The fringed turtle has a very interesting and original appearance. There is still little information on breeding and reproduction of this type of reptile. You will find enough of it in the article. The fringed turtle is also called matamata (in English mata-mata or matamata). This aquatic animal comes from South America and belongs to the snake-necked family. She has a peculiar, quirky and very interesting appearance.
Fringed turtle: description of the species
The dorsal shell of a turtle reaches 40 × 45 centimeters in length, and is serrated along the edges. The maximum weight of an adult is 15 kg. The originality of the fringed turtle is given by a triangular head, at the end of which there is a soft proboscis. Her neck is covered with scalloped skin cutouts. Such an appearance in a turtle is not accidental, it helps it to camouflage itself, hide from predators, since the animal looks like a dazed tree trunk. Another plus of such an extravagant appearance is that with the help of it the matamata attracts the victim. She stares at the vibration of the turtle's skin flaps in the water. Taking advantage of this, the armored animal, which swims rather slowly, pounces on the victim.
When the turtle sinks to the bottom and buries itself in the silt, it pushes its long nose to the surface.
Will help you see what a fringed turtle looks like, photo.
Fringed turtle: keeping the house
If you decide to buy a turtle of this species, you need to purchase a spacious horizontal aquaterrarium for it. Even if a small turtle was purchased, do not forget that it will grow over time. Therefore, the volume of the aquarium should be 200–250 liters. Particular attention should be paid to the parameters of the water. Its acidity should be 5–5, pH 5, that is, low. Pet stores sell special products that normalize water balance indicators. For acidification, you can add high-quality peat crumbs to the water.
The water temperature for the fringed turtle must be maintained at +28 - + 30 ° C degrees throughout the year
In any case, it should not fall below + 25 ° C. It will need to be changed periodically.
The aquaterrarium must be equipped with a powerful filter, heater and thermostat. Water should be poured no more than 20 cm. Its surface should only hide the animal's shell. By stretching its neck when it wants, the domestic turtle should be able to take a breath of fresh air through its nostrils.
In the aquarium where the matamata turtle will live, the soil should be sandy. Domesticated matamata turtles will lie on the bottom of the tank most of the time.
Find a place to plant your aquatic plants. In addition to them, you need to place driftwood at the bottom, as a decor. You also need to take care of the lighting, for this you need to install an ultraviolet lamp. But it shouldn't light up the entire aquarium. These house turtles prefer to spend most of their time in the shade, so make sure they have such a dark corner.
These reptiles, like many other animals, do not like to be disturbed. Therefore, pick up a fringed turtle not to play with it, but only when it needs to be transferred to another water terrarium, to clean its habitat.
It is better to touch them no more than once a month
to inspect and check if your pet turtle is healthy. Young turtles can become depressed if disturbed frequently.
Fringed turtle: what to feed at home
In nature, the diet of the fringed turtle consists mainly of live fish. Sometimes she feasts on tadpoles, molluscs, small frogs, small birds.
A fringed turtle will eat the same live food at home. In extreme cases, fresh fish can sometimes be replaced with frozen fish, after allowing it to be thawed beforehand. It, like other food, must be chopped. After all, this animal does not chew food, but swallows it whole. You can also include chicken in the diet of this reptile mice. It is necessary to accustom it to inanimate fish gradually and there is no guarantee that such a treat will please the reptile. You need to carefully drive a piece of fish near its face to imitate movement. But take care of your fingers, do not forget that the animal is predatory and can grab not only prey, but also the hand holding it. However, in nature, matamata, having accidentally swallowed a dead fish, spits it out. Apparently, there are special receptors in the mouth that allow you to determine this.
There is little vitamin B in non-living fish, therefore, if such food is part of the pet's diet, it is necessary to replenish it, including in the diet, especially small turtles, worms, bloodworms. Adult matamats can be fed with aquatic insects and their larvae.
He eats a lot of matamata. She will swallow food until it fills the stomach and then part of the pharynx. The turtle digests all this within 7-10 days. It is interesting to watch how the matamata pounces on the prey. She approaches it, and then sharply stretches its neck forward, grabs it with its huge mouth and swallows it completely without chewing.
Reproduction of matamat
In captivity, fringed turtles do not breed often, as they need certain conditions for this. Although fringed turtles can mate year-round, they only lay eggs between October and December. If mating occurs at the indicated time, then soon the female will lay a clutch, which contains 10–28 eggs. And only after 2–4 months little turtles will hatch from the eggs. The duration of this period largely depends on the temperature of the water. If it is +29 - + 30 ° C degrees, then after 2 months you can see the baby, hatching from the eggs. Sometimes the incubation period can be up to 140 days. If the temperature is in the region of 24–25 degrees Celsius, then the incubation period can be 250–310 days. By the way, unlike many other species of turtles, these eggs lay not soft, but hard eggs. In nature, their number reaches two hundred. There, the female does not protect her future offspring, laying eggs, she leaves this place.
If the temperature is below the specified values, then the incubation process will be delayed. Young turtles should be fed with fish fry.
In order for this turtle to breed in captivity, it is necessary to prepare a suitable substrate for laying - water with an acidic environment, vermiculite or peat. Indeed, in a neutral environment at the last stages of their development, embryos can die.
Newborn turtles are about 4 cm long. They must be immediately transplanted into a separate aquarium, where a little water is poured. Since the young are especially bad at swimming and can drown.
Video about the fringed turtle:
More photos of matamat:
