African sideneck turtles can be fascinating animals to watch. Living up to 50 years, they make for an excellent long-term pet and require regular trips to an exotic animal vet and excellent habitat care in order to remain healthy.
They thrive in tanks filled with sand and gravel, creating an ideal natural habitat for hiding and digging. While curious and active, initially shy fish may remain shy.
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Diet
African sideneck turtles in their natural environment are omnivorous eaters, feeding on plants, fish and food pellets without discrimination. In addition, they consume aquatic insects (worms), aquatic mollusks such as clams or mo-lusks (mollusks), amphibians such as frogs or toads as well as rain-dropped fruits from nearby trees which fall into their water bodies.
Feed your West African mud turtle in captivity a diet consisting of vegetables and pellets. Include nutritious greens such as romaine and collard greens, red-leaf lettuce, spinach and dandelions into their daily food source; additionally provide fruit treats every two or three days as treats!
When feeding your African sideneck turtle, make sure any leftover food is removed within minutes to avoid clogging the aquarium filter and leading to algae growth. Also, it’s best to feed one at a time rather than grouping them together as this can lead to feeding frenzies and aggression from group-feeding your reptile. Furthermore, regular weight checks should be undertaken as any sudden drops could indicate dehydration or disease in your turtle.
Habitat
African sideneck turtles can be found along rivers, lakes and ponds throughout West Africa. Active during wet seasons and burrowing into mud (known as estivating) during dry ones for protection during their wet season activity periods (called estivating). Male African sideneck turtles reach 12 inches long when fully grown.
An aquarium of high-quality is essential to housing these aquatic reptiles. Clean filtered water must be provided as well as ample UVB lighting that simulates natural day/night cycles to provide your turtle with enough vitamin D to synthesize calcium into bone matrix.
These turtles can live for several decades and make great pets. Curious but wary, handling should be handled carefully to avoid stress as these reptiles often bite when threatened or feel stressed out. When picking them up, hold both sides of their shell carapace when picking up; avoid direct sunlight for too long and handling more often than necessary.
Breeding
African sideneck turtles are fascinating animals with distinct appearances that also boast intelligence and curiosity, living for decades when kept under ideal conditions. Their name comes from being unable to retract their heads fully into their shells – instead, they tuck them sideways for an unmistakable smile on their faces!
As with other aquatic turtles, African sideneck turtles enjoy a varied diet. Omnivorous by nature, these aquatic reptiles will eat plants, fish, insects and food pellets in equal measure – though any uneaten food should be removed immediately as this could clog their filter and lead to bacteria growth in their tank.
When it comes to breeding, male and female turtles will mate in the wild by biting one another on their necks. Once mating has taken place, females will lay 8-12 eggs on a sandy substrate where they will hatch between 45-60 days later if temperature and humidity levels remain constant during incubation.
Care
African sideneck turtles are intelligent and curious animals that tend to be shy when first introduced to new environments. Once comfortable with you and their new environment, however, they will respond to voice cues and gestures in response to voice or gesture recognition – however removing them from their aquarium should be avoided as stressed animals can quickly become stressed; should any tension arise, return them quickly back into their tank!
These animals are generally omnivorous, though their diet tends toward carnivory when young. Their diet should consist of fruits, vegetables, water-living plants and pellets as well as calcium and Vitamin D3 supplements to support overall health.
Outfit your aquarium with features that mimic its natural habitat, including driftwood, large flat rocks, floating logs and UVB basking lights – plus cork bark slabs as cork bark covers – such as driftwood. Furthermore, water filters should also be installed so as to maintain high water quality standards in your tank and keep its waters healthy and clear. Regular testing of water quality should also help in keeping things tidy!
