 |
|
HOME BOA DEGUS RAT DOG HEN HUMANS  CLASSIFICATION phyllum : chordata class : reptilia order : testudines family : emydidae sub-species : terrapene carolina major NATURAL HISTORY origin : chelonian has been differentiated from other reptiles orders very soon seeing the existence of comparable forms to present ones as early as the Permian (290 million years). geographic distribution : from the central U.S to northern parts of Mexico. habitat : underwoods and marshes. juridic statute : CITES appendix II BIOLOGY maximum adult size : 18 cm (7") reached within 4-6 years. weight : 700-800g sexing : males have concave plastrons and are more colorful than females. sexual maturity : 4 years for males, 5-7 years for females number of eggs : 5-7 incubation : 75-99 days (depends on temperature, about 28°C) longevity in the wild : 20-40 years longevity in captivity : average of 75 years terrapene are diurnal and partially aquatic turtles FEEDING young : principally insectivorous (high protein food) : appropriately-size insects and their larvae + chopped fruits and vegetables. adult : rather vegetarian (fruits and vegetables), proteins do not exceed 30% All the vegetables must be washed and grated or shredded. Vitamin supplement can be added 1 to 3 times a week (depends of the food). vegetables : green beans, mustard, dandelion and collard greens, clover, lucerne, carrot tops, wheat grass and turnip greens, romaine, red leaf lettuce, endive. fruits : grapes, fresh figs, blackberries, raspberries, mulberries, apples, strawberries, cantaloupe, kiwis, cherries. flowers : clover, lucerne, and dandelion flowers. meat and live foods : low-fat premium canned dog food, mealworms, small pinky mice, finely chopped cooked chicken or raw beef heart. HOUSING housing minimum size : 90L x 35W x 35H cm (36" L x 12" W x 12" H) heating day : 28-31°C (85-88°F) night : 21-24°C (70-75°F) during the 2-3 months hibernation period : 5-15°C (50-65°F) the hibernation period is optional but recommended for breeding. body temperature above 37°C (98°F) is lethal (usually the body temperature of turtles is inferior to 0,1-0,2°C (32.18-32.36°F) to the ambiant temperature). water the water bowl has to be large and width enough for the turtle to soak (5cm h - 20 cm diameter / H 1.95" - diameter 7.8") it's needful to maintain a good rate of humidity and for turtle to soak and drink ; water bowl has to be scrubbed every 3 days and after every soaking. substrate newspaper, Astroturf, beech chips. do not use soil, sand, plants (bacterial proliferation), pine and cedar shavings (poisonous oils). light day/night alternation : from 12/12 hours to 14/10 hours. turtles need UV rays to synthetize vitamin D3 : provide a special UV light for reptiles. if the turtle has a real sun exposure beware of the box temperature. other setups hide box : it must be large enough for the whole turtle. beware : box-turtles are very good climbers. DISEASES endoparasites symptoms : weight loss, apathy, open mouth, viscous urine. ectoparasites remove chiggers, ticks or fly eggs and clean with disinfectant. the most frequent mites in reptiles are ophionyssus natricis mycosis symptoms : on skin : abscess, cutaneous thickening, white coating. on shell : loss of shells, apparition of a flabby mass. conjunctiva infection symptoms : sealed or swollen eyes, anorexia pneumonia symptoms : nasal and buccal secretions, respiratory problems. septicemia symptoms : red marblings on the plastron, respiratory problems death can be sudden without any symptom. salmonella symptoms : none, sometimes diarrhea, anorexia, apathy. a lot of reptiles are carriers of salmonella and this disease can be very serious for humans. -> always wash your hands after handling reptiles, never let children or pregnant women handle reptiles, never scrub the water bowl or substrate in the kitchen sink. LINKS box-turtles (care, housing) : http://www.anapsid.org/box.html http://boxturtlesite.org/bxbook.html health care for box-turtle : http://www.anapsid.org/boxheal.html salmonellosis : http://www.anapsid.org/aasalmonella.html mites http://www.anapsid.org/mites.html reptiles health : http://www.anapsid.org/mainhealthbehave.html#Reptile%20Health |