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Common Name: Cagle’s Map Turtle
Size: Males can reach 3-4 inches in size. Females are typically in the 6-7 inch range.
pH: Fairly tolerant of pH ranges, but prefer clean water.
Minimum Recommended Tank Size: A female would need a 55 gallon tank or larger. A male could live in a 30 gallon with no problem. You would want to add an additional 20-35 gallons per female and 15-25 gallons per male. In the wild, these turtles utilize fallen trees for basking spots. I successfully keep a pair of yearlings in a 55 gallon w/ a basking spot and water filled 80% of the way to the top. I also have hatchlings that that live in a 10 gallon aquarium with a basking area and filled 70% of the way with water. I haven’t noticed much aggression between them, but the female yearling will sometimes bite the male if he bothers her too much. A simple enclosure would be basking spot w/ ¾ of the tank filled with water.
Native Location: Texas
Temperature: A basking spot of 90F should be provided. The ambient air temperature should be around 80F. The water temperature for this species should be about 70-80F.
Diet: These are typically very carnivorous. A diet of worms, fish, commercial pellets, and various other “meaty” foods can be offered. Females have enlarged heads for freshwater clams and snails.
Breeding: Unknown.
Gender Differences: The males have a really big tail and are quite small compared to females. Females have a tail that is rather small compared to that of a male.
Aggression: Not very aggressive. They are excellent baskers and will sometimes push each other off to get a good spot to bask. I’ve seen numerous occasions where my hatchlings will push each other off, even though the basking spot is large enough for all of them. Normally they don’t bite at each other, but there are several occasions where they can (ie breeding).
Notes: A UVB bulb should be provided for these turtles. They do bask and will need the UVB in their diet to synthesize D3. Threatened species in Texas, therefore protected in that state.
