There are two species of tortoise which can be kept in South Australia without a permit. These are the Macquarie Short necked
tortoise, sometimes called the River Murray Tortoise (Emydura
macquarii) this is the one more commonly kept in aquariums. The other
one is a long necked tortoise; (Chelodina longicollis).
These two species are common in the wild
but it is illegal to catch them. The tortoises sold in shops should
all have been bred in captivity. Most tortoises are hatched in about
January. Sometimes shops will run out later in the year.
Tortoise or Turtle?
In the world there are many species
of tortoises and turtles; some terrestrial and some aquatic, although
all lay their eggs on land. It is curious that Australia with an
enormous variety of land habitats does not have any terrestrial
tortoises. There are many species of water dwelling tortoises or turtles, in both fresh and salt water.
There are many definitions of tortoise or turtle.
One is that turtles have flippers and tortoises have feet. On this
definition the turtles are the large sea going ones and nearly all the
rest are tortoises. Another definition is that turtles are the water
ones. Which name you prefer depends partly on what country you come
from. Many Americans would call our fresh water members of this group
turtles. In Australia both names are used, and, especially in speech,
I am also inconsistent in which name I use. For the purpose of this
booklet I will call them tortoises.
Tortoises in the Wild
The Macquarie Short-necked Tortoise is native to the Murray Darling River system. The long neckedspecies
normally kept is native to fairly extensive areas including the
Adelaide hills. The mother tortoise comes out of the water to lay her
eggs in spring. To find a suitable site for burying the eggs the
mother will go considerable distances. After digging themselves up the
babies have to find their own way to water.
The baby tortoises will feed on small creatures in the water
such as wrigglers (mosquito larvae), Daphnia (water fleas), and other tiny crustaceans as well as water plants, snail and fish eggs, tiny
snails and a variety of other natural foods.
Tortoises of all sizes come out of the water
onto rocks, branches etc to sun themselves. This is important to their
health. It enables them to produce vitamin D as well as to dry out
their skin and shells. Baby tortoises spend nearly all their time in the water,
but as they get older they will come out more and get some of their
food from the land. The Australian tortoises have only a limited
ability to swallow food out of water, often taking it into water to eat.
Our tortoises do not need to come out of the water to rest.
Housing
Tortoises live mainly in the water, especially for the first few years of their life. Most young tortoises are kept in an aquarium
with some arrangement for them to come out of the water. This can be a
rock, a shelf built into the tank, a floating island or some other form
of dry land.
Although they may not spend much time out of the
water, the opportunity to dry out and to bask in the light (either
natural or artificial) is beneficial.
Water
In South Australia the mains water is safe for tortoises after the Chlorine or Chloramine has been removed. Chlorine, and the chlorine part of Chloramine, can be removed by adding one of the common aquarium water conditioners, such as Wardley’s ‘Tristart’, Aquarium
Pharmaceutical’s ‘Super Strength Tap Water Conditioner’, Science
products ‘Complete Water Conditioner’, etc. Beware that for some areas
of South Australia, including the Adelaide Hills, the level of Chloramine added is very high and up to five times the recommended dose of water conditioner may need to be used.
Good quality rain water can be used, but beware of
rain water collected in areas with a lot of spraying, as, for example,
orchards. A rainwater conditioner should be added if rainwater is used.
Most bore and spring waters are suitable for
tortoises. If you are uncertain about the acidity of you water, you
can purchase a test kit to measure it. If you prefer not to test the water yourself, you can take it into your local aquarium shop and have it tested. A good aquarium shop will do simple tests like this free of charge.
Tortoises are not particularly worried by alkaline
conditions, but prolonged acidity is bad for them. A neutraliser block
will help to prevent acidity as well as adding calcium to the water.
Light
Unlike most fish, tortoises do have a
requirement for light. It seems to be necessary for them to be able to
bask out of the water in either natural daylight, or artificial light
of similar colour and fairly high intensity. An aquarium light can provide this, but the use of a tube designed for reptiles would be better.
