macleay river turtle

[Dom$]

1.how big does the macleay river turtle start and how big is it when fully grown?
2.how big will my tank have to be?
3.are they easy to keep?
4.how long will he live?
5.what do they eat?
6.are they good pets?
7.are they a good 1st turtle?
8.will he get affectionate?
9.how much do they cost?
10.who breeds them in N.S.W?
11.what will my tank need?
12.will i need a big filter?
13.do they have a good temperament?
14.can you put a male and female together?
15.how often do you have to take them out in the sun and how long?
16. do you need to take them out into the sun if you have a UV light over the tank?
17.how much does a UV light cost?
18.will he eat my fish?
19.can you please send me some pictures of them as babies, middle and grown up?
20.are they the smallest turtle you can get in australia?
21.i am pretty sure that you can't get a tortoise here but i would like to no for sure,so can we get tortoise in australia?
thank you for the help!

 

[-Peter]

1.how big does the macleay river turtle start and how big is it when fully grown?
140mm
2.how big will my tank have to be?
1200mm min
3.are they easy to keep?
sames as most Emydura macquarii
4.how long will he live?
a long time in the wild if no mishaps, a lot less in captivity
5.what do they eat?
water plants, small yabbies and shrimp, fish, aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, check out Craig Latte's care sheet or any of John Cann's books
6.are they good pets?
if your into turtles thats a moot question
7.are they a good 1st turtle?
could be, depends on you
8.will he get affectionate?
they jump out of the tank when you come home and lick you on the face
no, they do respond to you though
9.how much do they cost?
dont know
10.who breeds them in N.S.W?
as above
11.what will my tank need?
filter, heater, substrate, turtle dock, light, read Craig's care sheet
12.will i need a big filter?
the bigger the better, less work for you
13.do they have a good temperament?
They are a turtle, apart from jumping out of the tank to lick you face they are not bad tempered generally
14.can you put a male and female together?
yes
15.how often do you have to take them out in the sun and how long?
if you dont have UV take them out once a week, in fact forget the UV light and just take them out once a week
16. do you need to take them out into the sun if you have a UV light over the tank?
see above
17.how much does a UV light cost?
see above
18.will he eat my fish?
ooh yeah
19.can you please send me some pictures of them as babies, middle and grown up?
http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/AustralianFreshwaterTurtlesandFrogs/
go here
20.are they the smallest turtle you can get in australia?
no, but they are more common
21.i am pretty sure that you can't get a tortoise here but i would like to no for sure,so can we get tortoise in australia?
Im very sorry to tell you that you cannot legally obtain terrestrial testudines here in Australia.
thank you for the help!

hope this helps

 

[da_donkey]

Well that was easy.....:lol:

Great answer Peter.

 

[mickousley]

number 20 i am sure there the smallest check John canns fresh water turtles of Australia
Mick

 

[markars]

I had a pair of macleays and i had them since hatchlings- of all the turtles that i have kept they are the ones that stay the smallest for the longest. I also belive that they are the smallest hatchling size- they are smaller than a two cent peice when they come out. They are a small turtle compared to a broard shell but as adults they are still best kept in an outside enclosure(pond). My male is about 170 mm now and he is about 7 years- the female is about 200 mm and is the same age. All turtles become tame as they recognise you as a food source and go nuts every time someone goes near the fishtank- but they never become "affectionate" If you have fish in the tank you will most probably not have them once you put turtles in the tank- There are some exceptions(murray cod seem to go well as long as they have plenty of cover and are not big enough to eat your turtle) You can keep males and females together. They are easy to keep as long as you keep the cage clean and keep the turtle fed on a good diet and provide for all their needs. As for the cage - a three foot fish tank is what i use to keep two or three hatchling in and you can keep them in that until the are about 120 mm in shell size( if there are three in there about 90- 100 mm) I use a reptisun uv fluro in the cage for a light and i use a 100 watt uv basking light above the log- I always have two types of land in the cage- one is a log that sticks out with the basking light above it and the other is a perspex landing covered in supergrass. tI think that natural sunlight is good for all reptiles and for my hatchlings i have a wine barrell on the balcony and it is set up as the "holiday cage" it is stocked with fish and weeds for them to eat. i put them in it on week ends and if i am home in the afternoons when it is light still. A uv tube costs about twenty dollars if you order them through a lighting shop of they cost an arm and a leg if you buy them from a pet/ reptile store. Not many people keep them that i know of and the hatchlings( if any) that come from my old pair are spoken for( i am taking half the clutch) but pm expansa1 on this site as he may know some one or go to the horses mouth and call john cann- if anyone knows where to get them from, he will. They should cost between 60- 100 dollars each. Try getting a goodbook on australian turtles- any of john canns are good or any of those small books called "keeping short necked turtles" as most hatchling short necks have the same basic needs.
A tip- stay well clear of turtle foodfrom pet shops and either make your own or do as i mostly do and spend twenty minutes once a week down at the local creek catchng fish and water prawns and the like and also a proportion of insects in the diet is a good idea.

