Meet SHELBY!

Posted: 18th May 2017

Shelby is a Mississippi Map Turtle and came into see us with his owner David.

The Map Turtle is an aquatic turtle therefore it spends the majority of it's time swimming and the rest of the time eating and basking on a dry rock in the sun.

The care of these turtles is much more like a fish than a reptile in that they need a tank almost entirely filled with water in addition to the reptile lighting set up.

If housed indoors, full spectrum UVA/UVB lighting and supplemental heat lights are absolutely necessary and they don't need extremely warm temperatures but will be more active and eat better if they are kept around 85 degrees Fahrenheit. If temperatures are allowed to drop below the 60's your turtle may become lethargic, not eat well, and start to go into hibernation.

Map turtles eat their food while swimming.

Aquatic turtle pellets are a good diet but they should also get some fresh leafy vegetables or plants