The Reeves turtle is a semi-aquatic turtle native to southern Asia. They are an endangered species, and there isn’t much research on them. Still, they make excellent pets and are one of the most popular turtles in the pet trade.
Reeves turtles are a good option for beginners and anyone wanting a turtle with a big personality. They quickly learn who their caretakers are and readily interact with them. They are also active and fun to watch.
What Are Reeves Turtles?
Reeves turtles are like spotted, bog, and wood turtles. They are small to large semi-aquatic turtles. Most only grow to about 4-5 in (10.2-12.7 cm) in length, but Reeves turtles that live in Japan seem to grow much larger, up to 14 in (35.6 cm) in length. Reeves turtles have long tails and webbed feet.
What makes these turtles stand out is the three keels along the length of their shells. The color of their upper shell (carapace) is usually dull in contrast, a uniform brown or gray. The lower shell (plastron) is yellow with dark blotches. Their skin is dark with jagged yellow lines.
- Common Names: Reeves Turtle, Chinese Pond Turtle, Chinese Three-Keeled Pond Turtle
- Scientific Name: Mauremys reevesii
- Origin: Southern Asia
- Reeves Turtle Size (Length): Up to 14 in (35.6 cm)
- Enclosure Size: 40-50+ gallons
- Temperament: Shy & peaceful
- Ease of Care: Easy
- Life Expectancy of a Turtle: 10-20 years
Habitat
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Reeves turtles are “native to most of temperate and subtropical China, North Korea and South Korea; populations also occur in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Japan (van Dijk, 2013)”.
Reeves turtles inhabit ponds, streams, and rivers with shallow, slow-moving water. They sometimes live in wetland habitats near rice paddies as well. These turtles prefer soft substrates that they drag themselves across, and they enjoy lots of vegetation where they can hide themselves.
Behavior & Temperament
Juveniles seem to be more active than adults. They spend much of their time in the water, although they tend to be poor swimmers. As adults, Reeves turtles prefer a more terrestrial environment and seek the cover of vegetation.
Diet
Juveniles are more carnivorous than adults. They are scavengers who feed on almost anything they can get a hold of. Adults are more apt to eat vegetation than meat. Both juveniles and adults enjoy fish, insects, small amphibians, and worms.
Reproduction
A Reeves turtle’s lifespan is about 10 to 20 years.
These turtles reach sexual maturity at 4-5 in (10.2-12.7 cm) in length.
Males court females by rubbing snouts with them. They often do this for a long time, swimming circles around the female until she shows interest.
Females dig nests under vegetation and lay 4-6 eggs. The eggs incubate for about 90 days.
Reeves Turtle Care
Despite the lack of information on the species, Reeves turtles make popular pets.
Enclosure
Because they grow fairly large, you’ll need an enclosure that is at least 40 to 50 gallons. You’ll need an extra 10 gallons for each additional turtle you choose to house.
Reeves turtles are semi-aquatic, but they are poor swimmers, so they need plenty of terrestrial space in their enclosure. Watery space should be at least 1.5 times as long as the turtles’ shell length, but no more than three times the length. For instance, an adult turtle will need about 20 gallons of water for swimming.
Provide them with terrestrial space so they can leave the water when they want. You can create a terrestrial space with a variety of logs, rocks, or basking platforms.
Substrate
Having a substrate in the water portion of your tank isn’t necessary. You can mimic their natural environment by using a sandy substrate in the water portion, but many caretakers think this is more work than it’s worth.
Decorations
Reeves turtles are shy and love to hide among vegetation, so be sure to give them lots of plants. Live plants are a great option because they provide your turtle with constant access to healthy food. To avoid your turtles eating all their vegetation, you can use artificial plants as well.
Your turtles will also appreciate rocks, caves, and driftwood as hiding spots.
These turtles are good at holding their breath, and they’ll appreciate having a place to hide underwater. You can set up rocks to create a kind of underwater cave for your turtle.
Lighting & Temperature
A basking spot is essential for your Reeves turtle because they constantly bask in the wild. Situate the basking spot in the tank’s corner and keep the temperature between 85-95ºF (29.5-35ºC).
To create the basking spot, use a combination of heat lamps and UVB bulbs. A UVB bulb is essential in the production of vitamin D. It maintains the health of your turtle’s shell and bones. Ensure the bulbs sit about 12 in (30.5 cm) from the basking spot so they don’t burn your turtle.
The ambient temperature of the tank should sit between 75-85ºF (24-29.5ºC).
You’ll need to keep the water temperature between 70-80ºF (21-26.5ºC), so you’ll likely need to buy a submersible water heater.
Humidity
You’ll need to keep your turtle’s humidity between 70-90%. The water in the tank usually maintains the proper humidity, but you can mist the tank daily if needed.
How To Feed Your Turtle
As omnivores, Reeves turtles need a good balance of protein and vegetation. A healthy commercial pellet turtle food makes a good staple diet. Pellet food should have 30-40% protein content with vitamin D and calcium.
For adults, you can offer other protein sources 3-4 times a week, including crickets, dubia roaches, earthworms, mealworms, aquatic snails, black soldier fly larvae, or bloodworms. Juveniles should get protein every day.
You should also offer your turtles an assortment of vegetables or aquatic vegetation every day. Some good options include dandelions, collard greens, romaine lettuce, or red-leaf lettuce.
You’ll want to supplement your turtle with calcium every day to maintain the health of their shell and bones. Simply dust calcium over their food and/or gut load any insects before feeding them.
Personality & Tank Mates
Reeves turtles are shy and spend much of their time hiding. Despite this, they are curious animals who like to see what their caretakers are doing. The longer you have them, the more they begin to trust you, and the more likely they are to come up to you seeking food.
The California Turtle & Tortoise Club describes their curious and awkward nature:
“The youngsters in the pond will swim up the incline and stand up on their hind legs and crane their necks to see what you are doing, all the time swinging their front legs to balance. Many a time I have seen them tip too far and flop over on their backs. They are very personable turtles, and tend to make responsive pets.”
Reeves turtle caretakers say that the species is social and that they enjoy basking together in groups. They seem to be much less territorial than other turtle species, and caretakers have successfully kept multiple males and females together without fighting.
Conclusion
Despite being endangered, Reeves turtles are readily available in the pet trade. They are easy to care for and have big personalities, so they are one of the best turtles for beginners.
Reeves turtles are similar to wood, bog, and spotted turtles, but these species are illegal to own in many states. So, the Reeves turtle makes an excellent substitute.
FAQs
Turtles are not domestic animals, so they won’t be affectionate as dogs and cats are. Still, that doesn’t mean they don’t enjoy interacting with their caretakers.
Turtles don’t like being handled and experience stress if you pick them up. But, as you get to know them, they will often come out of hiding to interact with you. Many turtles have big personalities, and they learn the faces and habits of their favorite caretakers.
Yes, Reeves turtles are good for beginners. Aquatic turtles are harder to care for than terrestrial turtles, but as far as aquatic turtles go, Reeves turtles are one of the easiest.
Reeves turtles are a gentle and interactive species that can happily live with several individuals. They have specific requirements, such as what temperature they like, but they’re easy to maintain.
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) assessed Reeves turtles in 2011. They’ve listed the species as “endangered” with an unknown population trend.
Their biggest threat is collection. In the southern Asian cultures where they live, Reeves turtles are important to medicinal practices. People also use them for food and for sale in aquaculture supply.
Other threats include habitat destruction due to housing and urban development.
