WANT some information about pangshura tentoria

Question
Hi jeannie,
I have a pangshura tentoria turtle baby. I recently bought it from one of the vendor. He said its a Malaysian turtle but after research I got to know that its a pangshura tentoria. I have some questions in my mind so I thought of asking you. Can you please tell me what exactly they eat?? because I am feeding him blood worms at present is it ok?? but when I offer him some vegetables he don't eat that... why his not eating it??? how should I change his eating nature?? in vegetables i am giving him chopped carrots. And tell me some precautions to avoid his eyes to get swollen please. And I don't know what his problem he always try to hide in dark places specially he hides his face when I remove him from tank and keep in open place. Why he hide??? please give me answer ASAP I am waiting for your reply. please help me with answer for this questions.

Answer
Hi Shwetam,

I'm afraid I can't help you too much with species-specific information, since these turtles are very uncommon in the US, but I can give you some general information that may help.

Pangshura species are usually found in rivers and slow-moving waters.  They are opportunistic omnivores, which means that they eat what they can find--insects, worms, crustaceans, small fish, water plants, etc.  This is pretty similar to most American aquatic turtles.  What it means is that it's important for you to feed a variety of foods.  Good quality pellets, worms, bloodworms, shrimp, fish, crickets, etc.  For plant material, I would try small amounts of greens first (turnip, mustard, romaine, dandelion, etc.), especially water plants such as anacharis, water lily, water hyacinth, and duckweed (not sure if those are available there).

To avoid health problems, the most important factors are the tank setup and diet.  The tank should be roomy--for a hatchling, 20 gallons is enough, but an adult will need a much bigger tank; ideally 50-75 gallons (a female may need bigger than that).  You need an excellent filter rated for 3 times the size of the tank, so for a 20 gallon tank you'd need a filter rated at least 60 gallons.  Water quality is extremely important--many health issues in turtles are directly related to overcrowding/poor water quality.  You should have a basking area with a temperature of about 88-90 degrees F.  The water should be cooler; about 78 degrees.  You also need a source of UVB, which requires a special reptile bulb.  I really don't know what's available in India.

He's hiding when you take him out of the tank because he's a small turtle and you're a potential predator.  Hatchling turtles hide intinctively because they're very vulnerable.  Don't take him out of the tank or handle him unless necessary.  Turtles are more pets for watching, and not handling.    

Here are some links that may help.  The map turtle care sheet is to give you a general idea of what to do, since the care should be fairly similar.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-northern_map.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/care.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/waterquality.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Articles/filtration.htm
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/housing.htm