Rio Grande Cooter (Pseudemys gorzugi)

Rio Grande Cooter Pseudemys gorzugi
Name	Rio Grande Cooter
Name Lat.	Pseudemys gorzugi
Family	Pond Turtles & Box Turtles
Family lat.	Emydidae
Order	Turtles
Order lat.	Testudines
Origin	N-Mexico
Habitat	Rivers, streams, ponds
Diet	Plants, fish insects
Humidity	50-80 %
Behavior	♂ semi-aggressive
Keeping	Individual, harem
Care Level	Moderate
Reproduction	Oviparous
Housing	Aquaterrarium
Life Span	25-30 years
Protection	No
Metric Units
Size	30-38 cm
Temperature	25-28 °C
Temperature Local	35-40 °C
Housing Size	200 x 80 x 60 cm
US Units
Size	12"-15"
Temperature	77-82 °F
Temperature Local	95-104 °F
Housing Size	80" x 30" x 25"

Distribution and habitat

Diurnal Rio Grande ornate turtles are common in the Rio Grande and Pecos River systems on the U.S.-Mexico border. The skilled swimmers and divers live in slow-flowing waters, but also in oxbows and lakes with dense vegetation.

Maintenance

Minimum dimensions for the aquaterrarium, according to the size and number of animals

floor space for 1-2 animals: 5PL x 2,5PL (L x W)

Water level: 2PB

The carapace length (PL) and carapace width (PB) is measured on the largest animal. For each additional animal, increase the footprint by 10%, and for the 5th animal and larger, increase the footprint by 20%. An aquaterrarium of e.g. L 200 x W 80 x H 60 cm is recommended, which should be placed in a quiet and vibration-free place.

The water part, with a soft, muddy substrate, should be structured with roots, aquatic plants and larger stones (visibility barriers and hiding places), some of which reach the water surface. For this purpose, they need a terrestrial part (approx. 1/3 of the bottom surface) for drying, which is equipped with a soft, muddy-sandy bottom substrate, with plants and roots as well as with sunning places. To maintain water quality, a powerful filter with low flow is recommended, as well as frequent water changes

	Water Temp	Lighting	Sunny
Summer	26-28 °C	12-14 hrs.	35-40 °C
Winter (2-3 months)	15-18 °C	8-10 hrs

They need daily UV irradiation and sunny places with radiant heat.

Diet

Juveniles feed mainly on animal food, whereas adults feed mainly on plant food. The food supply consists of insect larvae, earthworms, meal beetle larvae, fish pieces, supplemented with pelleted or freeze-dried ready-made food. Frozen food is also well accepted. In addition, they absolutely need vegetable food, such as lettuce, dandelion, endive, and water plants (e.g. waterweed). Adults should be offered animal food no more than twice a week. It is important to regularly add minerals and vitamins.

A varied diet promotes health and prevents deficiency symptoms.

Reproduction and breeding

Males have a concave ventral carapace and a much longer tail than females. The anal opening of the male is closer to the tip of the tail than in the female.

A small, sandy patch of land is required for oviposition (approximately 9 eggs). The incubation period is 66-114 days at a temperature of 23-30 °C.

Important

They stay mainly in the water and usually come ashore only to sunbathe.

In summer, the animals should not be kept in an outdoor facility.

Winter hibernation can be in water or earth-moist substrate.

In order not to distort the native fauna, they must not be released into the wild under any circumstances.

The terrarium must have good ventilation without drafts and meet the species-specific needs. Measuring devices such as thermometers, hygrometers, etc. are necessary. The lighting has to correspond to the species-specific day-night rhythm and has to be placed in such a way that the animals cannot injure themselves. The terrarium should be locked in such a way that neither unauthorized persons can open it nor the animals can escape. Contamination must be removed regularly.

Further literature can be found in your pet store.

References

Text: petdata; Image: petdata

Source: BMELV (1997): Tierschutzgutachten - Mindestanforderungen an die Haltung von Reptilien; ENGELMANN (2006): Zootierhaltung - Tiere in menschlicher Obhut: Reptilien und Amphibien, Harri Deutsch Verlag; ROGNER (2009): Taschenatlas Schildkröten, Verlag Ulmer

• Gemäß § 21 Abs. 5 Tierschutzgesetz idgF