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Description:
There is a little controversy between the False Map turtle
(G. pseudogeographica pseudogeographica) and the Mississippi
Map turtle. However the best way to describe the Miss. Map
turtle is by the crescent spot that is behind it's eye which
keeps the stripes on the neck from touching the eye. It has
yellow stripes on the legs, neck and tail. Most of the body
appears light brown or gray. It has a whitish or light
grayish eye. The carapace is a brownish yellow color with a
really neat pattern at times (depends on the turtle) The
skink and plastron look a little like a road map. Adult
female maps can reach almost one foot in length and the
males are typically much smaller in the 4-6 inch range.
They can reach maturity in about 3-5 years in captivity. |
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Diet:
Mississippi Map turtles are omnivores, meaning they will eat
some greens and meats. Turtles in captivity should eat
brand name foods such as reptomin with no problem,
especially captive bred turtles. A tasty and favorite is a
worm or snail, as well as roast beef or chicken.
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Distribution:
Mississippi Map turtles
are found west through Texas and East to Kansas, then North
to Illinois and south to Louisiana. Large populations are
found along the Mississippi river. |
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Habitat:
These tutles are found in usually rivers with some kind of
decent current. They like large lakes and some streams, but
usually stay away from ponds and small lakes. Depth of
water does not matter with these turtles. |
Enclosure:
These turtles are great swimmers and infact have webbed
feet. They are found in strong fast flowing waters at times
in deep rivers. So they should
do fairly well in your aquarium, pond or other enclosure. A
log is a must as well as either natural sunlight or a heat
bulb and uvb bulb. Artificial or live plants should be
fine, just make sure the live plants are not poisonous and
that there are a lot in there otherwise your map could eat
all of them. Any size aquarium larger than a 20-30 gallon
should be fine for an adult map. Obviously the larger sized
aquarium or tub the better.
Filtration is a must on these turtles as heavey oxygen flow
can only keep cleaner water. Clean water prevents
illnesses. A depth for a hatchling should be around 4
inches to around 10. Then for adults, they can withstand
depths of several feet, just as long as they dont have to
swim straight up to get air.
Room temperature would be sufficient with the basking spot
in the mid to upper 80's. These turtle can hibernate in
cold conditions just as long as the last time they eat is
about 7-10 days before hibernation begins. You want your
turtle to have an empty stomach but yet be very fat going
into hibernation. Make sure that the water is either kept
moving so it doesnt freeze solid, or if it is deep enough,
they can hangout at the bottom where they will not freeze in
the ice. Any body of water that is capable of freezing over
should have a floating heater of some sort or a waterfall
that runs year round. This is to allow gases that build up
under the ice to get out.
If kept outside, make sure that their enclosure is escape
and predator proof. Natural temperatures should due fine if
kept in moderate conditions. Map turltes would die if kept
outside year round in areas like Alaska or where
temperatures are extremely cold for long periods of time. |
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Breeding:
Mississippi Map turtles,
like most turtles, will breed after a small cooling period
if not long cooling period. They should be brought down to
temperatures around 35-50 for at least 6-8 weeks. This will
help with fertility in eggs and also a male's
aggressive behavior towards the female. Males are capable
of breeding in about 3-4 years, where females will take more
towards 6 years as they need to be a larger size to have
room for the eggs. After the cooling period, the males are
the most aggressive as they will chase down the female in
the enclosure for several hours. He will bite at the
female's head making her retract into her shell and give in
to allow the male to work his magic. Breeding can take
place in a 20 gallon aquarium, however the larger amount of
space, the better. Females will lay their eggs about 4-8
weeks after breeding. They will deposit them in a hole as
far as their rear hind legs can dig. They will then cover
them up and pack them down tightly. The eggs will remain
there anywhere from 60-80 days, depending on the
temperature, where they will then emerge from the ground in
search of the nearest water source.
Check out other information on other caresheets for map
turtles as they are all very similar.
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AL ROACH |
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