Water turtles carry many different diseases. Be careful when handling them and be sure to wash your hands thoroughly afterwards. When you think of water turtles, you may think more of Sea Turtles than any other kind. However, Sea Turtles cover only seven species of salt water turtles.There are many more species of water turtles, most of which prefer fresh water. You can always tell whether or not a turtle is a water turtle by looking at its feet. A water turtle will have webbed feet to help it swim. There are a few other characteristics that will help you tell at water turtle from a land turtle. Water turtles are all natural swimmers. They have shorter legs and flatter shells to help them move better in the water. They may go on land to hunt or forage for food, but you will find them in the vicinity of bodies of water.
With fresh water, each species will have a general preference of slow or fast moving water. The bodies of water can come in the form of the oceans, marshes, bogs, lakes, creeks, rivers, ponds or streams, among others. Even in the winter, water turtles will not leave the water. Instead, they bury down in whatever substance coats the bottom. This is usually something like mud or sand. They hibernate and then come out again when the weather warms up. Even baby water turtles are automatically drawn to the water when they dig out of their nests.
Some types of water turtles are the painted turtles, Red-Eared Sliders, African Side-Necked Turtles, Yellow Bellied Sliders, Map Turtles, Musk Turtles, Spotted Turtles, River Cooters, Florida Cooters, Chicken Turtles and Black Wood Turtles. Some of the more unique species of water turtles include Soft Shelled Turtles such as the Florida Soft Shell and the Spiny Soft Shell, the Common Snapping Turtle, the Argentine Snake-neck Turtle, the Pig Nose Turtle and the Matamata Turtle.
As previously mentioned, water turtles can carry a lot of diseases. Some of these diseases also affect the turtles. Examples of diseases that often affect water turtles are shell rot, respiratory infections, swollen ears, septicemia, mouth rot, Salmonellosis, blood parasites and swollen eyes. Again, if you handle a water turtle, be sure to wash up good so that you don’t pass the diseases along to others or make yourself sick. Water turtles are a pretty cool group with a wide variety that is appealing to all ages.