 

[markars]

I will scan some photos tomoro and will ask my mate to put up some new pictures of them as adults

 

[hornet]

smaller than a 2c piece? that would be less than 1.5cm, i dont think thats right

 

[mickousley]

Freshwater turtles
Info sheet
By Michael Mather

Introduction
There are two main types of freshwater turtles in Australia the Long necks and the short neckturles. There is no such turtle as the penny turtle, they were just hatchlings of the Mary river turtle (see the story in John Canns Fresh water turtles of Australia)
Australia has many Described turtles but there are still a few up north that have not been described to date, there are many different sub species in Emedura macquarii
and different carapace lengths with the smallest being the Macleay River turtle ( E.m dharra ) CL 185mm the smallest of all freshwater turtles in Australia
Types of turtles
Only a few of the most commonly kept in NSW length and price guide for hatchlings to adults, length in carapace length CL
Longneck turtle /snake neck turtle ( Chelodina longicollis) CL 250mm $50 >$100
Northern long neck turtle ( Chelodina rugosa ) CL 360mm $80 > $150
Oblong turtle (chelodina oblonga) CL 310 $400 >$500
Saw shell turtle ( Elseya latisternum ) CL 280mm $80 > $150
Macquarie turtle / short neck turtle ( Emydura macquarii )CL 185mm to 340mm
$50 >$150
Pig nose Turtle ( Carettochelys insculpta ) CL 650mm $1500 > $2000
Food
Hatchlings will feed on Black worms and shrimp live or frozen.
Adults will feed on insect’s chicken meat, fish, and mice
Short necks will also eat some vegetables .
Mixing fish and vegetables , prawn meat finely diced & calcium powder in a plastic bag lay flat so it is about 4mm thick then using a wooded skewer lay the skewer on the bag and press down in rows as to make small squares and freeze ,
then you can just snap off what you need
Never leave uneaten food in the tank as it will foul the water.
Supplements
Dusting as it is know food dusted with a calcium or vitamin powder is a must for good healthy hatchlings every second feed


Lighting & Heat
One of the most important features of an indoor enclosure
Is a UVB full spectrum light (this is not a heat source)
But provides UVB rays or wavelengths similar to that of the sun, which will help against Metabolic Bone Disease and help with growth
of a healthy Hatchling
it must be placed no more than 30cm from base of enclosure
as the further away the weaker the wavelength is
Turtles require another form of heat source,
A aquarium heater works well 26' >28"
if using a basking light it should be control by a thermostat ,
You can never under estimate the true value of natural sunlight.
Recommended reading
Australian Freshwater Turtles
By John Cann
Keeping long neck turtles & keeping short neck turtles
By Darren Green
Care of Australian Reptiles in Captivity
By John Weigel
A Complete Guide to Reptiles of Australia
By Gerry swan & Steve Wilson


Photos By John Cann

 

[markars]

close to! mine were that small when they came out. i will see what photos i can dig up! though the memory may be dusty. none the less they are pretty small even for hatchlings- much smaller than anything else i have bred.

 

[mickousley]

sorry pics did load

 

[hornet]

only hathling i have kept have been broad shelled turts and mary river turt. Smallest i have seen was about 2-3cm, kreffts i think it was

 

[-Peter]

"Hatchlings emerge after 53 days at approximately 28degrees c and the young measure about 28 x 23 mm".
Cann, John 1998 Australian Freshwater Turtles. Beaumont Publishing. pp 120-122.

 

[Strange1]

