Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everyone,I just picked up a fly river turtle today and have a couple questions I cant seem to find the answers for.. Firstly, do fly river turtles require a basking site or? Also, what pH level do they prefer? Does anyone have any beneficial tips they wouldn't mind sharing, or possibly some pictures of fly river setups? My email is thelionsshare5@hotmail.com

Thanks.

Matt

Hello Matt,

Having working with Carettochelys insculpta for the past 15 years, I can attest that they are very personable and somewhat simple to keep, so long as you can provide adequate space and water quality.
Try to maintain the water pH at or near 8.0, as water of moderate alkalinity will assist in combating bacterial and fungal shell infestations. A very high quality filtration system, capable of high flow rates and weekly water changes are crucial to the well being of your new charge. Also, you need to keep the water temperature between 82*F and 90*F with a minimum tank size of 200 gallons being highly recommended.
As for basking, C. insculpta are not known to bask regularly, as the species is typically crepuscular (active during the twilight hours)

http://www.carettochelys.com/ and http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-flyriver.htm are good resources to get you started, though I would have recommended you done your research prior to such an acquisition.
If I can be of any further assistance, please do not hesitate contacting me…

Best regards,

Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.526.4856