Soft Shell Turtle

Keeping aquatic or semi aquatic turtles as pets has become quite popular these days. The easily available and inexpensive turtle, is a very common pet. Soft shell turtles though aggressive, can be great pets. They look like a pancake because of their soft shells and flattened body, and are fun to watch. Soft shell turtles belong to the family Trionychidae. There are about thirty different species of this type, some of them being, Apalone ferox, commonly known as Florida softshell turtle, Apalone mutica, Apalone spinifera, Apalone spinifera emoryi and Trionyx axenaria.

Habitat
These are freshwater turtles. There are a few species that can tolerate the salty waters, but most of them dwell in the freshwaters of lakes, streams, rivers and ponds. They prefer slow moving rivers and are usually present in the water bodies with sandy and muddy bottoms or even wetlands. Soft shell turtles live in colonies and are diurnal. They bask on sand bars or large rocks that are at the water edge. They bury themselves in mud or sand and can remain submerged for up to 5 hours. Their breeding season starts around May and they lay their eggs in June or July. Females lay eggs in nests dug in the sand bars. The eggs are brittle and are shaped like ping-pong balls.

Characteristics
As the name suggests, these turtles have a carapace that lacks the horny scutes, or scales, present in the common turtles. The carapace is leather like and pliable, with a layer of solid bone beneath it. They have oval, flattened and streamlined bodies with soft, flexible shells. They are mostly found at the bottom of ponds and lakes. The shells are camouflaged to match the bottom of the pond and that makes them difficult to spot. They remain hidden in the wetland, buried in the sand or mud, with only their heads or snouts popping out. They have long necks and snorkels that allow them to breathe from their hiding places. Adult males are gray or brown in color and have dots and dashes on the back, whereas the females are drab in color, having dark blotches on their carapace.

Diet
Soft shelled turtles are typically carnivorous. As they dwell at the bottom of lakes, ponds and wetlands, their diet mainly consists of small fish and insects. However, the diet also depends on the particular species. Their long necks and powerful jaws enable them to lunge at the prey and hold on to it till the prey dies. Their natural diet consists of crayfish, insects and various small fish. They also feed on carrion and certain plant material. Worms, caterpillars, crustaceans and some amphibians also form a part of the soft shell turtle food.

Care
Soft shell turtles are very delightful display animals. But at the same time they are extremely delicate and require a lot of care and equipment if you are planning to keep turtles as pets. They have a soft carapace which can be easily damaged by scrapes and bites. They need a large tank filled with lots of sand for submerging themselves. As these turtles are shy of humans, the aquarium should be in a low noise area. It should have proper filtration systems to keep the water clean. They are prone to various infections and diseases and hence, the tank has to be kept clean. Make sure to refer to a care guide before getting one home.

In the right environment and with proper food these turtles serve as enjoyable and fascinating pets. So, get ready to have these wonderful creatures in your tank!