Chelus fimbriatus or the mata mata turtle is native to the Amazon and Orinoco river basins and like to remain in slow moving shallow waters with plenty of cover. These are the most bizarre turtles in my opinion because of their distinctive look. Never before have a seen an animal so perfectly mimic its surroundings. Its carapace is jagged and brown with many broken patterns that give it a very interesting look that is quite appealing to many turtle enthusiasts making them grow in popularity over the past few years but these guys are NOT for the beginners and should only be kept by experts. These guys are known to have a painful bite and aggressive temper so they should not be handled often if at all and if they are, extreme caution needs to be used as the carry dangerous bacterias (such as salmonella) that i have experienced first hand and put my in the hospital for a week. These turtles also need to have very specific water conditions as they are sensitive to it like many fish. They should be kept in acidic brackish water and some amount of tannin (or blackwater extract) needs to be added. Mata Mata's also become quite large and need plenty of room in the aquatic part of their environment because they rarely bask (because of this, you may want to skip the basking spot all together). they eat large amounts of fish and need to have several in the tank with them at all times. Mud minnows work great and do any number of other freshwater bait fish. I would advise against using feeder goldfish as they are not the most healthy for your animal and can cause problems with their digestive tract. If proper care is taken though, these animals are very rewarding. I recommend them highly to any advanced keepers.

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