Variations
1 kinds · tap one for a closer look
Chicken turtle
Shy and active; needs land and a lid.
This one is best kept on its own, or with its own kind.
- Chicken turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
- Chicken turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
- Chicken turtle should be kept without other species, and it needs a land area too.
Care and water
Behavior
Shy and active; needs land and a lid.
Check your local laws. US: live turtles under 4 in (10 cm) carapace length and viable eggs may not be sold or distributed commercially (FDA, 21 CFR 1240.62; exceptions for science/education/exhibition, non-business transfers and export). State: endangered in Missouri, where hunting or killing it is illegal. Check the rules where you live before you buy one, and never release it into the wild.
Good to know: Needs land for basking and wandering.
- wood
Food
Pellets, worms and insects.
Tap a food to see what it is.
Male or female
Females are larger; males have long thick tails with the vent beyond the shell rim.
Health
Common problems. Tap one to see the signs. This is a guide, not a diagnosis.
Breeding
Egg-layer (buried clutch) · Moderate
Egg layer with an unusual 'winter' nesting pattern: in South Carolina females nest from mid-February to May and again from August to November (in Florida continuously from mid-September to March), usually two clutches a year. Females may hold shelled eggs from autumn to spring.
Pair.
Large tank with land.
Winter cooling.
2-19 eggs per clutch, usually two clutches a year (fewer eggs in the second); incubation about 78-89 days in Florida.
Hatchlings are fully independent: house them in shallow warm water with a basking spot and feed small pellets, worms and daphnia daily.
- Undersized tank and weak filtration
- No UV or basking heat (soft shells, poor growth)
- Releasing unwanted turtles into the wild
Where it lives in the wild
The story of the chicken turtle
A long-necked turtle of southeastern US wetlands that spends nearly as much time on land as in water, travelling overland between wetlands and overwintering on land. Its head and neck are nearly as long as its shell, letting it strike quickly at prey; the name reportedly comes from its chicken-like taste.
Pierre Latreille described the chicken turtle in 1801. It has a very long neck. It was once eaten, and its meat was said to taste like chicken.
First described by Pierre A. Latreille in 1801.
- It has a very long neck.
- Its common name refers to its meat once being eaten.
- It is the only living species in its genus, Deirochelys.
Sources
10 facts checked with sources
- Scientific name
Reptile (semi-aquatic turtle), not a fish. Valid name; the only species in its genus. Three subspecies: eastern (D. r. reticularia), Florida (D. r. chrysea) and western (D. r. miaria).
The Reptile Database: Deirochelys reticularia · Missouri Department of Conservation: Western Chicken Turtle (government) - Familycorrected
New value (legacy had none).
Missouri Department of Conservation: Western Chicken Turtle (government) - Size
Carapace length. 25 cm is the maximum; most adults are 10-15 cm (MDC 4-6 in). Females are larger than males.
Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis/ETI): Deirochelys reticularia · Missouri Department of Conservation: Western Chicken Turtle (government) - Lifespancorrected
Legacy 20-30 years; MDC says few survive past 15 (wild data). No captive longevity record found. Males mature in 2-3 years (ToW).
Missouri Department of Conservation: Western Chicken Turtle (government) - Where it livescorrected
New value. Still or slow shallow water: ponds, ditches, cypress swamps, temporary wetlands (ToW, MDC).
Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis/ETI): Deirochelys reticularia · The Reptile Database: Deirochelys reticularia - Male or femaleTurtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis/ETI): Deirochelys reticularia
- Breedingcorrected
Legacy breeding text only gave an egg count; the legacy trigger 'Winter cooling' fits loosely with the autumn-to-spring nesting season.
Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis/ETI): Deirochelys reticularia · Missouri Department of Conservation: Western Chicken Turtle (government) - Eggs and youngcorrected
Legacy 5-15 eggs; ToW gives 2-19 (western subspecies 5-12, MDC).
Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis/ETI): Deirochelys reticularia · Missouri Department of Conservation: Western Chicken Turtle (government) - Story
Legacy 'A long-necked pond turtle from the southeastern USA that wanders on land.' is supported.
Missouri Department of Conservation: Western Chicken Turtle (government) · Turtles of the World (Ernst, Altenburg & Barbour; Naturalis/ETI): Deirochelys reticularia - traits.legalcorrected
US: FDA rule 21 CFR 1240.62 bans selling, holding for sale or distributing live turtles under 4 in (10 cm) carapace length and viable eggs; exceptions include bona fide scientific/educational/exhibition use (not as pets), non-business transfers and export-only shipments. Other states' rules and CITES status were not checked. The legacy Salmonella hygiene advice is sensible but was not separately sourced here (the rule itself is the FDA's Salmonella measure).
eCFR: 21 CFR 1240.62 Turtles intrastate and interstate requirements (US FDA) · Missouri Department of Conservation: Western Chicken Turtle (government)