my fat fish
Fish Addict
Terrapins and what you need to know
species list here
Substrate
Although gravel and sand is popular for fish tanks these are no good for terrapins as Small gravel can be accidentally eaten by them. A good alternative to this is using sand but this is up to you. Although sand is recommended for some terrapins it not necessary and will make cleaning you tank a lot harder as terrapins are messy animals. You can always use large stones to decorate the bottom of the tank. But placing the stones is crucial as terrapins can easily get stuck and as you can imagine that can’t be good. In my opinion it is best to keep a clear bottom.
Plants
Turtles will often be seen climbing plants and other objects plastic plants are very good for this as they don’t tear up when they dig there claws in the plant. Also live plants are nice to use but some can be dangerous to the terrapins. Also they like to eat some of the plants
Basking bay
Terrapins love to come out of the water every now and again to bathe so having an out of water bay is essential with a basking light. Try not to take up to much water space as terrapins love to swim around.
Water quality
Like with fish your water is essential as poor water can lead to illnesses and death so keeps the maintenance up on that area. And a strong filter is recommended for the tank if you have 30lt of water get a filter that works up to 60lt this will help you out a lot with water quality. And weekly water changes should happen I recommend about 20% water change. Also yes terrapins need the water dechlorinated like fish
Temperatures
The water should be heated and kept at a constant temperature around 24°C-26°C this is an ideal temperature but it can be a little lower then this as in the wild they can live in colder waters just this is the best temperature for them. Please always check your water temperature as heater can be messy and break without warning.
Ventilation
Keeping the tank well ventilated is a very good idea and in most cases using no hood at all will be ideal just make sure your basking light is close enough to the bathing dock.
Feeding
Terrapins need a variety of foods I feed mine on an assortment of salads and fruit as well as fish and bloodworm. A lot people don’t realise that terrapins need meat in there diet. The fish I use you can buy from your LFS, called dillies they come in packets and are about 2cm long each, one of these a day will be plenty of food for a small terrapin it will need cutting up into small pieces so your pet can eat it easily. I also add some fruit/veg for the terrapin as it is healthy for your turtle.
Some people use pellet food which is fine about 2-3 pellets a day will be enough for the terrapin. Calcium is also essential for your pet as it helps keep the shell hard and grow properly you can get calcium tablets normally from where you get your terrapin.
Also it may be cruel but a lot of people use feeder fish for their terrapin, this is entirely up to you but bare in mind it is illegal in the uk to so this and can spread infection to your terrapin tank if the fish is not healthy.
Handling
Handling is a brilliant way to make your terrapins friendly when they are bigger, they need to be used to human company or they are likely to be biters. I think its best to buy your pet from a young age in order to ensure they still are impressionable and still learning.
I handle my terrapin each day for a few mins just so he can get used to me handling your terrapin is practically impossible to avoid especially when it come to cleaning the tank as removing your pet is the safest option. When it come to holding your pet it is best to hold it from behind supporting its Plastron (bottom of the shell I will try and get a picture on here of how I hold them). Do not use nets as they can harm the terrapin as they do have claws and can get caught up in them
Dangerous plant
Here is a list of plants/food thank can harm/poison you terrapin
Okay, SO, I must stress this information is NOT from me, so I cannot be accountable for its accuracy. In any case, these apparently are poisonous to Tortoise/Turtles
Avocado (leaves)
Bird Of Paradise
Bottlebrush
Caladium
Calla Lily
Carnation
Chinese Lantern
Christmas Cactus
Chrysanthemum
Clematis
Common Privet
Cone Flower
Daisy
Day Lily
Dieffenbachia
Dogwood
Dracaena
English Ivy
Eucalyptus
Foxglove
Hemlock
Impatiens
Iris
Ivy
Jasmine
Larkspur
Lily Of The Valley
Mesquite
Milk Weed
Mistletoe
Morning Glory
Mushrooms (some wild species)
Nandina
Oak
Oleander
Peach (leaves, pit)
Peony
Periwinkle
Philodendron
Poinsettia
Poison Ivy
Poison Oak
Poison Sumac
Pokeweed
Potato (leaves)
Pathos Ivy
Privet
Rhododendron
Rhubarb
Sage
Sago Palm
Schaeffer
Snapdragon
Sweet Pea
Sweet Potato
Tomato (leaves)
Tulip
Verbena
Vinca
Walnut Hulls
Wisteria
Yew
Yucca
(now some of these may be incorrect i cannot be cirtain as i do not wish to test it on my pet lol)
Making the words seem a little easier to understand
Bridge = The sides of the shell
Carapace = The top shell
CB = Captive bred
Cloaca = Their opening on the bottom of their tail where they do their toiletry things, their genitalia etc etc
FRT = Fly River Turtle
LTC = Long term captive
MVB = Mercury vapour bulb (combined bulb of heat and UVB)
MBD = Metabolic Bone Disorder, caused by insufficient calcium and/or Vitamin D3
Plastron = The bottom of the shell
RES = Red Eared Slider
RI = Respiratory infection
SCL = Straight carapace length
Scutes = The separate sections on the shell
UVB = A wavelength of light that is essential in the production of vitamin D3
Vitamin D3 = Helps metabolise calcium
WC = Wild caught
YBS = Yellow Bellied Slider
species list here
Substrate
Although gravel and sand is popular for fish tanks these are no good for terrapins as Small gravel can be accidentally eaten by them. A good alternative to this is using sand but this is up to you. Although sand is recommended for some terrapins it not necessary and will make cleaning you tank a lot harder as terrapins are messy animals. You can always use large stones to decorate the bottom of the tank. But placing the stones is crucial as terrapins can easily get stuck and as you can imagine that can’t be good. In my opinion it is best to keep a clear bottom.
