Care of pet turtles and tortoises

It is also sold as Singapore Turtle or American Turtle along with Red Eared Sliders as they resemble them when young. Since it was my first turtle and I didn't knew much about turtles at that time so  couldn't take pictures of it. The images below are courtesy of www.chelonia.org and google. From the images above you can see clearly why it is so easy for them to be confused for Red eared sliders by inexperienced keepers. Enclosure: the basic enclosure is same as any other turtle species containing a tank, water, substrate if  you want (personally i don't prefer substrate as it clogs up with uneaten food and poop etc.), a strong filtration system, a basking platform, a basking light and a thermostat to keep the water temperature constant around 75-85 degrees Fahrenheit. If you have a pond then ensure that it is properly covered and protected from predators like Kite, Cats, dogs etc. and that the turtle cannot climb it. the basic idea of enclo...

It is a medium sized fresh water turtle. despite its name the color of its upper shell or carapace varies largely from reddish to dark brown and black with yellow streaks running along its length.the underside, plastron is uniformly brown in color. The face of this turtle may have yellow or orange marks and spots with the color of these marks varying form 1 sub species to another. it has 6 identified sub species in the Asian region, each having somewhat different pattern of spots on head. Size may vary from 38 -45 cm in length. there is not much information available for this species online but I will try to combine whatever I have experienced with this species and what I  found on internet. Enclosure: For a basic idea for its enclosure when keeping it as pet please refer to the sketch below. It gives all the basic requirements for keeping a turtle. In a tank you will need substrate, a good filtration system( canister system is best), water heater if you live in col...

My 12" Flap shell turtle flap shelled turtle from beneath It is a very common fresh water turtle found in India and it can be found fairly easily in ponds, steams, marshes, near our house during rainy season and in fish markets. they have a soft leathery type of shell and they are called as flap shell because they have flaps on the plastron above their legs which cover their legs when they retract in the shell. They have a snout which can be seen clearly in the picture above. its size ranges from about 240 to 370 mm in length. Diet: It is omnivorous means it eats everything ranging from snails, frogs, fishes, shrimps, aquatic plants, flowers, fruits, plant leaves etc. mine loved aquatic plant (you can buy them from fish store, they are available now a days for setting up planted aquariums, try to get cheap ones or you can directly get them from outside ponds and marshes if you know any), you can also try to make them eat artificial turtle food but i don...