# Lock Neck Turtles- Northern Territory HELP



## Longy_the_Freshy (Mar 5, 2008)

*Long Neck Turtles- Northern Territory HELP*

I own a Lock Neck Turtle he is about 5cm long. I live in Darwin NT where we get 2 season Dry and Wet. Average temperature is about 29-32C. I have recently just got a thermometer and check the temperature to my surprise it was 30C... The turtle didnt seem stressed or anything like that and it still was eating.. But put the temperature down to 23 as i was told they are best in tempz 19-24C but then today i checked and its back at 30C... It isnt positioned in direct sunlight and doesnt have a heater as Darwin is already extremely hot... 
Could it be that the Darwin NT turtles have adapted to the heat that they aren't affected by the high temperature.. or is it slowly hurting him?


PLEASE SOMEONE HELP


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## waruikazi (Mar 5, 2008)

Hard to say if it is damaging him or not but if it is a local species it shouldn't be a problem. I assume you mean long neck turtle? What size elcnosure are you keeping him in?


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## Longy_the_Freshy (Mar 5, 2008)

*Long Neck Turtle*

Yeah i mean Long *.... Um well i have just go him and while i found a bigger terrauim i have put him in a tank a bit shorter than a metre and about 30cm deep... I know he will require a much larger one though... 
So when you say since its a local species are you agreeing with me when i say it probably has adapted to the heat... 

Do you know much about Turtles?


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## Longy_the_Freshy (Mar 5, 2008)

Is that your snake in the PIC- if so what species is it?


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## waruikazi (Mar 5, 2008)

I'm not an expert but i do own turtles. If it is a local species (which it may or may not be) they do experience these temps in the wild but they can escape them by moving to deeper water. I'm curious as to how a tank that size is getting upto 30 degrees if it is not in direct sunlight. In the shade we have 26-9 degrees during the day and lower than that at night so you would find a large volume of water would hold it's temp at pretty well half way between that and be pretty consistant with it. 

But i would also be careful about the info you read, alot of it is in regards to eastern long necks which experience much colder temps.

She is a bredli and yes she is mine.


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## Bruizer22 (Mar 6, 2008)

Hi,

Would you by any chance have some photos of your enclosure?? This may help??

Thanks


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## wood_nymph (Mar 6, 2008)

maybe increase the water depth to 40cm? i know when i built my outdoor pond i was told to have a min of 40cm deep water no matter what the lenght so when its a hot day the temp doesn't flux as much and it gives them somewhere cooler to swim to ie the bottom.


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## aqua (Mar 6, 2008)

Hi, I'm in Cairns and so also have the issue of being unable to reduce water temp. Even my deep outdoor pond sits close to the outside temp. So far I have found they are more active and much hungrier than ones I have kept in Brisbane, and I assume will grow quicker as a result.

As the wild turtles up here don't hibernate, and are exposed to extremes of temperature, they must be relatively adaptive.


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## Longy_the_Freshy (Mar 7, 2008)

I will get a pic and put it up. Although i have noticed a difference in my turtles personality.. It seems he is a lot more active now.. I saw him for the first time basking on his rock out of the water... I also just put the filter in and he had a bit of a crazy moment where he was trying to jump up out of the water, which i found pretty unusual... Any ideas to get him to eat the turtle pellets, he LOVES bloodworms..


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## Longy_the_Freshy (Mar 7, 2008)

I would think that the turtles would be able to adapt, aqua of frog how big are your turtles and the pond? Is the pond in direct sunlight also do you have a constant flow of water... This can effect the temp of the water... 


Also my tank temp is still hitting the 29-30C mark during the day then decreases to 26 at the lowest... Turtle doesnt seem to be bothered by it still eats, swims and basks..

Maybe some turtles can handle the heat and different places according to the climate..


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## tankbuster82 (Mar 7, 2008)

what i would do is get 2 or 4 of those big drink bottles depenting on your tank size freeze them and have one or 2 (tank size) in there while the otheres r in the freezer so when they defrost swap them. thats what i used to do with my cichlids in summer i dont c y u couldnt with turtles?


