NEWS107
40
Theundersideof juveniles isstrikinglycolored.
Thedorsal pattern isunremarkable.
in order to breed them for theirmeat, as
was then the practice in Japan. Juveniles
wereplaced in a pond at theWielenbach
experimental pondculture station,butes-
capedand spreadout into thecarpponds
of the area. According to Klingelhöffer
(1959) they survived there until at least
1923,as confirmedby finds.But,presuma-
bly because softshell turtles hadnever fi-
guredon thenormalGermanmenu,expe-
riments of this sort were abandoned.No-
wadayswe realize that attempts to intro-
duce alien animal species to areaswhere
theydonotbelongcanhave frightful con-
sequences for the indigenous flora and
fauna.Hence it is strictly prohibited - and
very rightly so - to simply release any ani-
mal that you cannot or no longerwish to
keepathome.The introducedpopulations
of the Chinese Softshell Turtle in North
America, South-East Asia, and Europe are
regardedwithmuch concern; but it is vir-
tually impossible to eradicate such an ad-
aptablecreature froman intacthabitat.
ChineseSoftshellTurtles intheaquarium
JuvenileChineseSoftshell Turtles arevery
charming. It is also very interesting toob-
serve theirbehavior.The tipof thesnout in
softshell turtles has developed into a
trunk-likeorgan,and juveniles inparticular
like touse it as a snorkel. If they aregiven
theopportunity - the finest possible sand
- then juveniles of this turtle will bury
themselves, and if the water level is low
enough - atmost 5 cm - then theyoungs-
terswon'tneed to leave the safetyof their
bed in thesand to take inair,buthaveonly
to extend their long necks for the "nose
snorkel" to contact thewater's surface so
they can fill upwith freshair.Asobviously
Man isn't the only predator that regards
softshell turtlesasadelicacy…
Chinese Softshell Turtles are snappy and
intolerant among themselves, so inmany
cases keeping them singly is thebest op-
tion.Theaquarium for thisdoesn'tneed to
beparticularlybigandanoff-the-shelf60-
cm tank, set up as for themaintenanceof
fishes,will suffice forasinglespecimen.But
you need to make sure that plant or
thread-algaegrowth isn't toovigorous lest
youngsters get trapped in it and drown.
Completely adult specimens canbe kept
either inanescape-proof (!)outdoor terra-
riumora largeaquariumofmaybe120cm
in length.
Although softshell turtles sometimes sun
themselves in thewild,a landarea issuper-
fluous for maintenance. A piece of cork
bark, simply placedon the surface of the
water,will beperfectlyadequate.Softshell
turtleswill normally use this opportunity
to leave the water when they have skin
problems. The substrate in the aquarium
shouldconsistof an layerof fine sand,suf-
ficientlydeep for the turtles toburrow.This
is thebestway toavoid skindiseasesof all
types.The filtration in theaquariumshould
be air-powered, as if amotorized filter is
used the stirred-up sand will sooner or
later inevitably cause damage to the im-
peller shaft. It isn't necessary to heat the
water, but the aquarium shouldbe fitted
withaproprietaryhood inwhich theaqua-
rium lighting canbe housed.The lighting
will warm the air space above thewater's
surface, and this will suit the turtles very
well.TheUV irradiationadvisable formany
other turtle species isn't necessary for the
maintenanceof softshell turtles.
Tankmates
As has already been mentioned several
times, these turtles are often very snappy
among themselves.Theywill alsobite the
humanhandwithouthesitation if they feel
threatened.In thecaseof small youngsters
this isn't seriousand isnomore thananip
(turtles don't have any teeth but sharp
hornyprocesses that act like scissors),but
withsomewhat largerspecimens the result
is bleeding wounds. The sharp claws -
softshell turtles have three on each foot -
canalsobeusedeffectivelyasweapons.Of
course there is individual variationwhen it
comes to compatibility. But anyone who
decideson themaintenanceofseveral spe-
cimens must keep a very close eye on
themand intervene ingood time ifneces-
sary.
SingleChineseSoftshellTurtlescanbekept
very readilywithother turtle species pro-
vided sufficient space is available. Fishes
are always in danger of their lives when
kept with Chinese Softshell Turtles. Fish
breeders often like to keep one of these
turtles inorder tobeable todisposeof sur-
plus fishes inabiologicallysensibleandet-
hicalmanner.Amphibiansshouldneverbe
