Common African Helmeted Turtle

Common African helmeted turtle
PELUSIOS SUBNIGER


English name: Common African helmeted turtle

Discovered by: Lacepede in 1788

Family: Pelomedusidae of Side-necked turtles

Place where it was found: From East-Africa until Ethiopia, they have even been sighted on the Seychelles.

Striking characteristics: It has a black shell with a solid yellow plastron, although the animals can differ strongly from place to place.

Difference in gender: This is difficult, the anus of the male is almost at the end of their tail.

Size: Both genders will grow to be about 20 cm long.

Cultivation: We feel that we should not discuss this, because then there will be even more turtles to take care off, and the problem will only be bigger then. Our advise is: preferably, do not cultivate with turtles before you have obtained information at a turtle association or at Foundation Turtle.

Details: The Common African helmeted turtle belongs to the group of side-necked turtles. This means that the turtle does not pull its head in backwards but sideward. The neck of this turtle is much longer than from any other kind of turtles. Therefore, you must be very careful that when you pick this turtle up you are not too close to the head, because even though these helmeted turtles can be very tame, when they are afraid they will often attack you.



The Common African helmeted turtle
Temperature: Water 25°C, , the air must not differ too much from this.

Nutrition: When you give your turtle a richly varied menu from the beginning, it will eat everything. Feed your turtles only fruit and vegetables that are 100% free of herbicides, because they cannot take it. Do not give them any lettuce and preferably not any cabbage. The food that can be bought in the shops, is merely additional food, despite the statement 'Complete nourishment'. Doesn't your turtle deserve the very best? Give your animals very nutritious, high quality granular cat food, such as for example lams or Hills. Give them one granule per 200 grams of their body weight. Besides this, give them also little pieces of apple, cucumber, tomato and banana.



And two more Common African helmeted turtles
Further nursing: Make sure that you accommodate your turtle in a very spacious, well heated and draught-free space. A very powerful and good filter is also necessary, so the water will be cleaned continually. But even then the water must be changed weekly. They also need a piece of land where the turtles can climb on easily so they can warm themselves under a lamp a few hours a day. Do mind that the temperature of the lamp will not be over 40°C