Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtle

The Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtle is basically aquatic. Although young turtles can be kept in small spaces, the large size of adult turtles makes indoor keeping difficult. This type of turtle is best suited for turtle enthusiasts in the southernmost re

Chinese Name: 黄头侧颈龟

Alias: 黄斑侧颈龟，黄纹侧颈龟，忍者神龟

English Name: Yellow-spotted Amazon river turtle

Scientific Name: Podocnemis unifilis

Classification: Order Testudines; Suborder Pleurodira; Superfamily Podocnemoidea; Family Podocnemididae; Genus Podocnemis; Species unifilis

Distribution: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Guyana, Brazil, Bolivia.

Carapace Length: 40-60cm for females (males are half the size of females)

Lifespan: Over 60 years

Habitat: Inhabits rivers or lakes

Suitable Temperature: 24-30 degrees Celsius

Reproduction: Oviparous. Females can produce 15-25 eggs per clutch and are highly prolific. Pregnant females will search for a suitable nesting site far from water. Hatchlings emerge after approximately 75 days and fend for themselves. If lucky, they can live for over 70 years. The yellow spots on their heads are most prominent in juveniles. As they grow, the spots fade for males and disappear completely for females.

Diet: The Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtle is primarily herbivorous. In captivity, they feed on a variety of aquatic plants, fruits, and dark leafy vegetables. They happily accept foods like lettuce, endive, kale, zucchini, apples, and grapes.

Price: They are relatively inexpensive, with smaller individuals costing around 100 yuan.

Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtle, also known as the Yellow-spotted Side-necked Turtle, is widely distributed, including Venezuela, Colombia, eastern Ecuador, northeastern Peru, Guyana, Brazil, northern Bolivia, Orinoco River, and the Amazon Basin. This species of turtle is aquatic and lives in clean bodies of water such as lakes, rivers, and swamps in its natural environment. The diet of the Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtle consists mainly of plant-based foods such as fresh tender water plants and fruits. For captive turtles, they can be fed fruits, vegetables, water plants, small fish and shrimp, and supplemented with commercial feed. The optimal temperature for growth is between 22-30℃. It is found in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Recommended for climbing pet enthusiasts, the Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtle is easy to keep. How to keep the Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtle (detailed introduction) The Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtle, also known as the Ninja Turtle, is cute and adorable when young, but can grow quite large as an adult. The price is relatively low, making it a popular choice among many turtle enthusiasts. Nowadays, there are many artificially bred Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtles flooding the market, meeting the demand and providing convenience for turtle enthusiasts. It can be said that the Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtle is a very easy-to-keep species. I. How to keep the Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtle The native Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtle is found in the Olinoco River basin in South America, so the first thing to ensure when keeping it in captivity is the temperature of the environment. The water temperature is best maintained at around 24-

1. Head, neck, and limbs, check for inflammation, white patches, and ulcers. If present, it may be shell rot. Check for white cotton-like hyphae, which could indicate fungal infection.

2. Shell, check for inflammation, sores, ulcers, and darkened areas. This may be shell decay.

3. Eyes, check for swelling, inflammation, and redness. This may be eye inflammation. Check for a white film covering with swelling, which could indicate white eye disease.

4. Mouth and nose, check for nasal congestion and if the turtle is mouth-breathing. If there is nasal inflammation or secretion around the mouth, and the turtle breathes by floating to the water surface or has rapid and heavy breathing sounds, it may have pneumonia.

5. Feces, check if they are cylindrical and wrapped in a white film. If not, it could be enteritis.

6. Check if the turtle's body is swollen and if the swollen area is inflated. This could be salivary gland inflammation.

7. Check if the turtle is losing nails or if the shell is soft. This may be soft shell disease.

Many turtle enthusiasts raise Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtles, but they often die suddenly. What is the reason for this? In fact, there are two main reasons for the sudden death of Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtles. Firstly, the environment temperature is too low. Secondly, the food is not nutritionally balanced enough.

The Yellow-headed Side-necked Turtle is primarily a herbivorous species. In captivity, they eat many aquatic plants, fruits, and various dark green vegetables (please do not feed them spinach and lettuce). They are quite happy to accept lettuce, kale, zucchini, apples, grapes, etc. Trout and catfish feed can also be appropriately fed. Feeding high animal protein will harm the long-term health of this species, just as excess animal protein has been proven to harm the health of other herbivorous reptiles.

Green vegetables, small fish, and commercial feeds are all suitable for feeding, but they are most interested in commercial feeds. They only eat vegetables when they are hungry and do not eat various fruits or insects. Some individuals may eat small fish or aquatic plant tubers such as lotus roots and water chestnuts. In addition, they are very fond of cat food and have a higher preference for it than any other food. However, in order to maintain a balanced diet, it needs to be controlled.

Commercial feeds are quickly digested and pass through the digestive system rapidly. They have a large appetite and therefore produce a large amount of waste. Without a filtration system, the water in the tank will become dirty within a few hours and will start to emit odor within a day. Even if the water is changed frequently, it cannot keep up. Therefore, it is necessary to have an efficient filtration system.