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The turtles’ new habitat is finished and has been up and running for a few days, and it’s looking great. Custom built by the Animal Care staff, the habitat had to be water-tested to ensure that it has no leaks and that the water filtration pumps, air circulation system, and lighting all work smoothly. And so far, so good.
The nearly completed turtle habitat. Just add turtles.
The inner workings of the tank are cleverly disguised in a driftwood sculpture, giving the habitat a natural look and feel. Even the turtles’ basking light is hidden in piece of driftwood that extends over a nice flat rock. It will be a great spot for the turtles to relax and enjoy the heat as museum visitors check them out.
The basking light and rock.
In just a few weeks, the new habitat will be moving up to the water exhibit area and museum staff will be seeding it with some emerald shiners (a type of small bait fish) to kick-start the biological system. Then it will be ready for the turtles to move in!
The new tank for the freshwater fish is in place, but the turtle tank is still under construction behind the scenes. Whereas the fish tank arrived at the museum pretty much ready to be filled with water, the staff members have taken a more active role in designing and building the turtle habitat. And it has involved a bit of testing and experimentation.
The glass tank, Styrofoam layers, and wooden stump that will form the spotted turtle habitat.
First the staff had to make sure that the materials they ordered, including the glass that will make up the walls of the tank and the glue that will hold them together are not toxic to the turtles. All materials give off some chemicals, and the staff couldn’t just take the manufacturer’s word that the products were safe. So they built a prototype tank in the Animal Care Facility to determine whether or not the turtles could tolerate the components of their new habitat. They also had to design the habitat so that water could circulate through it efficiently – if the water doesn’t flow properly, its chemistry could change, and that would be bad news for the turtles.
Now they are working on making the habitat look like a true “slice of nature.” This means designing the interior so that all of the lights and components of the water filtration system are hidden from view. That way, museum visitors can focus on spotted turtles and not on the inner workings of their habitat.
As Museum staff members are busy preparing the new aquarium, the exhibit’s new inhabitants are getting ready for their big debut.
The Museum’s water exhibit will feature three live habitats: a turtle habitat, a freshwater river habitat and a Pacific habitat. Many of the animals that will live in these habitats have already arrived at the Museum, but they must go through a lengthy acclimation process before they can go on display. They must get used to being around people, noise and, in some cases, each other.
For over a year now, two spotted turtles have been hanging out in the Animal Care Facility at the Museum, preparing to move into the turtle habitat. Spotted turtles are the smallest turtle species found in Canada, and while they are native to the Ottawa area, they are somewhat rare. These particular turtles came from the Ecomuseum in Montreal. The Museum of Nature staff have been monitoring the turtles, making sure they are healthy, happy and getting along. Their habitat in the water exhibit will simulate their habitat the wild, and will include a selection of other animals, such as mussels and crayfish.
A spotted turtle relaxes on a log in the Animal Care Facility.
Next week…we meet some feisty freshwater fish and some very cool creatures from the West Coast.
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