WTB or Adopt: Diamond Back Turtle

[REEF MANIA]

Looking for a complete setup or just a Diamond Back Turtle and I will buy the setup myself.

 

[e.muehlbauer]

Diamondbacks are now illegal in NY State, like box turtles and wood turtles. Besides, they are very difficult to keep long term, compared to freshwater turtles. Their diet is difficult to replicate...they feed on a variety of crustaceans, mollusks, etc. An adult may not feed at all in captivity. My wife kept several while doing her PhD thesis (on circadian rhythms in diamondbacks), and, while they did well, they developed grotesquely overgrown jaws from the lack of variety in their diet...she was actually able to switch them over to dry cat food, and that helped reduce their jaw growth...but overall they are not an easy turtle to keep. Hatchlings, while difficult, can adapt to a captive diet...but I never had one that lived for more than a few years. But as I said, they are now a protected species in NY state. I would just admire them in the wild, and settle for an easier turtle to keep.