Husbandry Advice

It is very important to correctly identify the species of your pet terrapin order for you to research and learn how they live in the wild so you can recreate the best environment possible for them in your own home. Terrapin means a fresh water turtle, tortoise means it lives on the land.  Turtle should mean a sea turtle, but this term turtle is often used for all of them, especially in America.

If you are unsure about the species you own please book an appointment and bring your pet in for an examination. During the consultation we may be able to identify it for you, but if not we will take photographs and send them to other experts who can help with identification.

Terrapins are generally freshwater animals but depending on the species will spend a varying amount of time on the land or in the water e.g. Musk Turtles (Sternotherus) prefer to spend most of their time in the water whereas the Indochinese Box Turtle (Cuora galbinifrons) will spend virtually all of their time on land.

In general most terrapins have the following basic requirements:

Water Requirements:

In the wild terrapins generally live in and around fresh water systems e.g. in rivers and streams. As they normally live in flowing water they are used to ‘clean’ water and therefore in your home you must provide a tank of clean water. Depending on the size of your tank the water may be kept clean by changing the water every day or if you have a larger tank then having a proper filtration system would be an easier option.

The water should normally be deep enough to allow normal swimming behavior- unless your pet is too sick to swim and then our vets will provide you with alternative advice.

Most terrapins will bask on the land to warm themselves up and return to the water to cool themselves down. Some species will spend most of their time on land, and need just a smaller soaking corner.

If you have any questions about specifics of water management, please make an appointment and speak to one of our vets.

Land/Dry Area:

Most species of terrapins must be provided with a land or dry area for them to climb onto. In the wild the terrapin would normally bask in sunlight on the riverbank or on a log or rock to warm up, therefore in your home you will need to provide a dry area with a heat source that your  terrapin can easily climb out onto in order to ‘bask’ out of the water.

Some species need a bigger land area to walk around and explore.

Is essential that terrapins have the opportunity to dry their shells as if permanently wet they may develop shell problems.

Temperature Management:

Terrapins like all reptiles are ‘cold blooded’. This means they do not generate their own body heat and must be provided with external sources of heat in order for them to regulate their own body temperature.

As stated above your terrapin will climb out of the water to warm itself up. To allow your   terrapin to effectively regulate its body temperature you need to provide what is called a ‘temperature gradient’. This means that part of the enclosure should be warmer than the rest, so your terrapin can move to the area where the temperature is correct for its needs at that time of day.

To create the temperature gradient we normally recommend positioning a light bulb or a special ‘heat’ light over the dry area. The light or heater should have a power rating of >50 watts. This measure of power in watts determines how much electricity is used by the light, and how much energy is finally converted into heat. The higher the power rating the hotter your light or heater will be.

In our Retail Pet Shop we sell lights and heaters of 50, 60, 75, 100 and 125 watts to meet the needs of your pet terrapin and its tank, and thermometers so you can make sure you have got it right.

The exact temperature requirement for your terrapin will depend on the species it is but in general we recommend a water temperature of about 26-28 C with a land basking hot spot of 32 C.

Remember that if your terrapin lives in a tank in your apartment do not place its tank close to the air conditioning in order to prevent the water or air becoming chilled.

Do not place it too close to the window or it may become overheated.

Lighting:

As well as possibly providing a light to provide heat you will also need to provide ultraviolet (UV) light for your terrapin

Most animals, humans included, need some ultraviolet (UV) light on their skin.  This is used by the body to produce and activate some vitamins.  For many animals their skin is very sensitive to UV light, and over exposure can cause problems such as burning or even skin cancer.  However reptiles such as your terrapin have adapted to bask in strong sunlight for long periods of time, and as such are very resistant to UV light.  So for their vitamin activation needs, they need much more UV light.

We cannot see in the UV range, but as with all light there are different wavelengths and different ‘colours’.  The UV spectrum is divided into 3 areas. UVA, UVB and UVC.

UVA is the closest to visible light in wavelength and properties. UVC is furthest from our visible range and closer in wavelength and properties to harmful radiation such as X-rays. UVC is dangerous to living animals, and can cause cell damage.

The range required by the skin for activation of vitamins is UVB.  This is important as many lights which claim to produce UV light, may only generate UVA.

A proper UVB light is an important addition to the housing setup for your turtle. There are many different types of UVB light which may state different UVB outputs. In out Pet Retail Stop we stock UVB fluorescent tubes as well as compact bulbs which emit UVB of different strengths.

The UVB light must be positioned within 30 cm of your terrapin for it to absorb the UVB We recommend you change the UVB lights every 6 months to ensure that your turtle is receiving adequate UVB.

If you have any questions about the equipment you have, or the equipment you need for your pet, please book to see one of our vets. During the consultation please bring along any lights you have already purchased for the vet determine if they are suitable or not. If you have a UVB light please bring it along as we have a UVB meter which we can use to check the UVB output to make sure it is adequate.

As you can read from above keeping a terrapin is not ‘easy’. Frequently owners find that they have to spend just as much money providing the correct environment for their pet as they do on purchasing it.

In Hong Kong terrapin owners have traditionally kept their terrapin on the bathroom floor or in a plastic bucket, we hope from the information above that owners can understand how this would not be classed as a suitable environment, and why when terrapins are kept in this incorrect way they always develop health problems, sooner or later.