SHARK BITE HOSPITAL

Tank requirements

• 21-27 degrees celsius (70-80 degrees fahrenheit)

• Hatchings and post hatchlings with a carapace up to 6 inches requires 1 foot of water

• