Page 3 - Fly River Pig Nose Turtle Archive

MacLeod noted in his experience all ages will eat floating food, but in Olson’s experience juveniles often
would not take food from the surface and required sinking foods (Eric knew some that took years to shift
to surface feeding). Flavia’s experience was midway; she said when very small they’re afraid to eat
floating pellets, but after a few weeks, when used to owner and aquarium, they will. MacLeod knew of 2
F.R.T.’s fed primarily on ReptoMin when small who developed deformed, upturned shells. MacLeod
recommended lower protein pellets (under 30%) for small F.R.T.’s, and supplementation with romaine
lettuce, grapes, banana (which his love), cantaloupe, worms, dead minnows & other items. He’s seen a
pair of youngsters do well with high quality low-protein (25%) floating Purina trout chow (now called
Aquamax) as a primary food. MacLeod believed F.R.T.s over 4” better tolerate the higher protein turtle
foods, although it’s not clear they require them. He reported the species is prone to fixate on a single type
of food, more so than any other turtle he’s seen, so emphasize variety.

For an extensive discussion, check out Carettochelys.com’s feeding page. The author states that in his
experience their plant/animal matter dietary ratio is around 2:1. Don’t miss the fact you can click on food
photos at the bottom & call up extensive nutritional information on that item!

RECOMMENDED FEEDING SCHEDULE

Our standard recommendations would state for the first 6 months of life, feed commercial pellets or meaty
foods such as earthworms or fish once daily, enough to diminish appetite but not gorge the turtle. After 6
months, switch to every other day feeding. Romaine lettuce, Anacharis, Water Hyacinth & other safe
edible aquatic plants & other leafy greens may be offered daily for graze at will. Over time adjust diet
content & schedule accounting for growth, activity level & appetite. Overfeeding high-protein foods can
cause rapid growth & is believed harmful to the liver & kidneys.

These recommendations were devised for North American aquatic species ranging from red-eared sliders
(who progress from predominantly carnivorous hatchlings to predominantly herbivorous omnivorous
adults) to musk turtles (who remain predominantly carnivorous). Given the FRT's more herbivorous
natural diet yet willingness to indulge in meaty foods, watch the protein intake - brand name commercial
box turtle foods (tend to run ~ 25% protein) would be preferable to 'aquatic turtle' food (which runs ~ 35-
45% protein). Since they won't get much basking (& thus UV-B light) in most captive enclosures make
sure there's Vitamin D3 in the diet. Overfeeding pellets & meaty foods will likewise jeopardize water
quality.

WILD & CAPTIVE HABITAT

FRTs in captivity are considered (for practical purposes) exclusively aquatic turtles ; in essence, a
freshwater answer to sea turtles.

Typical Natural Habitat: rivers, estuaries, lagoons, lakes, swamps and pools, with most found in areas
1
with sand and gravel bottoms covered with silt & averaging 6 feet deep . Habitat water bodies tend to
1
have forested banks . Water bodies may also have fallen trees and branches, undercut banks, exposed
2
tree roots and litter accumulation for cover . For habitat photos & more extensive discussion,
read Carettochelys.com’s habitat page (the authors state “…this species only occurs in limestone-based
rivers. It only occurs in rivers of high pH, high conductivity and high alkalinity. This means very stable,
very clear water.”)
Drawing from softshell turtle care you might recommend the tank environment be non-abrasive, including
the substrate (if any) (but read on…). No land area or basking spot is required, although providing a
resting area near the surface is recommended. I asked Scott Thomson about lighting issues (given that
UV-B doesn’t penetrate water deeply & FRT’s generally don’t bask – he doesn’t regard UV-B lighting as
necessary but recommends broad-spectrum lighting with the complete visible light range (red through
blue) to provide a day/night cycle as a behavioral enhancer. (Note: If desired you can provide enough UV-
6
B to penetrate water via a Mega-Ray mercury vapor bulb ). Flavia Guimaraes said the shell can become