Plants
Turtles will often be seen climbing plants and other objects plastic plants are very good for this as they don’t tear up when they dig there claws in the plant. Also live plants are nice to use but some can be dangerous to the terrapins. Also they like to eat some of the plants
Basking bay
Terrapins love to come out of the water every now and again to bathe so having an out of water bay is essential with a basking light. Try not to take up to much water space as terrapins love to swim around.
Water quality
Like with fish your water is essential as poor water can lead to illnesses and death so keeps the maintenance up on that area. And a strong filter is recommended for the tank if you have 30lt of water get a filter that works up to 60lt this will help you out a lot with water quality. And weekly water changes should happen I recommend about 20% water change. Also yes terrapins need the water dechlorinated like fish
Temperatures
The water should be heated and kept at a constant temperature around 24°C-26°C this is an ideal temperature but it can be a little lower then this as in the wild they can live in colder waters just this is the best temperature for them. Please always check your water temperature as heater can be messy and break without warning.
Ventilation
Keeping the tank well ventilated is a very good idea and in most cases using no hood at all will be ideal just make sure your basking light is close enough to the bathing dock.
Feeding
Terrapins need a variety of foods I feed mine on an assortment of salads and fruit as well as fish and bloodworm. A lot people don’t realise that terrapins need meat in there diet. The fish I use you can buy from your LFS, called dillies they come in packets and are about 2cm long each, one of these a day will be plenty of food for a small terrapin it will need cutting up into small pieces so your pet can eat it easily. I also add some fruit/veg for the terrapin as it is healthy for your turtle.
Some people use pellet food which is fine about 2-3 pellets a day will be enough for the terrapin. Calcium is also essential for your pet as it helps keep the shell hard and grow properly you can get calcium tablets normally from where you get your terrapin.
Also it may be cruel but a lot of people use feeder fish for their terrapin, this is entirely up to you but bare in mind it is illegal in the uk to so this and can spread infection to your terrapin tank if the fish is not healthy.
Handling
Handling is a brilliant way to make your terrapins friendly when they are bigger, they need to be used to human company or they are likely to be biters. I think its best to buy your pet from a young age in order to ensure they still are impressionable and still learning.
I handle my terrapin each day for a few mins just so he can get used to me handling your terrapin is practically impossible to avoid especially when it come to cleaning the tank as removing your pet is the safest option. When it come to holding your pet it is best to hold it from behind supporting its Plastron (bottom of the shell I will try and get a picture on here of how I hold them). Do not use nets as they can harm the terrapin as they do have claws and can get caught up in them
Dangerous plant
Here is a list of plants/food thank can harm/poison you terrapin
Okay, SO, I must stress this information is NOT from me, so I cannot be accountable for its accuracy. In any case, these apparently are poisonous to Tortoise/Turtles
Avocado (leaves)
Bird Of Paradise
Bottlebrush
Caladium
Calla Lily
Carnation
Chinese Lantern
Christmas Cactus
Chrysanthemum
Clematis
Common Privet
Cone Flower
Daisy
Day Lily
Dieffenbachia
Dogwood
Dracaena
English Ivy
Eucalyptus
Foxglove
Hemlock
Impatiens
Iris
Ivy
Jasmine
Larkspur
Lily Of The Valley
Mesquite
Milk Weed
Mistletoe
Morning Glory
Mushrooms (some wild species)
Nandina
Oak
Oleander
Peach (leaves, pit)
Peony
Periwinkle
Philodendron
Poinsettia
Poison Ivy
Poison Oak
Poison Sumac
Pokeweed
Potato (leaves)
Pathos Ivy
Privet
Rhododendron
Rhubarb
Sage
Sago Palm
Schaeffer
Snapdragon
Sweet Pea
Sweet Potato
Tomato (leaves)
Tulip
Verbena
Vinca
Walnut Hulls
Wisteria
Yew
Yucca
(now some of these may be incorrect i cannot be cirtain as i do not wish to test it on my pet lol)
Making the words seem a little easier to understand
Bridge = The sides of the shell
Carapace = The top shell
CB = Captive bred
Cloaca = Their opening on the bottom of their tail where they do their toiletry things, their genitalia etc etc
FRT = Fly River Turtle
LTC = Long term captive
MVB = Mercury vapour bulb (combined bulb of heat and UVB)
MBD = Metabolic Bone Disorder, caused by insufficient calcium and/or Vitamin D3
Plastron = The bottom of the shell
RES = Red Eared Slider
RI = Respiratory infection
SCL = Straight carapace length
Scutes = The separate sections on the shell
UVB = A wavelength of light that is essential in the production of vitamin D3
Vitamin D3 = Helps metabolise calcium
WC = Wild caught
YBS = Yellow Bellied Slider
