Indian Black Turtle (Melanochelys trijuga) Care

Name: Indian Black Turtle (Melanochelys trijuga)
Size: 35 to 45 cm (13 inch to 17 inch and above in captivity) 

 
Enclosure for pet Indian Black Turtle:
As Indian Black Turtle most of the time like to float on water surface, so your water tank or water tub size should be minimum one and half feet in height, four to six feet in length and around one feet in width for two turtles. In that tank water should be half feet deep from bottom for baby Indian black turtle or under one year Indian black turtle. For adults the water should be more than half feet from bottom. This tank size is ideal for one male and one female Indian black turtle, so as per your turtle count you can adjust the size of tank. After that you need to add most important part is basking platform. It can be floating basking platform or fixed basking platform. Floating platform is better for baby turtles and fixed platform is better for adult turtles. Most important part you need to add is a UVB light on basking platform. You need to add good water filtration system. You can use any kind of internal or external water filter. You need to change water once in 10 to 12 days.

Diet: 
Indian black turtles can eat various things such as vegetables, meat, fish or insects. 

Days
Mon-Wed	Vegetables like seedless cut tomatoes, carrots, lettuce
Thu-Sat	Dry fish (which is available all over India in all seasons any fish market for cheap rate)
Sun	Meat or chicken

This diet contains all nutritions which are required for turtle. It has perfect balance for turtle's health and helps to grow properly. And also you can offer turtle food palates as treat. You can also offer them different kinds of insects, snails or earth worms. Make sure to offer them original organic food which helps them to digest properly.

Behavior: 
 Indian black turtle is very calm and shy kind of turtle. Most of the time they like to hide and bask when nobody is around. Male turtle gets little aggressive in breeding season. Otherwise they live happily in captivity if they are given good care and proper environment.

Breeding:   
Breeding season for Indian Black Turtle is August to October. Basically in wet season. For breeding male age should be 4 to 5 years and female its 6 to 7 years is required to breed them in healthy and proper conditions. After mating, after 20 days female starts laying the eggs in different clutches. Normally female lays two to six clutches as per her age. After laying eggs baby turtles can hatch after 60 to 65 days.

Even though Indian Black Turtles can live happily in captivity, they are illegal to keep as pet in some of the countries. As this turtle species or sub species of this turtle are near threatened to extinct, so lots of countries don't have any laws to keep this wild caught turtle species as a pet. So we are humbly requesting you to don't keep wild caught turtles as pet.