This is...

Maggie3fan

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Pelomedusa subrufa....@markw84...mine does not match this photo...Pelomedusa subrufa 1665847496550.png
mine...DSCN0505.JPG

this animal is pristine, I doubt his feet have ever been on the ground. Most everything I'm reading says a 75 gallon tank half full of water??? I have him in a 150 gallon tank with about 7 inches of water 80 degree water temp, I've had him for about a week and he hasn't paid any attention to live food or pellets...yet he must have eaten something as he's heavyDSCN0506.JPGDSCN0512.JPG
 

Markw84

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Maggie,

That is an African Helmeted turtle, Pelomedusa subrufa.

Here's a few other pictures of examples that are a more common look of an adult:

Pelomedusa subrufa.jpgPelomedusa subrufa 2.jpgPelomedusa subrufa 3.jpg

Give it a bit of time to adjust and be sure plenty of nice hiding spots to feel secure. I put a whole 6 ft garland of plastic plants in tanks with my turtles. Get it from Michael's - our local craft store chain.

They eat almost anything they can find or catch, including ambushing birds that come to drink at their ponds! Good turtles!
 

Maggie3fan

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Maggie,

That is an African Helmeted turtle, Pelomedusa subrufa.

Here's a few other pictures of examples that are a more common look of an adult:

View attachment 350860View attachment 350858View attachment 350859

Give it a bit of time to adjust and be sure plenty of nice hiding spots to feel secure. I put a whole 6 ft garland of plastic plants in tanks with my turtles. Get it from Michael's - our local craft store chain.

They eat almost anything they can find or catch, including ambushing birds that come to drink at their ponds! Good turtles!
I knew you'd know...thanks so much...
The pet shop didn't even know what they had purchased?
Classic.
The manager told me he was wild caught. Nope, this guy is perfect to the white feet, seriously, he looks like he was just made yesterday...
 

cdmay

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I beg to differ on this one. Your turtle is NOT a Pelomedusa subrufa. It is one of the Pelusios species, most likely castaneus. The giveaway is that front plastron hinge---Pelomedusa do not possess this.
Also, in Mark84's photos the top turtle is indeed a Pelomedusa. The second photo is a Pelusios castaneus and the last photo a Pelusios sinuatus, the largest in the genus.
The typical Pelomedusa has a much flatter carapace than any of the Pelusios and again, they lack the plastron hinge
 

cdmay

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I’ve heard of very few common names for P. castaneus...the generic ‘African side-neck’, or ‘West African side-neck’ being the most common.
Most keepers just call them castaneus.
 

Markw84

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I beg to differ on this one. Your turtle is NOT a Pelomedusa subrufa. It is one of the Pelusios species, most likely castaneus. The giveaway is that front plastron hinge---Pelomedusa do not possess this.
Also, in Mark84's photos the top turtle is indeed a Pelomedusa. The second photo is a Pelusios castaneus and the last photo a Pelusios sinuatus, the largest in the genus.
The typical Pelomedusa has a much flatter carapace than any of the Pelusios and again, they lack the plastron hinge
I will certainly defer to @cdmay on this one. I am "pretty good" at the exotic turtles, but my forte is indeed N American turtles.
 
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