In honor and memory of those we lost in the tragedy on 9/11/01
HOUSING
In addition to a generous body of water, diamondbacks also require a large basking area. Most aquatic turtles benefit from periods of drying out and diamondbacks are no exception. Providing an adequate basking area will help cut down on fungal infections that can attack the skin and shell. Basking sites can easily be built from slate rock or large, flat river rockswithout sharp edges.
I will be adding more information and photos for Diamondback Terripans soon!
So please check back again!
Diamondback Terrapins, like all other native chelonia can be housed either indoors or outdoors. While there are advantages and disadvantages to either method, I prefer outdoor setups, as I feel they are easier to maintain as well as closer to native habitats. Indoor housing is restrictive in size and the use of artificial sunlight is necessary, although this method does provide protection from the elements. Outdoor housing affords the keeper and the terrapins access to more expansive housing. This is important as size of the enclosure is a critical factor in determining where to house terrapins as females can grow up to 9 inches in length. This can easily be accommodated by outdoor ponds, but if kept indoors, at least a 60 gallon tank would be required for adult terrapins. A word of caution: baby and juvenile terrapins should be adequately protected from potential predators if kept outdoors.
Another reason for providing generous space in housing diamondbacks is because terrapins tend to be very messy eaters. Terrapins do not usually swallow their food whole, rather they break off chunks of food with their powerful jaws, leaving scraps in their water. Consequently, unless one feeds them in a separate environment (which is a really good practice), terrapins will foul up their water very quickly, even with adequate filtration.
The basking site should be illuminated by a heat lamp to maintain a temperature in the mid 80's F at the basking spot and a UV light if housed indoors. Photo periods should be equivalent to the natural day cycle for the particular season.
