Caring for your turtle

Turtles make great pets! They are easy to look after, easy to feed and are always on the move. The most common Turtles available for sale in Victoria are the Eastern Long Neck and the Macquarie. These are animals that are predominantly aquatic animals. It is not necessary to obtain a license to keep either of these Turtles.

Do I have a turtle or a tortoise?
Australian native turtles have been referred to as “tortoise” this is a long running debate but the simple answer is that a tortoise lives predominantly on land and a turtle lives predominantly in water.
This care sheet is a starting point for your knowledge of your new animal, and we encourage you to read as much as you can about turtles as they really are fascinating animals.

True "terrapins" are not native to Australia and are illegal to own.

Housing:
Turtles spend most of their time in the water. They do however need to be able to get out of the water if they want to. Therefore an enclosure that provides both water and dry land is required. Ways of achieving this are to pile rocks in one corner of the enclosure, or to include a large floating island such as a large piece of cork bark. Glass aquariums can be modified with a shelf glued into place for the "dry" area. Glass aquariums are the most common choice for housing turtles indoors, as they are leak proof, escape proof and easy to clean. A fine layer of gravel on the base of the aquarium gives a natural looking substrate.

Cleaning:
If a power filter is used, it should be sufficient to change around 50% of the water once every two or three weeks. There are products such as "Turtle Clean" by Hagen which will help to keep the water clean. Also available are Turtle Neutralizers and Turtle Health blocks which slowly dissolve in the water and help to keep the PH levels higher which prevents damage occurring to the turtles shell. Turtles can be kept outdoors in a pond which has an adjacent land area. Enclosing the pond is a good idea, to keep the turtle in and dogs and cats out. During winter the turtle will become very inactive and will refuse food for long periods. Once the weather warms, normal activity will resume. Some turtles may choose to hibernate underwater, they do this by drawing water into the anus where it absorbs oxygen, It is very important not to disturb your turtle during hibernation as this can cause death.

Feeding:
turtles prefer to feed when they are in the water. Food can either be placed in the water or hand fed or offered on a thin stick. Remove any uneaten food as this will pollute the water. A variety of food may be offered. In the wild turtles will eat earthworms, tadpoles, small fish, small snails etc. Suitable substitute foods include lean meat, dog food, fish pieces, earthworms, mealworms, crickets, and "turtle treats ". As with all animals a good variety is essential. Remember that temperature will affect the turtle’s willingness to feed. During warm weather feed 2 or 3 times a week. During cold weather your turtle may refuse food, even if indoors.

Points to consider:
Turtles require calcium and vitamin D so that their shell will develop correctly and not become soft. This is especially important when the turtle is young and growing rapidly. Access to direct sunlight, use of UV fluorescent tubes and the addition of a calcium supplement block to the water is a must to overcome this problem.
If you are keeping your turtle indoors it is advisable to use an aquarium heater in the water set around 20-24C. If you feed your turtle and then the water temp drops rapidly as it has a tendency to do in a glass tank the turtle will have trouble digesting the food .Outdoors the water temp. is much more stable.