Herptiles

Pseudemys rubriventris

Northern Red-bellied Cooter

Pseudemys rubriventris (Le Conte, 1830)
Near Threatened (IUCN)

Basic info

Common names
  • Red Bellied Cooter
  • American red-bellied turtle
  • Northern Red-bellied Cooter
Species namePseudemys rubriventris
Scientific namePseudemys rubriventris (Le Conte, 1830)
Taxonomy
Animalia
Chordata
Testudines
Emydidae
Pseudemys rubriventris

Further Reading

Temperatures & Season

Day time temperatures

Background summer25 - 30 °F
Background winter3 - 10 °F
Basking spot35 °F

Season

Winter treatmenthibernation
Photoperiod summer13 hours
Photoperiod winter11 hours

Microhabitats

Microhabitats are specific small habitats that an organism inhabits within its broader environment. These can vary greatly depending on the species and can give us insights into the preferred living conditions of each reptile. Understanding these microhabitats can be key to providing the correct care for these animals in captivity.

  • Rocks, crevices or burrows
    Rocks, crevices or burrows
  • Grassland or savanna
    Grassland or savanna

Ferguson Zones

Ferguson Zones are a way to classify the amount of UV light that reptiles are exposed to in their natural habitats. These zones help us understand and replicate their natural light conditions in captivity, promoting the health and wellbeing of the reptiles. Below, we detail the specific Ferguson Zones of the Chinese Water Dragon, along with recommendations for replicating these conditions

The Ferguson Zones in which the Northern Red-bellied Cooter has been placed has been chosen based upon an assessment of its typical basking behaviour and likely microhabitat in the wild.

3
Open or partial sun basker
UVI range avarage: 1-2.6, UVI max recorded: 2.9-7.4
4
'Mid-day' open sun baskers
UVI range avarage: 2.6-3.5, UVI max recorded: 4.5-9.5

Recommended lighting methods in captivity

Sunbeam method

This method uses the 'Max UVI Recorded' value as a guide for the upper limit of the UVB gradient in captivity. This maximum should be the highest level which a Northern Red-bellied Cooter can obtain at its closest approach to its UVB lamp. The highlighted area in the table below represents this range for the Northern Red-bellied Cooter.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

More in-depth information about Ferguson zones can be found here: https://jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150

Community collected distribution (4482 occurrences)

Biomes

These are the biomes the Northern Red-bellied Cooter was found in. Click here to learn more about terrestrial ecoregions and biomes.

  • Te
    Temperate Coniferous Forests

    Click here for more information

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References

  1. Baines, F.M., Chattell, J., Dale, J., Garrick, D., Gill, I., Goetz, M., Skelton, T. and Swatman, M. 2016. How much UVB does my reptile need? The UV-Tool, a guide to the selection of UV lighting for reptiles and amphibians in captivity. Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research. 4, 1 (Jan. 2016), 42–63. DOI:https://doi.org/10.19227/jzar.v4i1.150.
  2. Pseudemys rubriventris (Le Conte, 1830) in GBIF Secretariat (2021). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org
  3. Le Conte, J. Description of the species of North American tortoises.
  4. iNaturalist. Available from https://www.inaturalist.org
This website is created by Jefrim Keijzer | All species