Common Snapping Turtle

Common Snapping Turtle (Chelydra serpentina)










http://speckledbiter.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/snapping-turtle-2.jpg

Identification
The common snapping turtle is a large freshwater turtle.This turtle can reach 47 cm and weight 39-42 kg. This turtle is easily recognizable.The carapace is usually brown to black.The skin can be brown,gray or black.its webbed feet have long claws
The neck is almost as long as their carapace.Common snapping have a large head with strong
jaws.The bite of common snapping turtles is paintful and it can hold on ferociously.








http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Common_Snapping_Turtle_1429.jpg


The snapping turtles is very aquatic and rarely leave the water to bask.usually they will float on the surface of the water and very aggressive to catch the pray.

Food

The diet of the common snapping turtles are variable.This turtle will eat almost anything that they can catch and swallow.In the wild adult common snapping turtle can eat the duck,fish small mammals frog,toad,small turtles.Juvenille feed mainly on small invertebrates such as insects,crayfish,snail and worm.They are some report that common snapping turtles eat plants.

Longevity
The most vulnerable time for common snapping turtles is while it is a hatcling .The biggest enemy for this turtles is humans because sometimes according to my friend common snapping turtles will be cooked and eat by human.This turtle can live approximately 30 years in the wild and 40 years in the captivity.

sources

• Bartlett,Dick"Aquatic Nightmares:The common and Alligator Snappers".Reptiles.Fancy Publications,vol2,No. 3,Jan 1995
• Ernts,Carl H., and Roger W.Barbour.Turtles of the World.Smtihsonian Institution Press,1989
• Ernts,Carl H., Jeffrey E.Lovich, and RogerW.Barbour.Turtles of the United States and Canada.Smithsonian Institution Press,1994
• Smith,Hobart M.and Edmund D.Brodie,Jr.Reptiles of North America Golden Press 1982.
• http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commo/e/e6/Common_Snapping_Turtle_1429.jpg
• http://speckledbiter.files.wordpress.com/2007/07/snapping-turtle-2.jpg
  

Sulcata Tortoise

Turtles and Tortoise Can Live to be very old in human care Unfortunately,people make it very short because they don't know how to take care of them.Usually caused by lack of information about how to keep and breed the turtles.This happen can be avoided by learning how to take care turtle in a way appropriate to the species. In this blog I want to put the information about the species and how to take care of them.The information I got based on my experience and collect from many source. My mission is To safe turtles and tortoise from the extinction and breeding them.Because turtle and tortoise is the cool creature for me.

Sulcata Tortoise









www.ivorytortoise.com


Habitat: African Spurred Tortoise (Geochelone sulcata) or Sulcata,It is native from Africa Southern Sahara desert region ranging from Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Chad, Sudan, Ethiopia.
Sulcata is the third largest tortoise after Galapagos and Aldabra tortoise.The shell length ranges up to 40 cm to 70cm and at least 45 kg in weight. sulcata tortoises do not hibernate during the winter in their native environment because the winter is a dry season. If you live somewhere that has cold, snowy winters, you must be able to provide large area with appropriate heat and UVB light), It is very important to provide UVB and heat for your sulcata.They can not live with cold weather they will die especially for baby sulcata or juvenile.The appropriate temperature for sulcata is (25c - 32c).



Life Span : They can live a long time If taken care of properly a Sulcata tortoise can live up to 70 years or more.



www.tropicalwings.co.uk/sulcata.html








http://www.ruscelli.com/sulcata.htm



Let the sulcata tortoise soak at least twice a week but remember must be in a sunny weather.otherwise they will sick.The water should be comfortably warm -- but not hot. The water level should be no deeper than the base of the tort's neck. Your tortoise may poop when placed into warm water, so be prepared to change the water at least once during each soak. Soaking time can range from 10 minutes to 20 minutes -- just don't let the water cool down too much. After the soak, dry the tortoise off with paper towels before you put it back into the cage.


Substrate: Sulcata tortoises like to dig and burrow. It is very important to provide the tortoise something that they can burrow in. A mix of 50% sterile play sand and a 50% organic soil works well. Hay with newspaper can also be used. Other suitable substrates are alfalfa pellets, aspen particles.I used a newspaper for my sulcata because it is very simple to clean.

Diet: Sulcatas tortoises are grazers and need high fiber and low protein diet. Mixed grasses, orchard hay, timothy hay, opuntia cactus and berries, hibiscus leaves and flowers dandelion greens and flower, and red leaf lettuce. You can also give mulberry leaves and grape leaves in limited quantities. Animal protein should be avoided because it can cause abnormal shell which is call pyramiding. Sulcata hatchlings and juveniles grow rapidly, so they need additional calcium in their diets along with daily exposure to the UV radiation in sunlight.Lack of calcium can cause
the shell soft.








source: http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Turtle,%20Sulcata%20Tortoise.htm

pyramiding1









source: indoturtle.multiply.com/journal

pyramiding2

Maintenance: The enclosure should be spot cleaned daily, replace the newspaper as a substrate everyday to keep the sulcata health.