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## Glider (Mar 7, 2008)

I would try with a different thermometer


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## Longy_the_Freshy (Mar 7, 2008)

*Tank Buster*

I have been told not to do that i not sure why but i did try doing it with ice cubes like dropping a couple in and then putting my turtle in but i noticed he didnt really like it, it seemed to have scared him, or maybe it was just me? Did your cichlids get effected in any way from it?

I would do that but im not sure if that a colder temperature is best for this turtle because as I said DARWIN is SO HOT! and he is a natural species up here and i got him from the Freshwater river


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## Longy_the_Freshy (Mar 7, 2008)

*Reply to Glider- Thermometer*

Whats the best Thermometer...? Can they really be the source of the temp issue?

Although i did think that as when i put my finger in the tank it seemed to be a lot colder than what the thermometer was reading... 

It seems a bit dodgy?

Any specific brands or types that are best?


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## cris (Mar 7, 2008)

I just use the $1.50 glass thermometers with the red alcohol in them. They seem to be fairly good and i havnt seen one that is noticably out, you can always compare with another thermometer if you are unsure if it is accurate.

You cant compare keeping a turtle in a small tank to it being in a large body of water, as mentioned above they can always swim deeper or find another way to cool. Im not sure how hot a turtle needs to be to die from heat stress, but you shouldnt try to find that out with your turtles life. I would check the thermometer to start with.


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## Mystery (Mar 7, 2008)

Ice cubes melt too quickly and would drop the water temp to fast. Like somebody said use a frozen bottle. This will cool the water slower.


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## tankbuster82 (Mar 7, 2008)

nope the cichlids werent hurt in anyway but if i didnt put them in they would have cooked
and if u dont wanna make the temp like a care sheet is then y are u here saying its to hot for them???????
no point doing it if u dont wanna make it any cooler
and i thought u werent allowed to steal turtles from the wild????? (any repile)


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## aqua (Mar 7, 2008)

I don't think there is a need to check the thermometer as working or not you can expect water temperatures reflective of the Darwin climate. Standing water up here is hot, even my pool will sit at 30. My pond is shaded (as is my pool) , it's related to the surrounding air temp and high humidity more so than direct sun. Here we don't really have the vast rises and falls of climate, just a constant range a few degrees either side of the 29 degree mark. 

Basically the day to night variation is so low the tank never really cools from a drop in air temp, nor is it helped by the evaporative process (as nothing here evaporates) so the water temp range is just reflecting the climate in general. Down south when your tanks overheat during hot spells, they get really hot all of a sudden (hotter than up here), and the fish can't cope. 

That said not having the ability to swim to cooler deeper waters of streams etc is the real issue, but to me the risk is a longer term one related to being raised in higher temps and the resulting effects on metabilism, like they artificially do to the crocodiles up here to make them grow faster. Perhaps the answer lies overseas with turtle farming techniques- as to what the effects are. Short term however I don't think a constant temp of 26-30 raises the same risks that a one off expose to a temp of 40 odd degrees will do.


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## tankbuster82 (Mar 8, 2008)

you still didnt answer my question and completly avoided talking about taking it from the wild.
my question IF u dont want to lower it then y are u here asking how to lower it and will it hurt my turtle since its way over the care sheet temp?


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## aqua (Mar 8, 2008)

Longy_and_Freshy hasn't replied to answer your Q. That said said, I think the OP is as much asking if increased temps are to be expected by turtles from the tropics and what effect they will have, after being unable to reduce the temperature of the tank.


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## bump73 (Mar 8, 2008)

I don't think a deeper tank is going to acheive much as far as a temperature gradient goes. There isn't enough water and it is cycled through the filter to quickly, that is if you have a decent one which you need to keep a tank clean..
Works in a pond as the deeper water is usually still so it doesn't mix with the warmer top layer...

Ben


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