Animals
Bunnies
Bunnies II 
Cat-N-Around Cat Club
Cat-N-Around Cat Club 2007 Annual Show
Hawkeye Cat Club 2004
Hawkeye Cat Club 2005
Chinchillas
Degus
Ferrets
Ferrets by BOB
Gerbils
Ground Squirrels
Guinea Pig
Hamsters I
Hamsters II
Hamsters III
Hamsters IV
Hamsters V
Hedgehogs
Kittens
Kids & Kittens
Mice
Mice Pets II
Parasites
Rats I
Rats II
Rats III
Rats, Hairless
S-T Opossums
Siberian Chipmunks
Sugar Gliders
Sugar Gliders II
Water Bottles

Bugs
Crabby 500
Crab 04 Results
Centipedes
Cray/Lobsters
Crayfish II
Crayfish III
Cray, Yucatan
Fiddler Crabs
Shrimp, Algae
Shrimp, Aqua
Shrimp, Orange Bee
Shrimp, Red
Shrimp, Flower
Shrimp, Ghost
Shrimp, Rudolph
Hermit Crabs
Hermit Crabs II
Madagas Roach
Mantids
Mini-Clams
Mini-Crabs
Patriot Crabs
Giant Millipedes
Red Claw Crabs
Reiman Butterfly
Spider, Black Widow
Snail, Apple
Snail, Colombian
Snail, Land
Snail, Malaysian
Snail, Mystery
Snail, Trapdoor 
Scorpions
Tarantulas
Tarantulas II
Tarantula Night 2006
TarantulaWeen VII
TarantulaWeen 9
Walking Stick
Misc. Bugs
Misc Bugs II  

Birds
Breeding Tips
Button Quail
Canaries
Cockatiels
Dove, Diamond
Dove, Ringneck
Finches
Love Birds
Parakeets
Pelleted Foods
Quaker Parrots
Parrot Pictures
Parrot Pix II
Parrot Pix III
Dave's Parrots

Lizards
Alligators
Anoles
Bearded Dragon
Beardies II
Calotes
Chamel, Jackson
Chamel, Panther
Chamel, Veiled
Crested Geckos
Gecko, Golden
Gecko, House
Gecko, Leopard
Gecko, Tokay
Horned "Toads"
Iguana New
Iguana Dragons
Iguana Q&A I
Iguana Q&A II
Iguana Training
Iguana Update
Cool Iguana Pics
Knight Anoles
Monitors, Nile
Monitors, Savana
Monitors, Water
Salmonella
Skinks
Skinks Blue-Tongue
Tegus
Uromastyx maliensis
Water Dragon
Misc Lizards
Misc Lizards 2
Misc Lizards 3
Misc Lizards 4
Misc Lizards 5
Misc Lizards 6
Misc Lizards 7
Misc Lizards 8
Misc Lizards 9
Misc Lizards 10


Snakes
Anacondas
Boa, Rosy
Boa, Red-Tail
Corn Snake
Garter Snake
Green Snake
Kids/Corn Snakes
Kids/Red-Tail Boas

Kids at Pet Expo 1

Kids at Pet Expo 2

Kids at Pet Expo 3

Kids at Pet Expo 4

Kids at Pet Expo 5
King & Milk
Python, Ball
Python, Burmese

Snakes Alive
Snakesgiving
Snakesgiving II
Misc Snake Pix
Misc Snakes II
Misc Snakes III  

Turtles/Tortoises
Box, Asian
Box, USA
Races
Snapping
Spiny

Sulcata
Water
Western Painted

Live Foods
Blackworms
Blood Worms
Br Shrimp I
Br Shrimp II
Crayfish 1
Crayfish 2
Crayfish 3 
Crickets
Dandelions
Daphnia
Earthworms
Feeder Goldfish
Fruit Flies
Ghost Shrimp

Glass Worms

Grindal Worms
Infusoria
Mealworms
Microworms
Rosy Reds

Super Worms

Wax Worms
White Clouds

Decorating
Bubbles
Driftwood
Gravel
Plastic Plants
Rocks
Slow Growing Plants

Miscellaneous
Bob's Acclimation

How to Start
How to Add New Fish
How to Keep Healthy
Which Fish Get Along?
10 Questions to Ask
What is Ich?
Under Gravel Filters

Sponge Filters
Cloudy Water
Cool Water Tanks
Gravel Vacuums
Preventing Disease
Feeding to the Max
Frozen Foods
Green Water
Nasty Chemicals
Overfeeding
Power Filters
Rift Lake Salts
Quarantine Tank
Mini-Tank
2nd Av Bait

