Clemmys guttata 

   Spotted turtle

Description

Clemmys guttata, also called the spotted turtle because of their spotted shell, is a small aquatic turtle from North-America. Spotted turtles grow to a maximum size of 14 cm, but usually stay a bit smaller. The skin and carapace are black with yellow or orange spots. The plastron is yellow or orange in color with a black spot on each scute.

 

Genders

Female spotted turtles (right) have yellow eyes and jaws. They also get a bit bigger then males. Females grow to a maximum size of 14.3 cm while males reach 12.2 cm. Males (left) have red eyes, dark jaws and a concave plastron. They also have a longer, thicker tail and the cloaca is located further from the edge of the shell. It can take a few years before these characteristics become visible in juvenile spotteds.

 

Temperament

Clemmys guttata are very docile turtles. They can kept alone or in a group. Female spotted turtles can be kept in a group. Males are agressive towards eachother and should be kept alone or with several females. 

 

Distribution and habitat

Spotted turtles occur in the Northeast to the Southeast of North-America. They inhabit shallow stagnant or slow moving waters like swamps and flooded pastures. They prefer clear or tannin rich water with dense vegitation. 

Husbandry

  •  Enclosure size bak: 80x50x50 cm.
  • Watertemperature: 22 – 26 degrees celcius.
  • Basking spot temperature: 35  degrees celcius.
  • Fergusons zone: 2

Because of their temperament and small size a tank of 80 cm is sufficient for 1 spotted turtle. 

 Het zijn geen krachtige zwemmers dus het water niveau moet niet te hoog zijn. Een water hoogte van 20 cm is voldoende maar met voldoende mogelijkheden om het wateroppervlak te bereiken is een hogere waterniveau geen probleem. Add pieces of wood, rock and plants to the tank to provide the animals with hiding spots. Clemmys prefer to climb to the surface to breathe. Sand is suitable as a substrate.

The landsection in the enclose should be dry so the animals can completely dry their shell. A heatspot should be mounted above the landsection to provide the animal with a heatspot of at least 35 degrees celcius. Spotted turtles also need uvb so they can synthesise vitamine D to absorb calcium from their food. The landsections should be big enough for the animals to bask at a temperature they feel most comfortable at.

 

Nutrition

Clemmys guttata eat both plant and animal matter. In nature they hunt and eat small aquatic prey like tadpoles, insects and their larvea, fish and salamanders. Spotted turtles also eat carrion, algea and aquatic plants.  To mimic this diet our spotteds are fed the following foods:

worms, pillbugs, roaches, snails, foenix worms, crickets. A smaller part consists of whole small fish, mealworms, waxworms, endiva and aquatic plants. Finally, several types of fish and turtle pellets and species of sepia are fed to supplement this diet.