.

Do turtles need a light at night?

Night Lights They can also provide some heat, which can be important for hatchling turtles, who often sleep on the basking area at night. Adult turtles don't need night lights, and most turtles don't care whether they're red or blue as long as they're not too bright.

Do African Sideneck turtles need water?

African sideneck turtles are semi-aquatic reptiles, and spend most of their time in the water. This means that most of the enclosure should be water — in other words, you'll be essentially maintaining a pond or aquarium with an accessible land area.

What do turtles play with?

Shells – Turtles love playing with empty shells. These are great natural toys for chasing, flipping, and investigating. Rafts – Your turtle will also love it if you put a small raft or other floating objects in their tank. They can sink them or push them around the tank.

How big do African side neck turtles get?

Size and Lifespan The average size of the African sideneck turtle is 7–12 inches (17.78–30.48 cm) for females and 7–10 inches (17.78–25.4 cm) for males.

How long can Juvenile turtles go without food?

A young turtle (less than six months old) can't go a day without eating. A so-called “sub-adult” turtle (six months to one year old) can't go more than a day without eating. An adult turtle should eat, on average, every 2-3 days.

Can African Sideneck turtles live in cold water?

African sideneck turtles are ectotherms, which means that they rely on the variable temperatures of their environment to help regulate their metabolism and stay healthy. The basking platform should offer high temperatures of around 95°F, and the water should stay under 85°F, but no cooler than 70°F.

How can you tell if a African Sideneck turtle is male or female?

2:224:458 Ways to tell whether a Turtle is Male or Female - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipNumber sixteen length also length of the tail is different for both male and female turtle of sameMoreNumber sixteen length also length of the tail is different for both male and female turtle of same age male have longer tail than female male turtles genital organs are located within the tail.

Do African Sideneck turtles bask?

The first thing you'll need to add to your aquarium is NOT optional: because African sideneck turtles are only semi-aquatic rather than fully-aquatic, you need to provide some “land” for the turtle to bask on. Ideally, this should be enough space for the turtle to bask, walk around a bit, and burrow.

How long can a African Sideneck Turtle hold its breath?

One of the adaptations common to the group is the ability to hold their breath for extended periods. Though some are capable of holding their breath for "only" 30 minutes, other turtles, in some circumstances, spend months underwater without breaching the surface to breathe.

Are African Sideneck turtles nocturnal?

These turtles are reported to be nocturnal, but they are known to bask at the water's edge and to migrate overland between bodies of water.

The Natural Diet for African Sideneck Turtles

In the wild, African sideneck turtles usually eat invertebrates such as insects and worms. Letting your turtle eat some of these creatures can be a good treat, but make sure you purchase them commercially rather than just collect insects in your backyard — insects in the wild may be affected by pesticides that can harm your pet.

Supplements for African Sideneck Turtles

To ensure your turtle is receiving the right amounts of nutrients, we also recommend providing a calcium block or other vitamin and mineral supplements periodically.

Feeding African Sideneck Turtles

West African Mud turtles are omnivores that need a varied diet to remain healthy. You can provide a mix of commercial turtle pellets, insects, mollusks, cooked meats, and strips of fish. They will also need some dark leafy greens such as collard greens or dandelion greens.

Do African Sideneck Turtles Eat Fruit?

West African Mud turtles (also known as African Sideneck turtles) can be fed occasional pieces of fruit. This should be used as a treat, not as a main dietary staple due to the high sugar content.

Other Foods They Eat

Sideneck turtles love dark leafy greens, so you can try feeding your pet small amounts of vegetables like spinach and kale. Your turtle should not have trouble chewing this food, but make sure that the leaves are not too big for your pet to safely eat. Aquatic turtles also enjoy certain freeze-dried foods such as shrimp, mealworms, and crickets.

How to keep baby turtles from eating?

Aquatic baby turtles are sloppy eaters, and they relieve themselves in the middle of their meals. Therefore, they are bound to dirty their aquarium. #3 Give your turtle feeder fish and crickets for some meals. #4 Feed baby turtles two or three times a day. #5 Remember to leave your baby turtle’s food in the tank for half an hour ...

How to feed a turtle live crickets?

Feeding your turtle live crickets can seem a little tricky, but it helps to replicate how a turtle would eat in the wild. Feeding an aquatic turtle small live fish helps to stimulate the turtle and give him some exercise. Using vegetables that float is preferable to those that sink for an aquatic turtle. If you dust your food with ...

