- 10-15 gallons of tank size for each inch of turtle, + 15 - 20% of space for basking area
(insufficient space of habitat may lead to: bone desease + fattening (lack of exercise), growth problem(pyramid shell), health prob (inadequte water to dilute the ammonia and nitrate in ur TTT droppings)....

- Enough water for them to swim (usually 4-6 inches)

- A basking area-something where they can climb onto completely out of the water

- A basking lamp- a full spectrum fluorescent bulb that provides both UVA and UVB rays (can be replace with 30 - 60 minutes of nutural sun light everyday)

- A submersible heater- water temperature should be between 21.1°C-26.6°C (70°F-80°F) and a small thermometer to keep track of the temperature

- A good filte-filter is very important

- Clean water (water conditioner to remove chlorene, or leave pipe water AT LEAST 2 hours, longer better...)

- Tank should be cleaned frequently (every 1-2 weeks)-depending on how good your filter works

- Regular monitoring and maintenance of animals and setup


--- Extracted and summarised from Happy Turtle Online Information Site (check my sig for link) ---

i. Why is lighting important to my TTT?
- raise their body temperature
- dries them off which will prevent fungus
- promotes natural shell growth
- tells the animal what time of the year it is

ii. How the lights help?
- heat for basking & UVB radiation for calcium metabolization

iii. Basking area temperature:
- 26.6 C - 32.2 C (80 F-90 F) for 12 - 14 hour... sweat.gif(a bang to ur electrical bill) sweat.gif
- lower down temp if bordering at 32 C


Spectrum light:
- act as an artificial illumination that will sustain TTT day/night cycle
- help them to process the nutrients of the food you provide


UVA / UVB:
- A group of vitamins, especially D3 are absorbed into the turtle's body through direct exposure to UVA or UVB lights. This absorption encourages proper bone formation and shell health.

- UVA able to penetrates skin
- UVB Able to penetrates skin + shell
- Supply Vitamin D for calcium metabolization (help ur turts to absorb calcium)

How it UV helps?
- react with sterols in the skin to produce pre-vitamin D3
- heat + pre-vitamin D3 => vitamin D3
- plants do not contain D3, cholecalciferol, instead they contain D2, ergocalciferol, which is far less efficient in calcium metabolism than D3.


UV Lamps VS Sunlight:

Sunlight:
- (Tropical open area, ground level) - ~1,000,000 Lux
- (Rainforest canopy, ground lavel) - ~ 7, 000 Lux

UV Lamp:
- (40 W, 1 meter distance) - < 50 Lux


Insufficient lighting for my TTT, what is the consequences?
- lack of D3 => rapidly develop the condition known as MBD or Metabolic Bone Disease (Symptoms: swellings, lethargy, general weakness and tremors)
- Shell soften or pliable



Conclusion:
- try ur best to get 30 - 60 minutes of natural sunlight for ur TTT everyday, else turn on ur UV lamp for at least 10 hours a day.
- adequate levels of calcium and adequate (but not excessive) quantities of D3 in ur TTT dietary


--- Extracted and summarised from Happy Turtle Online Information Site (check my sig for link) ---

The following list of vege contains either high amount of goitrogens or oxalates which is NOT suitable to feed ur TTT and iguana too, however some can be fed occasionally due to its vitamins and calcium:

Beets & beet greens
Bok choy
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Cauliflower
Grapes
Kale (high calc. but also high goitrogens and oxalates, occasionally...)
Peaches
Pears
Spinach (high calc. but also high goitrogens and oxalates, occasionally...)
Strawberries (can be use as treats, but occasionally)
Swiss chard

forget about feeding ur TTT lettuce (very poor in overall nutrient) and corn (imbalance calcium : phosphorus ratio)

The following list are the staple greens, good source of vitamin, nutrient and balance calcium : phosphorus ratio or high fiber, which best feed ur TTT often:

Butternut squash
Cactus leaves
Chicory greens (Escarole)
Collard greens
Dandelion greens
Endive
Mustard greens (Sawi)
Papaya
Turnip greens
Watercress

Here are a table of some of the vege with its nutrient figure, watch out for the goitrogens and oxalates list:

Day 1 - Let them starve
Day 2 - Kangkung/Sawi
Day 3 - Pellets in little quantity
Day 4 - Let them starve
Day 5 - Kangkung/Sawi
Day 6 - Pellets in little quantity
Day 7 - Starting from here feed them with kangkung only. Pellets once a week would do.

Juvenile = 1-2 years (1-3 inches SCL)
Sub adult = 4-6 years (4-8 inches SCL) (Can already mate depending on the species)
Adult = 6 and above (4-12 inches SCL)

This is what you can do if there's fungus infection on the carapace and if there's some rotting going on on the carapace.

Firstly u need to dry dock them for at least half the day. Then u can use Dettol/Iodine (Bethadine) to clean the infected area. Let the Dettol/Iodine(Bethadine) dry and then put some diluted Hydrogen Peroxide inside a basin and put the turtle inside it for 30 minutes. Then take it out and rinse it with a clean water. Continue to drydock the turtle for 1/2 day. Continue doing this everyday fot the week and see how it goes. The infected place should heal slowly depending on the severeness of the problem. Sea Cucumber Oil (Minyak Gamat) can also be used at the infected place. Let them dry and continue dry docking them. Don't put them inside the water back since the oil would mixed with the water and can endanger the turtles itself.

1.0.0 - Geochelone Elegans

0.0.6 - Geochelone Elegans
0.0.1 - Geochelone Sulcata

1.0.0 - Geochelone Elegans

0.0.1 - Trachemys Sripta Elegans

0.0.2 - Geochelone Elegans

1.0.0 - Cuora Amboinensis