Pig-nosed turtle (Carettochelys insculpta)

These water turtles are most unique. There are no freshwater turtles that look and act quite like them. They have a sleek, flattened body like a softshelled turtle but have legs that have evolved into flippers very similar to those of sea turtles. The nose looks like that of a pig, from which the aquatic turtles get their popular name.

Turtle habitat
The Pig-nosed Turtle (Carettochelys insculpta), also known as the Australasian Pig-nose Turtle, Pitted-shelled Turtle, Plateless Turtle or Fly River Turtle, is a species of soft-shelled turtle native to freshwater streams, lagoons and rivers of the Northern Territory of Australia and of southern New Guinea. It is the only species in the genus Carettochelys, and the family Carettochelyidae.

The Pig-nosed Turtle is unlike any other species of freshwater turtles in the world. The carapace is typically grey in colour, with a leathery texture, while the plastron is cream-coloured. The nose looks like that of a pig, having the nostrils at the end of a fleshy snout, hence the common name. They look similar to softshelled turtles because of their flattened body, but they have flippers rather than legs with claws. Males can be distinguished from females by their longer tails. These water turtles can grow to about 70 cm shell-length, with a weight of over 20 kg. 

Behaviour
Pig-nosed Turtles are almost entirely aquatic. Little is known about general behaviour as there have been few studies in the wild. Their aggressiveness in captivity seems to suggest that this species is markedly more territorial than most other turtles and tortoises.

Experienced keepers found that occasionally smaller specimens raised together show only moderate aggressive tendencies toward each other. We do suggest however that if keeping multiple Pig-nosed Turtles in an enclosure, you should choose a large well-designed and well-planted enclosure to help alleviate aggressive behaviors seen in a smaller enclosure.

Pet turtle Care - Feeding
The species is omnivorous. In the turtle habitat, the aquatic turtles feed almost exclusively on plants and fruit, with only a small part of their diet made up of snails, insects, and small fish (Ernst and Barbour, 1989). In captivity, offer low protein aquatic turtles foods (plant-based), while foods that are high in protein and fat should be avoided.  Some of their favorite foods are water lettuce, water hyacinth, watercress, duckweed, and Vallisneria, a common aquarium plants.

Occasionally, small turtle pets are reluctant to feed off of the surface of their enclosure. If this is the case, strap a piece of romaine lettuce or other greens to a rock using a rubber band and sink it to the bottom.

Pet turtle Care - Keeping guide

• Tank size.  Because of their size, these water turtles require the most spacious enclosures of any freshwater turtle. The water turtles can also be kept in large tubs or stock tanks to give them even more room for swimming.
• Filtration. These aquatic turtles require clean, warm, heavily filtered water with a large number of aquatic plants for security and proper food. Make sure that you add an efficient filtration system to keep their water ultra-clean. You can use a large pre-filter which is raised off of the sandy bottom with bricks to keep it from clogging with sand that the turtle pets kick up in their search for food.
• pH level. In the turtle habitat of Australia and New Guinea, rivers typically have a high pH (7.2 to 7.8), yet they have seem to be somewhat adaptive to most water conditions. Add crushed coral or limestone to the sand substrate in their enclosure to keep pH up. Also, limestone rocks or slate can be used as the basis for the cage decorations instead of, or in addition to, driftwood.
  Maintain the water at 7.2 to 7.5 pH and keep a 6 - 8” (15 - 20 cm) substrate of ¾ washed river sand and ¼ crushed coral in the bottom. The addition of crushed coral helps maintain the higher pH required by this species.
• Lighting. Though this species doesn't bask, add a shop light fixture with UVB-emitting bulbs and a spotlight above. These will help you view the pet turtle and are advantageous for the aquarium plants in their enclosure.
• Favourite foods. The floating and submerged aquatic plants are nibbled on daily and some are completely devoured, especially the Vallisneria (a delicacy from their native habitat) and duckweed. Clean the clogged filters and replace the plants weekly, as the turtle pets seem to enjoy them so much.
• Handling.  As with all aquatic turtles, we suggest that keepers keep handling to a minimum. They can be handled when their enclosures are cleaned or when they are moved from indoor enclosures to outdoor enclosures, but they are definitely not hands-on pets. We do suggest, however, that a keeper pull their turtle pets out of their enclosures once a month to check for any signs of health-related problems.

Availability
Because of its protection in Australia, the pet turtles have rarely been available in the United States. Recently, reptile farms in Indonesia have been experimenting with farm-raising Pig-nosed turtles. With legal specimens and legitimate paperwork, the future for this species may be exciting indeed.

Check out my complete guide on Pet turtle care supplies.