What to feed a baby turtle?

So, here are some pointers on how to feed baby turtles: #1 First, Feed land baby turtles, a combination of commercially produced food and fresh leafy vegetables, such as lettuce and cabbage, and make sure you chop the food into tiny pieces. #2 Feed your aquatic baby turtle in a smaller feeding tank. Aquatic baby turtles are sloppy eaters, and they ...

What do water turtles eat?

Water turtles can feed on vegetables and fruits. Also, provide live food to the turtle. This is an integral part of their diet so be sure to have a regular supply of animal-based food for your turtle, including live feed. These live foods include crickets, mealworms, waxworms, and other small grubs and insects.

Why should you clean your turtle's food?

Whenever you give them food, you should make sure to clean the feeding area. This is because leftover food decay, and this is not healthy for a turtle.

Do turtles eat pellets?

If you are trying to replicate how a turtle would feed in the wild, however, the pellets are less authentic than fresh greens and insects. If you use pellets, try to make them part of a balance with fresh food. Think of pellets as forming the only the foundation of the diet.

Do turtles eat the same amount of food?

No two turtles will eat the same amount of food, so recommendations on the amount to provide have to be generalized. In that case, it’s important to note that young turtles should be fed often. Juvenile turtles, a term that most describes baby turtles, need lots of food and need to be fed most often than mature turtles.

Species Summary

The African sideneck turtle ( Pelusios castaneus) is an aquatic reptile with some unique characteristics. It’s on the bigger end of the size spectrum, outgrowing some more widespread water-dwelling pet turtle species. While that does lead to more challenges, African sidenecks are manageable for both newbies and season reptile-keepers.

Appearance & Colors

This species is appropriately named for its unique neck. It’s considerably longer than other turtles. Their necks are so long that they are unable to retract their head into their shell fully.

African Sideneck Turtle Lifespan

If you want a long-living pet reptile, these turtles are an excellent choice. The average African sideneck turtle lifespan is between 25 and 50 years! In some cases, they may even live beyond the five-decade mark!

Average Size

The typical African sideneck turtle size can measure anywhere between seven and 12 inches long when fully grown.

African Sideneck Turtle Care

African sideneck turtle care requires you to understand a number of different things. In addition to providing a balanced diet, you have to recreate these turtle’s natural habitat as closely as possible.

Tank Size

Creating a suitable enclosure for this turtle can be tricky. African sidenecks are an aquatic species, but they also need plenty of access to dry land for basking.

Habitat Setup

Like any other animal living in captivity, establishing a habitat setup that mimics the environment where they would live in the wild is important.

Minimum aquarium size for African sideneck turtles

The minimum size enclosure for housing one adult African sideneck turtle requires 90-110 gallons of water, no deeper than 1.5x the length of the turtle itself. Of course, bigger is always better!

Do African sideneck turtles need UVB?

Yes! African sideneck turtles require exposure to appropriate amounts of UVB in order to maintain good health and wellbeing. Providing UVB lighting to your turtle offers several benefits, including all of the vitamin D that their body needs, better appetite and activity, and a stronger immune system.

Best temperature for African sideneck turtles

Unlike mammals, which control their own body temperature internally, African sideneck turtles and other reptiles rely on external sources to regulate their body temperature and metabolism.

Water maintenance for African sideneck turtles

African sideneck turtles are semi-aquatic reptiles, and spend most of their time in the water. This means that most of the enclosure should be water — in other words, you’ll be essentially maintaining a pond or aquarium with an accessible land area. Your turtle’s water must be kept as clean as possible to maintain the turtle’s health.

How to decorate an African sideneck turtle aquarium

The first thing you’ll need to add to your aquarium is NOT optional: because African sideneck turtles are only semi-aquatic rather than fully-aquatic, you need to provide some “land” for the turtle to bask on. Ideally, this should be enough space for the turtle to bask, walk around a bit, and burrow.

What to feed to an African sideneck turtle

African sideneck turtles are omnivorous, which means that they need both plant- and animal-based foods in their diet to get the nutrition that they need. Here is a general feeding schedule to follow:

How to handle your African sideneck turtle

Unlike some other reptiles, turtles aren’t the kind of pet that you can handle regularly. While African sideneck turtles definitely tend to tolerate it better than most, it’s best to stay hands-off most of the time.

What to put in a turtle tank?