Pet World Visit
Dandelions

Aquatic Plants
Amazon Swords
More Swords
Sword Plants III
Anubias
Anacharis
Aponogetons
A. boivinianus
A. fenestralis
A. ulvaceous
Aquarium/Bog
Banana Plant
Bolbitis
Bunch
Bunch Plants II
Cryptocorynes
Crystalwort
Dwarf Lily
Grassy
Grassy II
Hornwort
Hygrophila
Lace
Java Fern I
Java Fern II
Java Fern III
Java Fern IV
Java Moss
Moss Balls
Onion
Vermiculite
Watersprite
Different Watersprite

 
Local Clubs
Cat-N-Around Cat Club 2006

Cat-N-Around Cat Club 2007
Hawkeye State Cat Club 2004
Hawkeye State Cat Club 2005
CIWGA -- Central Iowa Water Garden Association
Iowa Herp Society
MACBS -- Mid America Caged Bird Society
Iowa Aquaria Association
IAA 02.05.05
EIAA -- Eastern Iowa Aquarium Association
MAS 75th Ann. Show
MCA Expo 2006 -- the Fish
MCA Expo 2006 -- the People

Prologue:  We stumble across new critters every month.  We can't resist learning about species we've never seen before.  So, when we saw twist-necked turtles on our availability list, we signed up for one.  With few exceptions, turtles are usually easy to care for.  Ditto on the twist-necked turtles.

LA
Typical turtle trait -- pokes head up for air and to check his surroundings.

Water Dwellers:  Turtles populate most U.S. waters.  Ditto below the border.  Twist-necked turtles originate from most of the countries in the northern parts of South America.  They prefer to loaf in shallow waters.  They look clumsy in water even though water supports most of their body weight and clumsier on land.  A deep breath makes it hard for them to dive, so you can see them expelling air in their quest to dive deeper.

LA
Long and graceful neck on twist-necked turtles.

Little Flatties:  Their Latinized name refers to their flat heads and flat shells.  Not as flat as a U.S. soft shell (aka pancake or leatherback turtle), twist-necked turtles look decidedly flat.  That's part of their appeal.

LA
Must have been hand fed earlier.  Instantly went for the dead goldfish.

The Bulk of Their Appeal:  However, twist-necked turtles appeal to people because they act friendly (at least friendlier than most water turtles).  They will eat from your fingers from day one.  My theory is:  They like to have room service.  They're not much at catching food on their own.

LA
We added a flowerpot to give our twist-neck turtle a place to lean on.

Not Exactly Hyperkinetic:  No ADHD medication needed.  These guys are keyed into the yogi approach -- take it easy until lunch time.

Brumation?  Many turtles in the cooler countries go thru a brumation period before they breed.  Not twist-necks.  They take an occasional month or two siesta but don't have to brumate to breed.  Just keep feeding them, keep yours warm, and they'll usually stay active (or moderately active) all year.

LA
He loved it and spent much of his idle time atop the pot.

Foods in Nature:  Twist-necked turtles settle for slow moving or non-moving foods in the wild -- snails, mollusks, worms, and fruits.  In captivity they try to eat feeder goldfish but are a tad slow off the mark.  They can't even come close to catching live fish.  They will eat dead fish if they stumble across them.

LA
When not chasing food, he loafs atop the pot.

LA
Most turtles retreat into their shells when manhandled (or womanhandled).  Not twit-necked turtles.

LA
Twist-neck turtles seem fearless (or maybe stupid).  They trust humans -- male.

LA
Ditto -- female.

LA
You really have to pester them to find out why they're called twist-necked turtles -- male

LA
Ditto -- female.

Not Always "out there."  If you pokem a few times, you can see why they call them twist-necked turtles.  They bend their necks to the side and refuse to face realty -- much like the long-necked ostrich reputedly buries its head in the sand.

LA
Twist-neck turtle plastrons sport a double keel -- not seen in other turtles.

Double-keeled Carapace:  Most turtles have a single ridged keel atop their carapace.  Twist-necked turtles sport two.

LA
Maybe you can see his double keel better here -- male.

LA
Ditto --female.

LA
Twist-necked turtles also sport a semi-serrated plastron at their rear end.

LA
Male twist-necked turtles have longer tails than females.

LA
Female tail.

Sexing:  You can sex most turtles by looking at their tails and toenails.  Males sport longer ones.  They also have a concave carapace.  Their longer toenails and concave bellies enable them to grasp the females at breeding time.

LA
His first attempt at diving for food.

LA
Twist-necked turtles have difficulty diving in deep water.  They have to learn to expel some of their air.

Clumsy Hunters:  Watching a twist-necked turtle underwater makes you wonder how they thrive in the wild.  They sure eat better in captivity.

LA
In a tank of feeder goldfish, he can't figure out which one to chase.  They're all faster than him.

LA
He never caught a one.

LA
He clambered about and searched assiduously without even getting close to a goldfish.

LA
Twist-necked turtles float like a cork.

