The Mata Mata turtle is native to the Amazon and Orinoco river basins of South America. Its physical specialization, including a flattened shell and leaf-like appearance, allows it to blend seamlessly into the muddy, debris-filled waters where it lives. Providing the correct diet is essential for the health of this species, as its specialized anatomy dictates a specific feeding strategy. This guide details the necessary dietary components and husbandry practices required to maintain a Mata Mata turtle in captivity.
Natural Diet and Ambush Feeding Strategy
The Mata Mata is an obligate carnivore, subsisting almost entirely on small fish and aquatic invertebrates in its native habitat. Its hunting strategy is passive, relying on exceptional camouflage to remain motionless on the river bottom until prey swims near. The turtle’s weak jaws are not designed for biting or chewing, necessitating a specialized feeding technique.
This reptile employs a rapid pharyngeal suction method to capture food. When prey passes within striking distance, the Mata Mata rapidly extends its neck and opens its wide mouth, creating a sudden vacuum. This action instantaneously sucks both the water and the prey into its throat, where the water is then expelled. Because the prey must be swallowed whole, the turtle requires food items that are moving and small enough to fit into its mouth.
Essential Captive Diet Components
A captive diet must replicate the variety of whole-prey items consumed in the wild to provide a complete nutritional profile. Staple prey items should primarily consist of small feeder fish such as guppies, mollies, and platies. Offering a rotation of different species helps guard against the nutritional imbalances that can arise from feeding only one type of fish.
A significant concern is the use of certain fish that contain the enzyme thiaminase, which destroys Vitamin B1 (thiamine). Species like smelt and goldfish should only be fed sparingly or avoided altogether, as a diet heavy in these fish can lead to a severe thiamine deficiency.
Supplementary prey can include aquatic invertebrates like earthworms, aquatic insect larvae, or small freshwater shrimp, which add variety and different nutrient concentrations.
Foods like mammalian meat, such as chicken or beef, and processed foods are inappropriate for Mata Mata turtles. Their digestive system is adapted solely for whole, aquatic prey, and these non-aquatic items lack the correct balance of bone, organs, and connective tissue. The Mata Mata also typically refuses commercial turtle pellets because they do not trigger the necessary feeding response associated with movement.
Feeding Schedules and Presentation Techniques
The Mata Mata turtle has a low metabolic rate and does not require feeding as often as other turtle species. Juvenile turtles, which are actively growing, benefit from being fed every day or every other day. Adult turtles, however, generally only need to be fed once or twice per week.
Because their feeding response is triggered by movement, food presentation is important. Many keepers opt to keep a constant supply of small, safe feeder fish in the enclosure, allowing the turtle to hunt freely and naturally.
If live fish are not used, transitioning to thawed or dead food requires specific techniques to elicit a feeding response. One method involves using long tongs to gently wiggle the thawed fish near the turtle’s head to simulate movement. Another technique is to drop the food item directly in front of the turtle, allowing the current to move it, though this is less reliable. Immediately removing any uneaten food is necessary to prevent the rapid decline of water quality, which is a common source of health issues for this fully aquatic species.
Ensuring Long-Term Nutritional Balance
Long-term health depends on proper intake of micronutrients, particularly calcium and Vitamin D3. While these turtles do not bask on land, they still require UVB lighting over their enclosure to synthesize Vitamin D3. This vitamin is necessary for calcium absorption and healthy bone and shell development.
Since dusting food with powder in an aquatic environment is difficult, a common strategy is to “gut-load” live feeder fish with high-quality, calcium-rich foods before offering them to the turtle. Alternatively, a slow-release calcium block can be placed in the water.
Avoiding thiaminase-containing fish prevents Vitamin B1 deficiency, which can cause neurological damage. A varied diet of whole prey, where the bones are consumed, naturally provides a suitable calcium-to-phosphorus ratio. Consistent and appropriate nutrition is the primary defense against issues like metabolic bone disease and shell deformities.