The Chicken Turtle (Deirochelys reticularia) is a mid-sized turtle with a long, striped neck. These animals inhabit temporary wetlands & can often be found tucking themselves away within grass or leaf litter during dry periods.
Although they aren’t considered endangered species, their dependence on seasonal wetlands makes them extremely vulnerable to habitat loss.
Contents
Chicken
Chicken turtles require a balanced diet and clean environment in order to thrive, in addition to regular food they need calcium supplements such as Rep-Cal Phosphorus-Free Calcium with Vitamin D3 from oyster shells which has been designed for improved absorption in turtles.
Chicken turtles inhabit shallow lakes and ponds with abundant vegetation, muddy substrate, and current that is slow enough for safe hiding places. They also spend much of their lives basking on logs or rocks above water level.
Males can be distinguished from females by their broader plastron and yellow stripes on the front legs, and their carapace color ranges from brown to gray with reticulated patterns on it. Males also possess longer necks to capture prey such as crustaceans, fish, tadpoles and plants with the use of their well-developed hyoid apparatus which creates suction to pull food items into their throats using suction suction technology.
Vegetables
The Chicken Turtle (Deirochelys reticularia) can be found throughout Southeast United States and has an extremely long and striped neck which extends even past its carapace or shell.
Semiaquatic turtles can live both on land and water, preferring quiet bodies of still water such as ponds, oxbow lakes, drainage ditches, borrow pits and cypress bays as homes. They tend to inhabit wetland ecosystems like swamps, marshes and bogs but prefer quieter environments like ponds, oxbow lakes, drainage ditches drainage ditches borrow pits and cypress bays as home.
Omnivorous in nature, these animals eat both plants and animals for sustenance. One of their specialized hunting adaptations includes an elaborate hyoid apparatus which allows them to’snap’ up prey quickly into their mouths!
The male chicken turtle reproduces with female turtles by vibrating his fore-claws against the face of females, producing eggs which are then laid in shallow cavities in the soil by females laying several clutches each season and hibernating during winter. Due to being omnivorous animals, chicken turtles should also receive an array of foods rich in vitamins and minerals essential to maintaining good health.
Mealworms
Mealworm setups typically contain all stages of mealworm life cycle in one bin, such as eggs, larvae and pupae that can easily be separated out by hand for your turtle to snack upon. Offering high levels of protein and fat content as well as potentially being hard on their stomachs, mealworms should only be fed occasionally and alternated with other protein sources that contain equal parts phosphorus to calcium ratio.
Mealworms feed on fungus, seeds, fruits, vegetables, rotting leaves and grains found in nature, while burrowing deep into soil in search of decaying organic matter to feed off.
These insects are commonly sold as reptile and fish food, but they’re also widely consumed as snacks by chickens and tarantulas. Their nutritious boost of protein provides them with the energy to navigate molts more smoothly while they provide valuable sources of calcium which supports bone development and strength.
Fish
The chicken turtle (Deirochelys reticularia) is a medium-sized reptile found across southeastern United States and named for the yellow-and-black stripes that cover its plastron and distinctive vertical black-and-yellow rings that appear along its “seat of its pants.” They feed on terrestrial vegetation but may also eat insects found therein; their name likely derives from its flavorful meat, once sold as food at local food markets.
These turtles thrive in ponds, lakes, and other bodies of water free of fish (which would compete for food with them) or predatory animals that would prey upon them. Sometimes these bodies of water dry up during drought periods; when this happens the turtles flee onto land to burrow beneath vegetation until wet weather returns again.
Captive turtles should be fed a diet consisting of commercial pelleted feed, invertebrates and non-toxic aquatic plants such as water lettuce, dandelion greens and chard. Because these turtles are omnivorous, fish such as smelt and mackerel may upset their nutritional balance; thus requiring sparing feeding or avoidance altogether in order to maintain optimal thiamine (vitamin B1) levels. Furthermore, calcium supplements with no phosphorus such as oyster shell can assist them in absorbing vital vitamins.