In the case of the African sideneck this includes driftwood, large flat rocks (some of which should be used to create an above water basking spot under the UVB basking light), cork bark slabs, and plants.

What to feed a sideneck worm?

For meat proteins you can feed your sideneck earthworms, snails, clams, fish, aquatic insects, cooked chicken pieces, beef hearts, crustaceans, and maybe some small amphibians. As for the greenery, stick to nutrient-rich greens like spinach, romaine, and red-leaf lettuce (never iceberg).

How deep should a turtle tank be?

Your water level should be at least 1.5 times the length of your turtle; the ideal depth is from 6 to 8 inches.

Why do turtles have little worms?

Lastly, if you notice little worms floating around in your turtle tank, if your turtle is unable to swim or breathe properly , or if your turtle has a lot of bubbling coming from its nose, it probably has a parasite problem .

Why are African sideneck turtles called African sideneck turtles?

African sidenecks get their nickname due to their inability to withdraw their heads fully into their shells, instead drawing their head to the side and under the upper edge of their shell.

Where do African sideneck turtles live?

They live in rivers, lakes,and ponds during the wet season and bury themselves deep in the mud (called estivating) during the dry seasons.

How much water does a mud turtle need?

For a group of adult West African mud turtles, an area of 6 feet by 3 feet that can hold between 125 and 175 gallons of water will suffice. For single turtles, a 40-gallon glass aquarium will suffice as well. When choosing a turtle tank, wider is always better than taller.

What do pink belly turtles eat?

Food & Diet. This pet turtle is not overly finicky when it comes to diet. In nature, pink-bellied side-neck turtles eat things like insects, crustaceans and mollusks. In your aquarium environment, you can give them items that help replicate their natural diet.

What is the best way to care for a pink belly turtle?

Water. Maintaining clean, fresh water in your enclosure is one of the most important parts of pink-bellied side-necked turtle care. Water quality will play a critical role in the overall health and well-being of this pet.

What color are plastron turtles?

Coloration varies from turtle to turtle, but the basic plastron colors include pink, red and even bright orange. The skin of this turtle is usually gray with two yellow stripes. Expert Tip: Males will have longer and thicker tails than females.

How long do pink belly turtles live?

The typical pink-bellied side-neck turtle lifespan is usually between 20 and 30 years in captivity. There have been rare situations where the combination of proper care and great genetics have led to specimens living up to 50 years. However, this is quite uncommon and challenging to replicate.

Do pink belly turtles have health issues?

Pink-bellied side-necked turtles, like most turtles, can suffer from a myriad of health issues (especially when not given proper care). Knowing in advance what these issues are and having a great relationship with your veterinarian will help to ensure the health and happiness of your pet.

Is a pink belly side neck turtle a pet?

Behavior & Temperament. The pink-bellied side-neck turtle is a very friendly, sweet natured pet reptile. It is suited very well to a turtle community, and it gets along with most other species of turtle. Expert Tip: However, we do not recommend putting them in the same environment as large musk turtles or American snappers.

How hot does a sideneck turtle get?

Also, a heater will keep the temperature between 70-75°F in the water and 95-100°F in the basking area. Monitor the temperature in the water and in the basking area with an accurate thermometer. The African Sideneck Turtle can vary in color from tan and dark brown, to gray and black.

How big do turtles get?

Overall Description. These turtles vary from one individual to another in terms of their size. For example, a P. castaneus adult turtle could be up to a foot long, while the P. sinuatus will grow to 20” as an adult, and the Pelomedusa subrufa will only be around 6-8” long as an adult.

What is the name of the turtle that folds its head?

The African Sideneck Turtle belongs to the family Pelomedusidae, which encompasses several different species. Also known as African Mud Turtles or African Helmeted Turtles, these turtles can’t completely hide their heads in their shells. Instead, this turtle is known for folding its head underneath the upper edge of his shell after his head has been drawn to the side.

What color are African sideneck turtles?

The African Sideneck Turtle can vary in color from tan and dark brown, to gray and black. While some of these turtles can have lighter colored skin, they are generally darker, especially on the plastron, or underbelly area, which will also feature a poorly defined and wide yellow area.

Where do African sideneck turtles live?

Fifteen species that are within the Pelusios genus live in Africa, Madagascar, and the Seychelles, and Pelomedusa subrufa is found in Madagascar and many parts of Africa. When they are found in the wild, these turtles are ...

What do turtles eat?

