Map turtles are great swimmers and should have lots of room to swim.
Map turtle tank size.
The tank should also be tall enough to provide areas for the turtle to swim so we suggest a minimum height of around 300mm.
The disparity in size between adult males l and adult females r is exemplified by this pair of cagle s map turtles graptemys caglei.
For this reason we suggest a tank with at least 1200mm in width.
Mississippi map turtle general info.
These freshwater turtles will need a large outdoor enclosure or a large indoor aquarium tank in which they can swim comfortably and have places to hide.
In addition to hiding places underwater you will also need to provide your pet with a basking area above the water.
The depth of the tank needs to be more than the width.
I believe that a 75 gallon breeder tank 48 x18 x21 would make a great home while a 45 gallon breeder tank 38 x18 x16 with an above tank basking.
An aquarium with a capacity of 50 gallons should be adequate for a single adult map turtle.
Northern map turtle.
A map turtle is any species within the taxonomic genus graptemys these aquatic reptiles live throughout north america and researchers recognize 14 different species throughout their range.
While young map turtles can thrive in small tanks adults need to be moved to large aquariums.
For every additional turtle size the tank according to the first turtle and add half the original tank capacity.
The general guideline is that we should provide a minimum of 10 gallons of water not tank size for each inch of turtle shell.
Female false map turtles reach 9 inches and males reach 5 inches.
Gravel built up with some larger rocks to create a beach on one side of the tank serves well as a basking area and dry docking station for your turtle.
The map turtle requires an aquatic setup such as a pond or an aquarium.
Cagle s map turtle graptemys caglei from the guadalupe and san antonio rivers in south central texas is an ornately patterned species that reproduces well in captivity.
Full grown map turtles need plenty of swimming space but typically a 75 gallon fish tank will do well for one male turtle.
Just make sure that the hiding places.
Females need about a 125 gallon tank.
The mississippi map turtle can grow to 300mm 12 long and needs a proportional amount of space to live happily.
It is sometimes referred to as the sawback turtle because of its unique carapace which has a ridge running down the center.
The broad headed map species occur exclusively in rivers that drain into the northern gulf of mexico from the panhandle of florida westward to the eastern border of louisiana.
As with many map turtle species there is extreme sexual dimorphism in cagle s map turtles.
