Soft shell turtle info

[Highlander]

Can anyone provide me with some info on Florida or spiny soft shelled turtles?Mainly how big of enclosure for one,Water depth,and do you really need to put sand for their substrate or can you use something else?Also any more info or links would be much appreciated.

 

[Brian S]

How big of a turtle are you talking about?

 

[Highlander]

Well I know that if I get a hatchling it could go in about a 20 gallon.But for an adult I would probably need a large wading pool or a pond.

 

[Brian S]

There was a couple of threads here while back on softshells. You might look them up and see what kind of info is there.
When I was a kid I kept young snapping turtles for a few years. I had them in 5 gal. buckets. I would think you could do the same with soft shells. You will need a pretty big set up to house an adult. I have seen them around here that are pretty big.

 

[Wade]

I keep my Florida softeshell in a 300 gallon stock tank. The turtle is about 18" long. They are big, active swimmers and need a lot of space. Spiny softshells don't get quite as big, but they too need a lot of space.

I feel the do best on a substrate of fine sand, or better still, natural silt or pond mud. Yes, it's messy, but the bacterial fauna these substrates support virtually eliminate the skin infections these turtles are prone to when kept in bare aquariums or worse, on gravel.

Wade