Excellent Loafers:  Both sexes spend a great deal of time loafing at the surface.  You saw them earlier sitting atop the flower pot.  They expend minimal energy in captivity.  Maybe they work harder when hungry.  But if you deliver their food to them, they pretty much take it easy.

LA
Male twist-necked turtle perusing his surroubings.

Last Words:  Take a close look at the twist-necked turtles.  They're not cheap, but they are easy to care for and super friendly.  LA

© 2011  LA Productions
aqualandpetsplus.com

Jaguar Spawning II
Jewel Fish
Keo's Flowerhorns
Keo's Flowerhorns II
Kribensis
Odd Couple Spawn
Oscars 1
Oscars 2
Oscars 3
Oscars 4
Oscars 5
More Oscar
More Oscar II
More Oscars III
More Oscars 2007
More Oscars 2007.5
Oscar Spawn
Peacock Bass
Red Devils
More Red Devil
Red Parrots
Red Parrots Spawn
Red Parrot Spawn II
Pikes
Pink Tilapia
Rams
Red Bay Snooks
Red Bay Snook Spawn
Roger Stephen's Cichlids
Severums
More Severums
Severums III
Tanganyikans
Texas Cichlid
Texas Spawning
Texas Spawn II
Uarus
Misc Cichlids I
Misc Cichlids II
Misc Cichlids III
Misc Cichlids IV
Misc Cichlids V
Misc Cichlids VI
Misc Cichlids VII
Misc Cichlids VIII
Misc Cichlids IX

Livebearer  
Guppies
Half-Beak
Mollies
Moons/Platys
Swordtails

Minnows/Tetra 
Barbs
Barbs, Black
Barbs, Gold
Barbs, Rosy
Barbs, Tiger
Barbs, Tinfoil
Danios
Danio Egg Saver
Distochodus
Fathead Minnows
Headstanders
Killies, Econ.
Killies, Golden
Killies, Peat
Killies, Plant
Misc Mini-Fish
Pacús 
Piranha, Black
Piranha, Red
Rainbowfish

Rainbowfish, Dwarf Neon
Rainbowfish, Irian
Silver Dollar
Tetras, Larger
Tetras, Smaller
Tetras, Spawn
Tetra, Vampire
White Clouds

Pond Fish
Carp
Channel Cat
Gold. Comets
Gold. Fantails
More Fantails
Gold. Oriental  
Gold Oriental II 
Gold. Spawn
Kloubec Koi Farm
Koi
Koi II

Koi III
Oranda Spawn
Plecostomus
Shubunkins

Oddballs  
Af. Butterfly
Af. Lungfish
Af. Mudskippr
American Eel
Archer Fish
Arowana
Bichirs
Borneo Suckers
Brackish I
Brackish II
Brackish III
Brackish IV
Brackish V
Michael Troung's Pix
Butterfly/Wasp
Chameleon Fish
Chromides
Chin Alg Eater
Crazy Fish
Crocodile Fish
Datnioides
Dojo
Dwarf Puffers
Electric Cat
Electric Eels
Elephant Nose
Exodon paradoxus
Flounder
Gars  
Glassfish
Goby Bumble
Goby Butterfly
Goby Dragon
Goby Misc.
Half-Beak
Knife African
Knife Clown
Knife Ghost
Loach Botias
Loach Clown
Loach Kuhli
Loach Weather

Longear Sunfish
Moray Eel  
Peacock Gudgeons
Polypterids
Puffers
Ropefish
Scats
Siam Algae Eater 
Spiny Eels 
Snakehead
Stingray
Stonefish
Wasp Fish
Wolffish
Wrest Half-Beak
Misc Mini-Fishes
Misc Odd
Misc Odd II
Misc Odd III
Misc Odd  IV

Misc Odd V
Misc Odd VI

Sharks  
Bala
Black
Bull
Chinese Hi-Fin Banded
Iridescent
Red-Tail
Siam Algae Eater

Pond Info 
Blank Park Zoo
Bob Humphrey's Ponds
Cattails
Maffett Reservoir
DMACC's Pond
D.M. Botanical Center
D.M. Water Works
Dr. Ervanian's Garden
Duckweed
Dwarf Lily
Ewing Park "Pond"
Jan & Chris's Water Garden
John McDonald's Pond
Hall's Four Acres
Klines' Water Garden
Landscaper Effects
Mini-Pond Pics
Pioneer Corn's Pond
Pond Fish Predators
Pond on 38th Street 
Pond Pics
Pond Plants
More Pond Plants
Pond Plants III
Reiman Ponds
River Scenes
Riverview Island
Selin's Water Gardens
Selin's Japanese Garden
Tom's Used Cars Pond
Urbandale Duck Pond
Water Hyacinth
Water Lettuce
Wild Ponds