Coming from a family of sliders, the Yellow Belly Turtle carries a reputation for being the most sought-after pet across the globe. These are aquatic turtles and are found mainly in North America.
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Coming from a family of sliders, the Yellow Belly Turtle carries a reputation for being the most sought-after pet across the globe. These are aquatic turtles and are found mainly in North America.
The turtles love staying under the water for an extended period of time, but if you leave them outside in the sun for way too long without water, they will overheat and perish. But how long can they stay submerged underwater?
The Yellow Belly Sliders/Turtles stay 85% of the time under the water, which clearly means that these turtles can easily survive 6 hours to 8 hours without water.
But before you get one of these turtles for yourself, you need to know several other things about them, which you will learn through this post. So, let’s get started.
How Long Can A Yellow Belly Turtle Stay Out Of Water?
The Yellow Belly Turtles are semi-aquatic and will remain outside of water for 8 hours. But when the environment has less air moisture, they can only remain inside for a short time. That’sThat’s because these turtles need to rehydrate themselves frequently.
It will also depend heavily on the weather and how long they can remain out of water. When the temperature isn’t that cold or hot, the turtles will remain on the land for several days.
The temperature and humidity levels can determine how long these turtles can stay outside of water. The higher the humidity, the longer they stay out of water.
Yellow Belly Turtles keep their bodies well-hydrated as it will prevent their skin from drying and their scales don’t flake off.
Also, these turtles need to stay underwater to swallow food. That’sThat’s why they can only stay out of water for a short time. They spent the majority of their time underwater.
Yellow Belly Turtles: How Long Do They Stay Underwater?
To breathe regularly, the Yellow Belly Turtles will utilize the nares above their mouth. The snares help them to stay underwater for 30 minutes to 45 minutes.
But when they hibernate, they perform cloacal respiration, enabling them to stay underwater for 6 to 8 months.
Yes, it’s the truth. These turtles and other semi-aquatic turtles can live underwater for a long time. Their peculiar breathing method has helped these turtles to survive many mass extinctions.
The breathing process is known as cloacal respiration. Cloaca carries a high blood vessel density, facilitating anaerobic respiration under the water.
Besides that, anaerobic respiration clearly means breathing without the presence of air. Blood vessels within the cloaca absorb small amounts of oxygen from the water.
This type of respiration occurs when the turtles are aestivating or hibernating. There will be less metabolism and will also be at rest. The oxygen intake will remain limited during this period, but it can keep them alive.
What Do Yellow Belly Turtles Eat?
These turtles fall under the Cheloniidae and can live for up to 80 years. Compared to other turtles that spend the majority of their lives underwater, these yellow-belly ones spend most of their time on time.
They like consuming greens, which means their diet contains green plants. They also wish to rest on land instead of water. While resting on land, they also get to eat a diverse range of plants.
You will find these Yellow Belly Turtles consuming green algae, a crucial part of their diet. They also consume other animals, flowers, and even leaves.
These turtles can also eat aquatic plants, small fish, and even insects. The Yellow Belly Turtles also carry the title of “CARNIVORES,” but they don’t have teeth but utilize musculature to grind the food and transform it into a slurry.
These turtles also have a well-developed sense of smell, which enables them to find quickly. The sense of smell also aids them in avoiding risks, such as humans or predators.
Yellow Belly Turtle also comes with an exterior shell covering Keratinized Scutes. These protect from the predators of various other animals and help attack their prey.
What Happens When They Don’t Get Water?
When these turtles don’t get much water, they will surely die. They cannot live without water for too long because their organs start to shut down. They succumb after that.
Some of the things that can occur when the red Yellow Turtle stays outside for way too long:
- They might lose their eyesight
- Cannot digest their food
- Will suffer due to lack of hydration
- The skin will become dry
These turtles cannot regulate their body temperature and will dehydrate and perish. They cannot digest their food without water.
So, when you’re planning to feed the turtle, it will become an impossible process. Due to the lack of hydration, their eyesight will also become harmful. This clearly shows that turtles cannot figure out where the basking area is situated in the tank.
They also need a supply of clean water all the time to survive. When you don’t have much room for an aquarium to offer a water source, you must opt for different closures.
But make sure to go for an enclosure that is designed for all the turtles. Doing so will enable you to provide all the things within one habitat.
Staying In Water For Too Long: Keeping the Turtle Safe?
When you wish to keep the Yellow Belly Turtle out of water for a longer time, it will make them dehydrated. Dehydration can lead to many health issues in turtles, including death.
If it looks like your pet turtle is staying out of water for way too long, you can take up these precautions:
- Keep fresh water all the time. Turtles who like stagnant and cool water do not drink from standing water. You have to keep making fresh water available for them. Otherwise, you can use a container or a dish so the turtle can drink through it.
- Place layers of rocks beneath the tank, so the turtle doesn’t get into the water. This can surely keep them safe from all predators.
- Don’tDon’t try to leave the Yellow Belly Turtle under heat sources or direct sunlight. Such conditions can kill the turtle easily.
- Check the turtle’s weight regularly to know whether or not they’re staying hydrated. If they’re losing weight, increase the amount of freshwater.
Enrichment For The Yellow Belly Turtles
When planning to get a Yellow Belly Turtle for yourself, you need to keep in mind several things. These playing turtles spend most of their time basking, diving, and swimming.
Even though they reside underwater, they also need to live on land, so you must make a diverse range of environments effectively.
They mainly bask near the logs and banks so that they can easily get inside the water when they want to. Doing so will help them regulate their body temperature.
When deciding on food, the Yellow Belly Turtle should consume food items based on the habitat they want. The turtles eat pond plants like Cabomba, Anacharis, and various other aquatic plants that can float on the water’s surface.
Apart from these plants, you can provide your pet turtle with green and leafy vegetables. For a high level of protein source, provide your Yellow Belly Turtle with pelleted food.
You can also provide the turtles with freshly killed insects, earthworms, and also minnows. To take good care of the turtle, you need to keep them away from other pets and keep them separated from other turtles.
Bring Home a Yellow Belly Turtle
Yellow-bellied turtles or sliders can live underwater for a long time. They also live on land where they can eat all kinds of soft food products. Make sure to take good care of the turtle so that it doesn’t experience any issues or problems.
Hope you have gained the information you need about these turtles. Go through all the sections of this content to have a good understanding. It will be highly beneficial when you’re planning to keep one.
