The False Map Turtle (Graptemys pseudogeographica) is a captivating reptile native to the United States, particularly the Mississippi drainage and several smaller drainages to the west. Understanding their dietary needs is crucial for ensuring their health and well-being in captivity. This article delves into the intricate details of the False Map Turtle's diet, offering guidance for both novice and experienced keepers.
Natural Diet in the Wild
False Map Turtles are generally omnivorous, with their dietary staples varying depending on their location. In the Mississippi River, they primarily consume terrestrial vegetation submerged by high water. In the Illinois River, caddis fly larvae are a dietary staple. Adult females from a wide range of habitats consume pondweed, duckweed, algae, mollusks, and mayfly nymphs.
A general list of prey species includes:
- Freshwater sponges
- Bryozoans
- Clams
- Snails
- Crayfish
- Spiders
- Insects and their larvae
- Fish
- Algae
- Carrion
- Assorted seeds, fruits, and leaves of plants
In Kentucky, adult females typically eat Asian clams, fish carrion, mayfly nymphs, and algae. Smaller females consume Asian clams, snails, algae, and bryozoan colonies. Males, on the other hand, eat chironomid egg cases, algae, small Asian clams, and sponges.
Dietary Requirements in Captivity
In captivity, mimicking the natural diet of False Map Turtles is essential for their health. While they are omnivorous, they tend to be more carnivorous than other aquatic turtles like sliders, painted turtles, or cooters.
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Commercial Turtle Food
The majority of their captive diet should consist of high-quality floating aquatic turtle food. These pellets are formulated to provide essential nutrients.
Protein Sources
Due to their carnivorous tendencies, False Map Turtles require a good amount of protein. Suitable protein sources include:
- Feeder fish (such as guppies or minnows)
- Crickets
- Earthworms
- Aquatic snails
- Crayfish
- Freeze-dried shrimp and krill (as treats)
Plant Matter
Although False Map Turtles don't NEED greens, they do consume aquatic plants and algae in the wild. While many maps don't eat a lot of greens naturally, offering plant matter is still beneficial. Options include:
- Aquatic plants (such as duckweed, anacharis, and water lettuce)
- Leafy greens (such as romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce, and dandelion greens)
- Algae wafers (such as Hikari's Algae Wafers)
Supplements
Providing a varied diet usually fulfills their nutritional needs, but calcium supplementation is still important, especially for turtles kept indoors without natural sunlight. Sepia bones should always be available in the tank to allow the animals to meet their calcium requirements.
Feeding Schedule and Quantity
Hatchlings and young map turtles generally consume more plant matter than adults. False map turtles from a length of 10 - 12 cm should be fed only 3 times a week, smaller ones 5 times a week.
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Feed turtles as much as they can eat in 5 minutes (only larger foods such as vegetables longer). It is better to use food that the animals still have to break down and process than pure energy-rich pellet food that can be swallowed immediately.
Foods to Avoid
- Mealworms: They offer very little nutritional value and are difficult to digest.
- Freeze-dried crickets: These are not a great food source for turtles.
Special Considerations
Greens
Many map turtles don't naturally eat a lot of greens. In fact, many of the greens maps get naturally are stuff that was eaten by their food before they ate their food. The pellets will provide a lot of the nutrients they'd otherwise get. One way to try to get greens would be to see if they'd eat Hikari's Algae Wafers; algae is one of the most commont plant matters ingested by maps in the wild.
Sexual Dimorphism
Female False Map Turtles grow significantly larger than males and have larger heads. This means that females will naturally eat more protein, especially mollusks.
Water Quality
Map turtles tend to prefer cleaner water than Painteds, Sliders, and Cooters. Remember: Try to maintain a high concentration of oxygen in your Map turtle enclosure. You can add lots of extra aquatic plants and use a larger-than-expected filtration unit.
Maintaining a Healthy Environment
In addition to a proper diet, maintaining a healthy environment is crucial for the well-being of False Map Turtles.
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Tank Setup
An aquarium should be at least 2 m (L) x 0.6 m (W) x 0.6 m to 1 m (H) in size. The water level should be about 40 - 60 cm high. A land area corresponding to the width of the tank, height of the water and a length of about 50 cm is also an integral part, even if only females are kept, as they (may) also lay unfertilised eggs.
Substrate
I'd suggest using some substrate. Map turtles naturally spend a lot of time at the bottom of their habitat searching the substrate for all sorts of things (mainly food sources). I use a blend of 2/3 playsand 1/3 crushed coral #5 in my Map tanks. The crushed coral keeps the pH up and also acts a calcium source. With sand, its something they can dig through, but won't risk impaction like gravel.
Temperature and Lighting
Maps typically prefer hotter basking temperatures to other turtles. UVB light is essential for calcium and phosphate metabolism, i.e. for the activation of vitamin D3, which ensures absorption of calcium from the intestines. The installation height should be chosen so that the temperature at the level of the turtle’s shell is around 30 - 35°C.
Filtration
False map turtles - especially if they are large - eat a lot and produce correspondingly large amounts of faeces. A powerful filter is therefore a must for a clean habitat. The filter capacity should be about three times the amount of water.