1.how big does the macleay river turtle start and how big is it when fully grown?
My Male is around 150 and my Female is around 168mm
2.how big will my tank have to be?
I keep mine in a 4x2x2 tank and also have to add a land area
3.are they easy to keep?
No different to other shortnecks
4.how long will he live?
Turtles generally live for a long time if you care for them properly
5.what do they eat?
Lots of greens and water plants, live fish, yabbies and turtle pudding etc (See the link in my sig for my foods)
6.are they good pets?
As good as turtles can be
7.are they a good 1st turtle?
Most level 1 turtles are similar to look after so they are all about the same difficulty
8.will he get affectionate?
They will follow you aroundfor food just like most animals will
9.how much do they cost?
That depends on where you can find them, mine were around $160 each as they were a quick sale
10.who breeds them in N.S.W?
No idea
11.what will my tank need?
A good canister filter is a must, find the recommended filtration for your tank size and double it for turtles.
12.will i need a big filter?
Yeap
13.do they have a good temperament?
They will bite your fingers... as will all turtles. They seem to get along ok with each other though (Apart from the fact my Male is over horny)
14.can you put a male and female together?
Yeap! They wouldnt last long as a species if you couldnt!
15.how often do you have to take them out in the sun and how long?
I take mine out on weekends and sun them for a few hours
16. do you need to take them out into the sun if you have a UV light over the tank?
Its best too, a UV tube is no substitute for the real thing
17.how much does a UV light cost?
Bulb? Tube? They range from liek $10 for an NEC t10 tube to $70 for a UV spottie
18.will he eat my fish?
That depends... I had some feeders (That I breed) in with them for 6 months and none of them dissapeared. However when I added some young silver perch as tank mates they were eaten as they hit the water...
19.can you please send me some pictures of them as babies, middle and grown up?
I only have some adults.... but i'll see...
20.are they the smallest turtle you can get in australia?
Nope! But they are the most readily available small turtle.
21.i am pretty sure that you can't get a tortoise here but i would like to no for sure,so can we get tortoise in australia?
No, nope, not a chance legally
thank you for the help!

Indeed!!

 

[Eastern Snake Neck]

O.K. At the risk of re-igniting several old debates, arguments and disputes, here is my two cents on the topic.

The Macleay River Turtle (Emydura macquarii dharra) is neither a species nor a sub species. It is a form of Emydura macquarii macquarii (Murray River Turtle) that is found in the Macleay River. These specimens do not grow as large as some other Emydura macquarii macquarii.

Emydura macquarii binjing (Clarence River Turtle), Emydura macquarii dharuk (Sydney Basin Turtle), Emydura macquarii gunabarra (Hunter River Turtle ), Emydura macquarii signata (Brisbane River Turtle), the Storm King Dam Turtle and the Bellinger River Turtle are all Emydura macquarii macquarii (Murray River Turtle).

Over time, most turtle keepers have accepted this. The number of turtle keepers in NSW that still hold onto the Emydura macquarii dharra name has dwindled to four. The number of NSW turtle keepers that use the Emydura macquarii macquarii name is over 600. Beware of anybody trying to sell Emydura macquarii dharra to you. Whilst they may in fact be from the Macleay River, they are actually Emydura macquarii macquarii, not Emydura macquarii dharra.


I do not fully agree with some of what has been stated in this thread.

Hatchlings will indeed feed on black worms and shrimp live or frozen and adults will feed on insects, chicken meat, fish, and mice. However, not all of these foods are part of a turtle's natural diet. Feeding these foods may actually be harmful. It is important to remember that turtle's are opportunistic feeders. But, just because they eat the food offered to them does not make it good or nutritious for them.

Turtles eat underwater. Anything that lives in freshwater is potentially part of a turtle's natural diet. Stick with freshwater plants, along with freshwater fish, freshwater yabbies, freshwater prawns, freshwater snails and tadpoles. Try to avoid foods that are not found in freshwater, such as saltwater fish, saltwater prawns, chickens and mice.

Emydura macquarii macquarii are cold water turtles, and are better kept around 20-22ºC. They are generally not found in waters as warm as 26-28ºC (these temperature are better suited to tropical species).

Regards,
Michael.

 

[mickydrippin]

what a waist of John canns Time describing them,when there are others pretending to know what there on about , living on others work
C u Latta over and out Goth to now

 

[markars]

at the risk of re-igniting old debates

I still reckon turtles eat a lot of terrestrial insects! lol.....

And i reckon that the cann man knows his stuff.... but that is the purpose of a forum- for people to share their own opinions and to openly debate others opinions!

 

[markars]

C u Latta over and out Goth to now

What the hell does this mean?/?????

 

[Eastern Snake Neck]

Ahh markars, no, not the insect debate again!!! lol...
I agree. They do eat insects and John Cann certainly knows his stuff. That's why he is regarded as a turtle expert.
In my opinion, John Cann hasn't wasted his time. I think his work and knowledge is outstanding.

 

[markars]

dont for get the carrion debate!!lol
whether people agree wth the descriptions and re classifications or not- you gotta admire and respect the work that the cann man has put in!! it is amazing- most of it i assume would be at great personal expense, cause i am yet to meet a turtle enthusiast who has made a million or two out of his hobby or have not heard of many huge government grants paid out.

 

[Strange1]

Im not wading into a war as I am a newbie here but they are listed on the license with a separate species number aswell. Emydura macquarii dharra T2031