Cayman turtle. Keeping caiman turtles in an aquarium at home

2024 Author: Priscilla Miln | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 00:21

The caiman turtle (Chelydra serpentina), which can weigh up to thirty kilograms and be thirty-five centimeters long, is a real fortress with a very thick shell. People avoid meeting them. On the one hand, they are not aggressive, but if caiman turtles meet someone on their way, they attack, biting their prey with sharp and strong beaks. For this they are called biters.

Description

It's easy to recognize them by their appearance. Cayman turtles are distinguished by a very rough shell. It can be dyed black, brown and even cream. It is covered with bumps and depressions. The head of this turtle is large, with a sharp beak and powerful jaws. At the slightest danger, she literally throws her head to the side and bites. Considering how powerful her jaws are, it's best not to avoid such attacks. In dealing with this turtle, you must strictly follow the safety rules, which we will talk about a little later.

The Cayman tortoise can grow up to forty-five centimeters in some cases. There is no exact information about the duration of her life, there is an opinion that they live from twenty to one hundred years.

This species of turtle is very similar to its vulture relative, but it is much larger than the caiman in size - its length can be up to one and a half meters, with a weight of sixty kilograms.

Habitat

Natural habitat of cayman turtles - America. They amaze with their vitality, the ability to live in the desert and hot regions of Texas, in the snowy regions of Washington. They feel quite comfortable in the North American Rocky Mountains, at an altitude of up to two thousand meters. The main condition for the life of caiman turtles is the presence of a reservoir (pond, lake or river).

These are completely aquatic animals. Under natural conditions, they get out on land only in order to move to another body of water. In addition, females come ashore after mating to lay their eggs. In winter, when the air temperature drops to negative values, the caiman turtle at the bottom of the reservoir hibernates, burrowing into the silt. You can see an individual walking on the ice of a reservoir or swimming under the ice. They are able to breathe with both lungs, sticking their head above the water, and absorbing oxygen through their skin, which allows them to stay under water for several months in winter.

Fighting temper

We have already said that this is one of the varieties of turtles that are really fearedpeople and avoid meeting them, especially in rural areas, where residents know that a large individual can bite a person’s hand.

In the water, our heroine behaves more calmly than on land. Probably, in the water, the caiman turtle, the photo of which you see in our article, is less constrained in movement, so it feels more protected. When two such individuals collide, one of them will surely die - these turtles have a "bad habit" of biting off the opponent's head. If she senses that an opponent is stronger than her, she releases a foul-smelling musky liquid like a skunk.

This turtle is not afraid of humans at all. For her, he is a typical threat that should be bitten if a potential enemy is nearby. At the same time, she throws her head forward with lightning speed, grabbing the limb closest to her.

Cayman turtle at home

All the things we talked about earlier should make exotic lovers think twice before getting such a pet. First, it's dangerous. Secondly, a caiman turtle at home is an expensive pleasure, it will be too expensive for a person with an average income. Perhaps it is better to look at other varieties of turtles, for example, the Trionyx.

Cayman turtle - content

We advise you to immediately discard the idea of a typical aquarium - this turtle grows throughout its life. It is more expedient to immediately buy the largest aquaterrarium in order toit was enough for a long time. And even more suitable for caiman turtles is a fenced pond. So, the kyman turtle at home will feel as comfortable as possible.

If you decide to purchase a terrarium, then its minimum dimensions should be as follows - two meters in length, a meter in width, a meter in height. Cayman turtles will not survive in a normal aquarium. We emphasize once again that these are the minimum sizes, your pet cannot turn around in a smaller body of water.

Now you need to install two lamps. One - fluorescent (for lighting), and the second - ultraviolet with UVB 10% marking. This radiation is necessary for all reptiles. The duration of exposure is at least 12 hours daily.

A thick layer of soil is laid on the bottom of the terrarium. It can be sand, silt, in which your turtle can burrow. An important role is played by the temperature in the terrarium - it should not exceed +25 degrees.

You will need a very powerful filter that will work around the clock. It will be necessary to create an island of land. To do this, use stones that are three times the size of the turtle's head, otherwise it will swallow them.

Probably not worth saying that other animals should not be in the terrarium, even if they are larger. The turtle will definitely eat them, maybe not instantly, but it's only a matter of time.

An adult should be taken by the back of the shell, hold firmly, taking into account itsthe weight and strength of the paws, because it will definitely break out.

This turtle is completely indifferent to pH, water hardness, decor and other attributes of a familiar aquarium. A lot of free space and good, powerful filtration are important for her, frequent water changes, as food residues rot, and this can cause various diseases of the turtle.