The best light is natural sunlight, not filtered
through glass or water. However if the tortoise is exposed to
sunlight, you must be careful to avoid it getting too hot.
Temperature
In the wild
tortoises are active in the warmer seasons of the year and hibernate
during the winter. To hibernate tortoises need sufficient reserves of
fat. They also need cold enough conditions.
In a house, in the winter it is usually too warm for the tortoise to
hibernate, but not warm enough for it to stay active and eating. A
related problem with house conditions in the winter is that sometimes
the tortoise can eat, then it gets cold, and is not able to digest the
food which can go rotten and kill the tortoise.
In some houses there is a room kept warm enough
for a tortoise, but the usual way of keeping your tortoise at a healthy
temperature is to use an aquarium heater. Around 23̊ C is a suitable setting for the thermostat.
Tortoises do not need to hibernate. Outside where
they would normally hibernate, they typically come onto land and bury
themselves under leaves etc. They can hibernate in water, but do not
usually do this.
Food
The best foods for a pet tortoise are the frozen or
dried foods designed for them. These foods have sufficient Calcium and
protein as well as a suitable complement of vitamins, including vitamin
D.
The most popular brand of frozen food in Australia is made by the Fish Fuel Co, and sold as ‘Turtle Dinner’. Good dried foods are made by
several reputable companies, including Wardley, Aqua One and Sera.
Tortoises can be given a wide variety of other
foods. One they particularly like is frozen blood worms. Live mealworms can be given as a treat, but are not a balanced food. Earth
worms, slaters and suitable size insects can be used as a supplement,
as can a bit of fish or mince meat.
Feeding
Young active turtles can be fed twice a day. Be
guided by how much they east. Tortoises will not overeat, but uneaten
food will quickly rot and foul the water.
As the weather gets colder, your tortoise will become
less active unless the water is heated. It is safer for the tortoise
to kept warm and active, especially in its first winter.
Cleaning
Tortoises are much less likely to get problems if
they are kept in clean conditions; a tortoise tank should not be
allowed to become dirty or smelly.
Any uneaten food should be removed. Both for this
and for a regular cleaning a gravel washer is very useful. It can save
you a lot of time. It is better to not let you tank get to the stage
of needing to be cleaned out. If it does become necessary, the
Tortoise can be taken out, and can be kept out of water for a few
hours, if necessary.
Health and Diseases.
Tortoises can get skin problems caused by fungus or
bacteria. There are several preventative medications available; for
example the occasional addition of Wardley ‘Fungus ade’ may help to
prevent problems, or cure minor ones in the early stages.
A major preventative is to take your turtle out in
the sun for a while. To be effective, the tortoise should not be in
the water while it is in the sun. Water filters out most of the
ultraviolet in sunlight.
Common sense needs to be applied to this suggestion.
If the tortoise is allowed to, it will walk off. It is also very
vulnerable to predatory or curious animals such as dogs, cats, foxes,
kookaburras and other birds. Also, be aware of the temperature. It
would not take long for a tortoise to die in conditions of extreme heat.
If a skin infection does occur, you can use
Betadine ointment on the affected area of skin. Betadine is available
from a chemist or pet shop.
Macquarie Short Necked Tortoises Basking on a Log.
By Bidgee (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Video of Baby Macquarie Short Necked Turtles eating blood worms in Betta Trading
Two Macquarie Short Necked Tortoises on a log at Warrawong Sanctury in the Adelaide Hills. Many of the Tortoises at this sanctuary are former pets that have grown too big to keep in an aquarium. Often the child who owned them is now an adult and has left home.
By Peripitus (Own work) [GFDL (www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html), CC-BY-SA-3.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/) or CC-BY-SA-2.5-2.0-1.0 (www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5-2.0-1.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Tortoise or Turtle?
