Reptile & Amphibian Forums

hi everybody. i've had my rhinoclemmys punctularia for nearly a year, and his behavior has always been a little odd. he does nothing but sleep. everytime i feed him, i dig him out of his substrate and he appears bright and alert, he eats fine although a bit finicky, and within 10-15 minutes after hes done eating, hes asleep again.he resides in a 75 gallon tank with bed a beast substrate along with terrarium moss, he has a cork bark log to hide under (all he does)and a water dish big enough to soak in. i thought the problem was warmth because the heat from his basking light hardly reaches him , as his tank is 18inches high. i added a heating pad which quickly turned his tank into a furnace, the soil itself reaching about 95 degrees. after a year of trial and error i am all out of ideas. he is an alert responsive turtle when out of his tank, but in it, all he does is sleep. i would appreciate any and all advice on how to better take care of him.thanks in advance.

Punctualaria can be very letharic if kept in highly terrestrial surroundings. What I would suggest, which I did with my Punctularia is keep them in a highly aquatic swamp environment. Punct's are very aquatic by nature and love to swim. Don't make a water setup like you would for a painted or red-eared though. Keep the water shallow, 2-4 inches for most of the aquatic area, which should be most of the setup, with deeper spots if possible. Mine rarely left the (2 feet at it's deepest) outdoor pond I had in their enclosure. Have an easily accessible land area as well, with a basking light. YOu should end up with a highly humid tropical setup. Just think of a swamp, good mix of shallow water and moist land. They can get lethargic out of the water if the terrestrial area is not moist and humid enough. Punct's also prefer eating in the water, which also is good to know in case you wanted to add water plants to the setup, they will be quickly devoured. Have a UVA/B reptile basking light, those hiding spots(on land and in water), as well as a submerged water heater and filter. Good luck with the turtle. Let us know how it goes. Also if it is wild caught, have you had it de-wormed/parisitized? Once in captivity, parasites that occur in the turtles bodies naturally in the wild with no ill effects, can take over the body in captive conditions, causing lethargy and illnesses.

-JG

Puctilaria is highly aquatic and thrives in a shallow water environment. I am currently keeping an Asian aquatic in a relatively dry environment to help heal a bite wound and it is definitely unhappy.

thanks for all the advice! although im not sure if he is cb or wild caught, would it hurt him if i was to deworm him even if he has no parasites(if hes cb)?

It's like going for your yearly physical, never can hurt you, only your wallet. Good luck. By the way, what are you feeding the turtle?

i feed him a wide variety of things because over time he seems to get bored of what hes eating, but when i introduce him to something new he will pounce on it immediately. some of his faves are banana, blackberry, blueberry, grape, cantaloupe, broccoli stem, corn, green beans, canned mealworms, cooked chicken, and crab meat.i always try to trick him into eating some leafy greens, which he isnt quite fond of. once in a while i dust his food with some Nekton supplement. what are you feeding yours? by the way, what would you say is the best filter to buy for his tank?

Wow, good assortment your turtle is eating. Mine were most fond of the leafy greens such as different varieties of lettuce and spinach. Here is a reason yours might not be eating the leafy greens. Do you feed it on land or in water? Mine would eat the other fruits and veggies on land, but not leafy greens. If you put the leafy stuff in the water they normally devour it like crazy. I almost exclusively fed my turtles in the water. Putting apple slices, bananas, greens, etc. floating on the water surface for them to eat. I normally only fed them on land if I was supplementing with something messy like meat,egg, or dogfood for protein. Also about the filter, i use one of the canister types that have the suction cups on it to cling to the walls so i can lay it on the bottom of the tank or in a corner for shallow water enclosures. I forget what brand it is, but i know it is similar to a FLUVAL. They make good canister filters. Good luck.

-JG

i feed him in a basin filled with water but he still is more inclined to eat meats and fruit than any vegetables. he tends to take small nibbles of the veggies, though he tends to quickly gobble up any fruits or meats. you said you feed your turtles spinach, im pretty sure i read somewhere that spinach isnt good for reptiles cause it has some kind of acid in it. maybe im just crazy. i was also wondering, since ive never kept an aquatic setup, just terrariums, whats the best way to do water changes and how often? also ive read alot that you should keep the water level deeper than the turtle's carapace is wide, to prevent drowning if the turtle flips over. how would i accomplish this in a shallow water setup?