|
 Soft-Shelled
Turtle
(Trionyx
ferox)
General Info
Soft-Shelled Turtles are found throughout
Florida and many adjacent states. Males are
smaller than females in overall body size,
but have longer tails. Healthy Soft-Shelled
Turtles can live anywhere from 10 to 15
years. They can become somewhat aggressive
if allowed to grow large, but still make
excellent pets.
Soft-Shelled Turtles are quite intelligent,
and can learn to respond to their names.
Feed your turtle the proper amount of food
each day (overfeeding can be fatal).
Soft-Shelled Turtles prefer dried shrimp
bits or live fish. To train it,
hand-feed it occasional treats such as bits
of raw lean hamburger, raw chicken livers,
tiny live fish, or dried shrimp tidbits.
Never drop your Soft-Shelled Turtle, or let
it fall off the table! The impact will
kill it. As its name indicates, a
Soft-Shelled Turtle's shell is very soft and
flexible. When small, it's actually
translucent around the edges. It's
sturdier than it looks--but still, you
should always handle a Soft-Shelled Turtle
with care. Your
child(ren) will enjoy playing with this
curious, energetic pet, but should always be
closely supervised.
Important Note #1: SOFT-SHELLED TURTLES WILL
GROW TO THE SIZE OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT. If
you want your Soft-Shelled Turtle to stay
small, you must keep it in a small tank. Do
not put your Soft-Shelled Turtle in a large
tank unless you want it to grow HUGE!
Soft-Shelled Turtles placed in large tanks
or ponds can grow to 4 FEET in diameter.
Important Note #2: HANDLING A TURTLE WILL
NOT MAKE YOU SICK. The salmonella bacteria
is a form of e-coli, which lives in the G.I.
tract of nearly every living creature,
including humans. Most people have a natural
immunity to this bacteria, which is why the
disease is extremely rare. In order to get
sick, you would have to let your turtle’s
water get so filthy that it’s black and
stinking--and then drink the water. Simply
handling a turtle will not cause or spread
disease. (See cleaning tips below.)
Creating The Proper Habitat
Keep your Soft-Shelled Turtle in a warm
room, but do not place its tank in front of
a window. Too much direct sunlight and/or
heat can kill it. Specialized heat lamps and
water heaters are not necessary, and in fact
can be dangerous to your Soft-Shelled Turtle
if used improperly.
Wild
Soft-Shelled Turtles often like to dig in
the mud, so don't be surprised if your new
pet spends much of its time half-buried
under its gravel.
Never fill your tank with more than a few
inches of water, unless you also provide
your turtle with some kind of raft or
floating sponge to climb on. It will
drown if it cannot rest on something solid,
and still poke its head out of the water.
Also remember that Soft-Shelled Turtles eat
fish along with bits of vegetation. If you
put a Soft-Shelled Turtle in your fish tank,
it may eat your fish (even the big ones).
Soft-Shelled Turtles need to climb out of
the water every day for at least a few
hours. That helps dry out their shells,
which keeps them healthy. If you cannot take
your Soft-Shelled Turtle out of its tank
every day, or provide it with a place to
climb out of the water (an elevated rock or
bridge in one corner of its tank is usually
sufficient), make sure to keep a calcium
block in its water.
Cleaning The Tank
Your Soft-Shelled Turtle’s water must be
cleaned at least twice a week. Turtles are
messy eaters, and will defecate in their
water. In rare cases, exceptionally dirty
water can lead to disease (see above) for
both turtles and humans. Fortunately it’s
very easy to clean a turtle tank. Simply
empty the dirty water and gravel into a
kitchen strainer, rinse the gravel under
running water, and pour it back into the
empty tank.
You can buy expensive de-chlorination
chemicals to treat your Soft-Shelled
Turtle’s water, but why waste the money?
Simply fill a clean, empty milk jug with
water, and let it sit out uncovered
overnight. Then fill your Soft-Shelled
Turtle’s tank with that naturally-aged
water. A single milk jug can last for two or
more weeks.
With proper care, your Soft-Shelled Turtle
will be the easiest pet you’ll ever own.
Enjoy! |
