# Turtle ID



## python blue (Jan 22, 2008)

Hi i have 1 turtle which is now a year old and probebly about 11cm long well anyway he/she was bought at a murry river turtle but now i have so questions about it when i showed another friend he sugested it was a krefts or saw shell as they were all in the same tank when i got it also ive been feeding it blood worms and some little frozen cube thats fish with vegies in it should i be feeding it something else?


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## cris (Jan 22, 2008)

It definately looks like _Emydura macquarii_ it looks like a brisbane river turtle or some other locality though. Im not up with all the latest names but brisbane river turtle was once called _E.m.signata_.

here is one i got in my cast net while fishing today(released after photo)


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## Bugsy (Jan 22, 2008)

dont u feed turtle's cut up sheep heart? or cow heart? cant remember which one...the rep park i were workin at fed all their turtles cut up heart...


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## stusnake (Jan 22, 2008)

Definatley a macquarie short neck, of what subspecies I couldnt tell you.
way to tell that its not a kreft- they have a racoon like band running back from the eye. macquaries dont
way to tell its not a saw shell- they have large raised tubercles running down neck. macquaries dont

nice looking turtle, look forward to the results of the poll, should be interesting and fun


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## Eastern Snake Neck (Jan 22, 2008)

Hi python blue,

The turtle is a Murray River Turtle (Emydura macquarii macquarii).

Blood worms for a one year old turtle and frozen cubes are generally bad. Some vegetables are good.

Turtles only eat underwater, so stick to foods that turtles would normally encounter in their natural habitat - i.e freshwater animals and plants (see the FAQ section of my website for some more information).

Please ignore the suggestion from Bugsy. Cows and sheep are exotic mammals that have been in Australia for about 200 years. Turtles evolved millions of years ago and only eat underwater. Given that (and the fact that cows and sheep do not live underwater) there is no way that cows and sheep can be a part of a turtle's natural diet.

I've been keeping turtles for quite a few years now and in all of that time, I have never seen a turtle launch itself out of the water, grab an unsuspecting cow or sheep from a paddock, drag it back into the water and rip its heart out.

Regards,
Michael.


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## Bugsy (Jan 22, 2008)

lol @ snake neck,anything is possible......i dont keep turtle's, nor do i kno alot about them....i jus kno that the park i was at fed their turtle's cut up pieces of heart...was jus a thought...


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## python blue (Jan 22, 2008)

Eastern snake neck thank you for the info my turtle does have guppies and neons and 3 baby yabbies but never eats them the only thing it will eat is blood worms and turtle dinner blocks also i have him/her in a 2 ft tank but am going to up grade very soon 3ft tank just have to silicon it up abit then it will be ready for him/her im also think about next year i want to put him/her out doors is this ok?


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## Eastern Snake Neck (Jan 22, 2008)

Bugsy,

That may well have been the case, but it does not mean that exotic mammal hearts are good for turtles. 

A lot of people think that if an animal eats a particular food then that food must be good for eat. But, this is simply not the case.

For example, if you offered chocolate or garlic to a dog, the dog would eat it. But we all know it is not healthy for the dog.

If you offer exotic mammals to turtles, they will eat them. They may also develop kidney problems and ultimately renal failure.

It is the responsibility of every pet owner to feed their animal(s) a suitable diet. 

Regards,
Michael.


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## Eastern Snake Neck (Jan 22, 2008)

Hi python blue,

Yes outdoors is good. Very good. You should be putting your turtle outside several time per week. They need sunlight. 

when you put it outdoors, make sure it is in an escape proof and predator proof container, with water, some shade and a spot to get out of the water to bask.

Read up on some turtle care sheets. (See the Links section on my web site.) Here is link to Craig Latta's care sheet:
http://members.optusnet.com.au/~expansa1/index.html

Short necked turtles are not good hunters. Kill one fish at a time and put it back into the tank so that the turtle can eat it.

Stop offering the blood worms and frozen food and the turtle will eat the dead fish.

Regards,
Michael.


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