You can feed your pet a commercial aquatic turtle diet, but your turtle will also enjoy eating crickets, worms, crayfish, and fish. You can also provide aquatic plants for snacking on, and these turtles like munching on the leaves of water lettuce and water hyacinth.

How deep should a turtle tank be?

The amount of water in the tank will depend upon your turtle’s length. A good place to start is 6-10” deep.

How big do African sideneck turtles get?

The size of an adult African side-necked turtle may vary, considering the gender and the species of the turtle. Females can grow 8 inches and above, reaching even 20 inches, as opposed to the males, who restrict their height to about 9 inches at adulthood. Therefore, always do your homework correctly before buying this wonder for yourself. Make sure that the tank is spacious enough for your pet to swim and rest. The capacity of the tank should be between 60 – 90 gallons. Alternatively, you could also have them in any open area outside your house, in the backyard, or in the garden, where you can easily fill the area with exactly what your pet needs. This will also make it feel at home, thereby helping it to grow healthy and be merry!

How long does it take for a turtle to hatch?

This is a crucial thing to do. If conditions permit, then you will have mini turtles hatching out of the eggs in 2 – 3 months. However, a small act of carelessness can kill the embryo within the egg itself. It is of paramount importance that when you move the eggs from the mud bed, elsewhere for incubation, always know for yourself, which is the top side of the egg. In case you put the top side down, the egg embryo will be dead. Before dislocating the eggs, put them in a good container with good amount of moss, sand, and organic decomposition matter.

What do turtles eat?

This variety of turtles is omnivorous in food habits. They like feeding on plants, insects, worms, and also fish. They also pick water grass, hyacinth, lettuce, and other water plants as good choices for food. Introducing your pet turtle to the commercial turtle food types is beneficial. Feeding them with these will help them have a healthy well-being. Most of these kinds of food are eaten with pleasure. These turtles prefer eating under water as it eases their swallowing procedure.

What are turtle shells made of?

Turtles are hardy mammals. Their shells are made up of keratin. It is a non-detachable part just like ribs and the spine. But there can be serious problems with it if not treated on time. There could be some minor shell damage, or there may even be grave conditions like shell rotting or formation of a shell pyramid. However, these conditions are curable. Major remedies (or precautions) for these conditions include ample intake of sunlight and adequate nutritional intake.

Do turtles like the sun?

So, in order to prevent any damage to their bones and shells, sufficient exposure to UVB light is essential. This is a part of the shell care procedure. Along with proper lighting, also install a water heater to keep the temperature right, as these turtles belong to the hot atmosphere of Africa.

Why are pink belly sideneck turtles considered darlings?

Further than Snapping Turtles in addition to Large Musk Turtles, The Pink Belly Sideneck Turtle is acknowledged for its aptitude to familiarize itself with further turtle type.

What temperature do turtles hatch?

Likewise, upsurge the extent of the inclusion by 10 percent (or additional, if conceivable) for every extra turtle. Idyllic water temperature variety is 66 to 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Hatchlings do fine in the 70s to low 80s, nonetheless it will turn out to be less lively if water temps decrease below 65 degrees.

How do male and female turtles connect?

The males connect with the females by a sequence of gesturing stances, eye flashing, and head bobbling. Lone the female pink-bellied side-necked turtles leave the river to bond eggs in the dirt of the woodland floor, frequently close the base of vegetations or in the dirty soil of freshwater marshes.

How many eggs do pink belly turtles lay?

These water turtles derived out of the water to lay among seven and 14 eggs, with ten being the average. The eggs are tough-shelled, oval-formed, and typically around an inch long.

What are the signs of illness in turtles?

Signs of illness in turtles may be exact for a convinced illness, for example, nasal emancipation in the case of a respiratory contagion. More normally, signs of disease are-precise, for example, a turtle with anorexia (deficiency of hunger) and weariness, which can be perceived with many illnesses.

How many gallon aquariums do pink belly turtles need?

Habitat. A single pink-bellied side-necked turtle fledgling, at around 4 inches long, requires a 20-gallon aquarium at least. The type does fine in groups, providing the scope of the inclusion is augmented by a minimum of 10 percent for respectively added turtle.

What are the symptoms of a turtle's ear?

Indications comprise a lack of hunger, weariness, the bulge of the eyelids (frequently with a pus-like release), a bump of the ear (really an ear boil), and respiratory contagions. In turtles, most respiratory contagions are triggered by microorganisms and are frequently subordinate to Vitamin A deficit.