map turtles

[SuperTed]

hihihi i am thinking about getting a few map turtles loving there shells oo and there ninja's of course does anyone on here keep them? would like a bit of info on them if possible!

cheers.

[Layla]

A few maybe a bit much if you end up with females...they get up to 12"
Found this caresheet, looks fairly good.
Graptemys* (Map Turtle) Care -** - Darrell Senneke

[SuperTed]

thanks for that it was quite helpful

any other info wud be great!

[Mez-sez]

i have 2 map turtles and two yellow bellied sliders. they are soo much fun,

little bit of advice (i learnt this on one of my reptile course's at university)
if you get any soft shell turtles, dont clean them as often as fish or any other tank.

they live healthier if they live in water partially changed once every 4-6 months.

people will more than likley slaughter me for saying that but you will see for your self.

[Graham]

they live healthier if they live in water partially changed once every 4-6 months

I'd love to know exactly where that little gem of information came from! Softies are far more prone to bacterial infection than other types of turtle and require pristine water quality, the only way you'd get away with water changes that infrequently is to have some very expensive and sophisticated filtration equipment.
I'd put that advice on a par with the old chestnut about turtles only growing to the size of their tank!

To address the original question though.

If you get "a few" Maps they will need a fairly large tank from the start, they are great swimmers and need lots of space, in a short time you'll be needing a much larger tank as they grow fast and can get to quite a size.

Maps are another turtle that requires excellent water quality, so a very good (and large) filter will be required from the beginning, think in terms of a Fluval 405 or equivalent as an absolute minimum.

And then if more than one of them turns out to be male you may need to seperate them or rehome one if they get aggressive, females will also be hassled constantly especially if the tank is too small.

If you think you can cope with those basics then do some more reading on their specific requirements, food, lighting, temperatures, ventilation etc...

Don't think I'm trying to put you off, just that far too many people get turts without knowing the full facts, it can be shock to discover that a proper setup can cost hundreds of pounds and they can be very difficult animals to keep if you don't get it right.

You might want to visit the Terrapin Tank forum The Terrapin Tank - Index where you'll find lots of good info from experienced keepers.

[Mez-sez]

like i said im ready to be slaughtered.

they naturally live in swamps and lakes, so i dont believe that they are prone to infection.

plus no offence but i prefere to believe the 3 courses that i studyied rather than a post.

dont mean to offend

[bosshogg]

what course was this how to kill a shoft shell

The softshells truly have soft shells: in fact, their shells are mostly thickened skin. As such they are much more vulnerable to injuries from rocks and bites than are other hard-shelled turtles.

They are highly aquatic, spending most of their time under water, often buried under the sandy or muddy river or lake bottoms with only their long probiscus topping the surface. Like many aquatic amphibians, softshells respire through their skin as well, thus are particularly susceptible to impurities in the water.

Softshells are found in a variety of waters: lakes, ponds, streams, rivers, even ditches. Some species are quite aggressive. They are carnivores and as such are able to render some very painful bites should they be so inclined. In some parts of their range, they are an important food item, especially the larger Asian specimens which may reach 36" in length

so as Graham righly said there ARE more prone to bacterial problems than there hard caraspaced cousins

[Graham]

What makes you think that the water in swamps and lakes isn't clean?

In a balanced eco system such as a natural swamp or lake the water will be just as pristine as it should be in a properly maintained tank. If it wasn't there'd either be an awful lot of dead animals floating around in them, or they simply wouldn't live there.

The fact that you were taught this in a college course simply shows what b*ll*cks they teach in colleges these days!