How to properly clean the liquid?

In order to keep the water clear and clean, in order to remove turbidity from it, which is formed from the remains of food and feces of the turtle, we recommend installing an external filter designed for aquariums, the volume of which is 3 times the volume of the water you poured. This filter will perfectly cope with the task and you will not need to change the water in the terrarium often, it will be enough to replace it only partially.

Like other large turtles, representatives of this species are very strong. As a rule, they change the interior "to their own taste." Their powerful paws help them with this. Therefore, if an internal filter is installed in the aquaterrarium, then it is likely that at one fine moment, the turtle will simply tear it off the glass. The external filter is insured against such troubles, so it will serve you for a long time. Do not forget that dirt accumulates inside the device, so you need to rinse it regularly.

Does a turtle need a shore?

Yes, you do, despite the fact that caiman turtles rarely bask on the shore. But they love to crawl on it. In the aquaterrarium, the turtle does not have such an opportunity, so equip the shorestandard - heating lamp and UV lamp.

Maintenance in the country

If you move to the country in the spring-summer period, then you can take the turtle with you. But in advance for her it is necessary to prepare a reservoir. For this, a barrel, a bathtub, or a special plastic pond that can be dropped into the ground and beautifully decorated is suitable. It is desirable that the pond is in a sunny place. The conditions in it should be the same as in the terrarium. However, if the turtle is exposed to direct sunlight, then there will be no need for a UV lamp. To prevent your pet from escaping from the pool, you should not fill it with water completely, but you can cover it with a net on top. If the pond is on the same level with the ground, then, most likely, frogs will jump into it, which the turtle will catch and eat.

It is necessary to carefully monitor that small pets do not approach the pool - cats that, having seen such a miracle, can stick their paw into the water, small and very curious dogs, etc. If you have small children, make sure that they approach the pond only when accompanied by adults.

Food

We want to please the future owners of caiman turtles right away - they do not suffer from a lack of appetite. These "babies" eat everything that swims past their predatory beak. If there is no food in the terrarium, she will eat the plants in it. Happy petenjoy all kinds of fruits and vegetables, chilled meat or fish.

Based on this, it will not be difficult to make a diet for your pet. It should include all the necessary nutrients, minerals and vitamins. In autumn and winter, these turtles eagerly consume animal food - fish, meat, seafood, poultry, offal. The basic rule of feeding is that food should not be too fatty.

In spring and summer, freshly caught fish or frogs can be added to this diet. At the same time, it is not necessary to clean and gut the fish, since its bones contain many microelements necessary for the turtle. Do not add any vitamin supplements to the diet.

Reproduction

Caiman turtles reach puberty by 18-20 years, which is not so much compared to the general life span of turtles. The time of maturation can be tracked by the length of the plastron, which at this point reaches approximately 14 cm.

In the natural environment, this process occurs in the spring. In captivity, caiman turtles mate whenever possible. It is better to keep male and female in different reservoirs, they can be combined only in spring. Make sure that the turtles do not hurt each other, especially while eating. The female is endowed with a strong instinct to procreate, she may even try to escape from an indoor pool to lay eggs.

As a rule, they lay 10 to 15 eggs on the shore. Females tend to lay eggs in warmsand, quite far from the water. To organize a nest, turtles use everything that is available to them - plant debris, sawdust, etc.

The female chooses the place for laying, and she does it for a long time and carefully. She uses the selected site constantly. Often, these turtles are attracted to roadsides, so quite often the masonry dies under the wheels of cars.

After 80-85 days, turtles appear from them. Babies are afraid when they are picked up. They grow quickly and are very active. They eat a lot of both artificial and live food (guppies and earthworms).

Communication Security

Everyone who has already got a caiman tortoise, and those who are just about to do it, needs to know that no one has ever been able to tame a single individual of this species. It can be taken in hand only in exceptional cases, when it needs to be transplanted, for example, to wash the terrarium. They bite from birth, so stock up on thick gloves.

To clean the shell, use a brush with a long handle, which should be rubber or metal. Such a tool made of wood or plastic will be easily bitten. It is desirable that at the time of your "communication" the turtle was full, then, perhaps, it will have less desire to bite.

If you are not afraid of the difficulties of keeping this animal, significant material costs, and you just dream of seeing this overseas miracle in your pond, which can be considered a living fossil, do not doubt your own abilities. Moreover, far fromeveryone can boast that a turtle lives in his house, which belongs to such an ancient species that its ancestors appeared on our planet before giant dinosaurs.