what do you feed Nebraska sandhill painted sand turtles and what kind of care do they require as a pet.?

Answer 1

I would search for that info on the internet. You'll probably find several sites with info about it.

Answer 2

It's true... in most states and provinces, it is illegal to keep native turtles and reptiles, and often there are strict regulations. Check with your loca officials.

It is a western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta belli). They are the largest sub-species of painted turtles reaching 9-10" SCL (straight carapace length). When full grown, it will need a 100 gallon pond or a huge tank. I assume it is a hatchling, since it is breeding season right now, you should provide it with a minimum 20 gallon tank. A filter is good, since it will save you time changing the water every couple of days to every couple of weeks.

It needs a basking area (log or rock) where it can climb out to dry off. A regular 60-70 watt bulb at 10-12" away will be a good basking lamp to provide heat. Bring it out once a week for natural sunlight so it can asorb some UV. Atrifical UV is weak compared to the sun.

You should also provide some hiding spots in the tank. A cave or so floating plants will make it feel more secure.

It may be slow to start feeding, since you cannot provide insect larave. You can try small pieces of fish, shrimp or chicken - small as possible or else the hatchling will choke. When it accepts these proteined foods, you need to get it on pellets which are more nutritious. It contains the necessary vitamins and minerals. The proteins are just snacks.

I must warm you that hatchling turtles have a high mortality rate. Good luck and check out this caresheet from ATP:
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-western_painted.htm

Answer 3

Ah, the Sandhills- a great place!

Your turtle is a Western Painted turtle, and is indeed protected in the state under fish and game laws (both as a possible bait animal, and as a non-game species). They make great 'garden pets' if you have a pond or wetlands nearby.

Care for 'pond turtles' like this is a bit tricky at first in that it takes a rather specialized setup. You can get details at the sites listed, but a few starter tips include:

Cage size: About 10 gallons of swimming space per inch of shell. Since a Painted can get to 12" long and live 20 years, you'll end up needing at least 120 gallons of swimming space. Even in the first few years, they will hit 4-6" quickly, needing about 60 gallons for the short term.

Heating/lighting: We want to see water temps in the 75-80 area (on the warmer end for hatchlings, and cooler at night is OK) with basking sites that allow the turtle to enjoy as close to sunlight as possible- warmer temps (90ish), UV-B rays, etc.

Water quality: cleanliness with these guys is tough- they are really messy critters. Big and/or multiple filters, frequent partial water changes, seperate feeding tanks, live plants or scavengers (catfish, snails, etc.) help, but it is still a challenge to prevent the tell-tale 'turtle smell'.

Diet: Key things to remember on this point:
- Young turtles get about 80% meat, 20% dark leafy greens. As they get older, the ratio changes for more leafy greens.
- Variety helps ensure a good diet- switch between live food, thawed frozen food, and pelletized foods for example.
- Light green lettuce (Iceberg, for example), hamburger, and cheap dried turtle foods are terrible for pretty much ANY turtles.
- Feed young turtles daily. Reduce this as they get older to every two, then to ever three days.

Should you decide to keep this turtle, good luck! Once you get things going well, they can be wonderful animals to watch and care for!

Answer 4

First off let me say...if you are a Nebraskan...then it is illegal to own an endemic species of reptile.That is to say if you found this turtle?you need to bring it back where you found it right away before the game department finds out you have it.
If on the other hand you live in another state then feed it floating turtle pellets found at the pet shop,it will also eat any insects and worms.It is most likely an western painted turtle found coast to coast.Zee

Answer 5

Small turtles are carnivores. Feed them stay nutrition once you could: earthworms, fishes (no longer goldfish), and mushy-bodied bugs. once you won't be able to get stay nutrition, cut back liver into strips and dirt it with bonemeal. while the turtle gets older, it may desire to enhance a flavor for dark eco-friendly leafy vegetables, bits of candy potato, and the occasional piece of fruit. observe that i've got no longer recommended something that should be offered on the puppy save.

Answer 6

Please get a book on turtles. Go to a petstore or a library. If you ask an employee they will be glad to assist you. Any one can write anything on the internet even "experts" may be passing on false information. Books, on the other hand, have to be fact checked and tend to be more accurate.