Snake Neck Turtle Care Sheet

Snake Neck Turtle Care Sheet. The Snake Neck Turtle CHELODINA LONGICOLLIS (or Side neck Turtle as it is sometimes referred to) is native to Australia’s eastern coast from Victoria in the south to Rockhampton in the north. It’s identified by it’s grey/black body, black carapace (brown in younger specimens) and in older specimens white plastron with black seams joining the scutes. It has an especially long neck that must be tucked in sideways for protection. Snake-neck Turtles grow to approximately 20 to 25cm. Both males and females grow to the same size and are identical to each other in every way, making sexing of these guys extremely difficult. Snake-neck Turtles are a very aquatic species so require a good sized swimming area. They’re a very placid species and keeping more than one in a tank is never a problem (just ensure that they are of similar size to one another to avoid accidents during feeding as Snake-necks feed with gusto and might inflict unintentional damage to one another!!) Snake-neck Turtles are easy to keep but care should be taken when hand feeding as they are very quick! Hot House Turtles frozen Turtle Food has been formulated specially for the carnivorous Snake-neck Turtles. Fluker’s Gourmet River Shrimps and Fluker’s Freeze Dried River Shrimps are also eaten with enthusiasm, but please note that the River Shrimps are treat foods only and not intended as a staple diet. Snake-neck Turtles are particularly susceptible to Ammonia poisoning, so large weekly water changes are essential to avoid them getting ill. The Snake-neck Turtle is a very personable and hardy Turtle, and is ideal for those who want to keep something different. Snake Neck Turtle Care Sheet FEEDING Snake Neck Turtle Care Sheet. Turtles reared on Hot House Turtles frozen Turtle Food will thrive as the fish based diet contains necessary calcium and other minerals and vitamins to ensure turtle shell quality and general well being. You can also feed you turtles on Live Food such as Mealworms & Waxmoth larvae. ENVIRONMENT

• Tank Size – Hatchlings should be reared in a tank of approximately 60x30x30cm and for a pair this will probably only be adequate for about 6 – 18 months. A pair of 15-25cm turtles need a minimum 120x60x60cm tank.
• Water Depth – There is no maximum water depth but the minimum is twice the turtle shell length, however, do not have the water level or floating island too close to the top of the tank as turtles are good climbers and your pet could climb out. A drop of 50cm or more on to a hard surface could kill your turtle.
• Water temperature – I recommended keeping the water temperature of your tanks at 26C to avoid your Turtle refusing to eat. Once water temperatures drop below 15C Turtles will stop eating and can stave to death as these temperatures are too high for successful hibernating, and too low for digesting food successfully. Water temperature can be maintained by using a standard aquarium heater (inserted inside a heater guard., these prevent your Turtle from possibly breaking the heater). We can advise what size heater you’ll require for the volume of water your Turtle lives in.
• Water Quality – Regular water changes will assist in maintaining the water quality. Your turtle tank should be thoroughly cleaned every week. Poor water quality leads to disease. Be aware that every gram of solid food results in 4 to 5 grams of urine being excreted.
• Water Filtration – Frequent water changes can be avoided with the use of a quality power filter but regular cleaning will still need to be maintained. The biggest cause of death with pet Turtles is ammonia poisoning. Your tank water can look clean but the ammonia levels due to their urine can be off the scale and Turtles once poisoned can die within hours.

LIGHTING Snake Neck Turtle Care Sheet. When keeping Reptiles in captive environments we need to provide artificial sunlight. Not any old light will do!!! There are specific Reptile lights some are different shapes and come in many different sizes. Every keeper needs to be made aware of what light is right for their Reptiles well being. So here we go, and I hope that what you are about to learn is not too confusing.

• UVA / UVB. – What does all this mean??? – The UV spectrum is broken up into three parts: UVA, UVB and UVC, all of which are present in natural sunlight. UVA and UVB are essential for Reptiles wellbeing. UVA is the visible light range, and is responsible for normal behaviours such as feeding and activity. UVB is a non-visible wavelength, and allows the synthesis of vitamin D3, which helps process calcium and prevent Soft Shell in Turtles and Metabolic Bone Disease in Lizards. (Metabolic Bone Disease is particularly common with Bearded Dragons and Eastern Water Dragons that have incorrect lighting)
• WHICH IS THE RIGHT LIGHT FOR MY REPTILE – “Sun-worshippers”. Some Reptiles are described as “Sun-worshippers”, including Bearded Dragons, Eastern Water Dragons and many species of Turtles especially Red-eared Turtles. In the wild these Reptiles spend many hours a day exposed to the sun and high UVB levels. They require high levels of UVB!! If you keep any Reptile in captivity in New Zealand, you are bound to have a “Sun-worshipper”, therefore it is imperative that you purchase a Reptile specific light with the highest possible UVB output. The Florescent Tubes that you will find for sale in New Zealand currently range from 2.0, 5.0, 8.0, and 10.0. These numbers represent the percentage of UVB wavelengths that they give. The higher the number the higher the percentage of UVB, the better that light is for the wellbeing of your Reptile. We recommend either an 5.0 or 10.0 for turtles
• INTENSITY OF LIGHT – Glass filters 95% of UVB. Fly mesh filters 30% of UVB. It is best to have no lids on your Turtle tanks, and to mount the light on the inside of your Lizards environment. This will then ensure that your Reptile is going to get the full benefit from the UVB given off. There are two types of Reptile bulbs available, UVA / UVB Fluorescent Tubes and Compact UVA / UVB Low-energy Bulbs. In order for your Reptile to gain the highest possible UVB% from your bulb, the distance between your Reptiles sunning area and the UV bulb must not exceed 300mm The further your Reptile is from the light, the UV light levels are greatly reduced. Also note that the Florescent Tubes and Compact Bulbs need to be changed as per the manufacturers recommendations. Usually annually, as the UVA / UVB output is reduced over time. Even though the light still goes, they are of no benefit to your Reptile at all!!
• AMOUNT OF LIGHT – 10 hours of artificial light is the minimum per day. An easier way to make sure that your Reptile is getting enough UVB is to turn the lights on when you get up in the morning and off when you go to bed

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