Spiny softshell turtles are carnivores that consume fish, crustaceans and aquatic insects as well as plants such as water lettuce, duckweed and cantaloupe.
Pet owners should feed their turtle a mix of live and frozen foods made specifically for turtles, including basking spots with UVB lighting. A 30-gallon tank should be provided.
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Carnivorous
Like most turtle species, spiny softshell turtles are predominantly carnivorous and require a diet rich in animal products; however, as they age they may also digest some plants and vegetables.
Spiny softshell turtles feed on aquatic insects and small fish in the wild, according to Animal Diversity Web. To locate food, they probing the bottom substrate with their snouts in pockets in mud, rocks or vegetation before ambushing any prey who happens by.
These chelonians begin breeding mid to late spring and reach sexual maturity at age 8. Their lifespan can reach 50 years.
Captive turtles typically consume live and frozen small fish, worms, crickets and earthworms as well as vegetables such as kale, mustard greens, turnip greens and water hyacinth; as well as commercially produced turtle pellets as supplements. If disturbed, they quickly retreat into water to bury themselves beneath its sand surface – only exposing their heads above water level again.
Omnivorous
Turtles are diurnal animals and spend most of their days floating, basking, digging in mud & sandy substrate or emerging to rest on sand bars, mud flats or other protected locations in their environment.
Pet spiny softshell turtles should be fed a diet consisting of meaty commercial pellets and leafy vegetables to avoid stomach irritation. Do not feed raw meat, hamburger or any other forms of fast food as these may contain harmful bacteria that could make their digestive systems upset.
Spiny softshell turtles feed on crustaceans (crabs, shrimp & clams), fish, worms, mollusks, insects & small vertebrates such as frogs, salamanders & amphibians in their natural environments; aquatic plants and fruit such as aquatic berries can also be consumed by this species. Their carapace ranges in color from tan or muddy-brown to olive hues with stripes or spots appearing along its head & neck area while their spines mark its anterior border; males more prominently feature on this species’s carapace than females.
Herbivorous
Spiny softshell turtles like most turtles spend most of their time in the water and on its surface foraging for food or hiding from predators, often burrowing themselves deep within mud & sand substrates to conceal themselves from predators and their long snouts allow them to project up towards the water’s surface to breathe despite being completely submerged.
Aquatic turtle hatchlings & adults become omnivorous as adults, feeding on both aquatic vegetation (such as spirulina algae wafers, duckweed, water lettuce etc) and meat products like commercial turtle pellets as part of their diet.
Carapaces of these turtles range in color from tan to muddy-brown or olive, often featuring splotches. Their plastron (bottom shell) is lighter, typically white to yellow in hue. Some can exhibit ‘thorn-like’ features with tiny spines on the anterior carapace while others may present with more rounded designs; their habitat range extends across east-central US up into WV & VA as well as westward to Illinois, IN & Ohio.
Vegetarian
Spiny softshell turtles, although predominantly carnivorous, should occasionally receive plant-based items to ensure a balanced diet and to prevent deficiencies from solely feeding on animal products.
These diurnal turtles are most active during the summer months & spend the remainder of their time either swimming, foraging or burrowing in mud/sand at the base of their habitats. Their camouflaging shell colors help them blend in seamlessly.
These turtles can be found in tributary streams to Lake Champlain, lakes, and large rivers with sandy or muddy bottoms, where predators may threaten them. When threatened by predators they bury themselves in the mud or sand and become dormant during winter. For nesting purposes they require gravelly areas with sandy bottoms as nesting material and rock sandbars with logs for basking purposes; their upper carapace is leathery yet moderately flexible without the hard keratinized plates found on hard shelled turtles as well as being slightly more flexible than midland smooth softshells.
