Chinese Soft Shelled Turtle (Pelodiscus sinensis) The Soft Shell Turtle was formerly classified as Trionyx sinensis. and occurs in various water bodies in China, Korea, Vietnam, Taiwan and areas of Japan. In the wild it is mainly crepuscular in habit, although in a captive environment they are usually more active during the day time turtle can live for 25 to 30 years. This species reaches sizes of up to 25cm (10 inches) in length. The females are larger than the males. Enclosures An enclosure measuring at least 3ft by 18" by 12" should be provided to allow adequate swimming space. Three sides of the aquarium should be blacked out in order to prevent the turtle from becoming stressed. This turtle should have access to a basking area of 28 to 32C (82 to 89F); this should be turned off at night. The water temperature should be maintained at between 24 and 25C (75 and 77F).. Use a 5% UV light and provide a 12-14 hour cycle of day light. An aquarium filter will also be required, turtles can be messy. Feeding In the wild this species of turtle feeds on a wide variety of fresh fishes, crustaceans, insects and rodents. Therefore in captivity it is essential to feed a varied diet. For example youngsters can be fed waxworms, crickets, pink mice, prawns and pieces of fish. Adults however can eat crabsticks, prawns (With shells on), small rodents, crickets, waxworms, snails, trout, salmon, earthworms, etc. Although it aids in maintaining a cleaner environment for your turtle if you feed it in a separate feeding tank, if it is fed in its own tank then you can enrich the environment by hiding the food under stones and logs, to make it search for them. In order to further enrich the environment and add vitamins to the diet I have found that bobbing an apple or hard fruit on the waters surface can keep them occupied for hours, whilst providing invaluable exercise for their jaws. Adult should be fed 2-4 times a week. All the food items from the previous feeding should have been eaten before the next feed. If not, feed less next time.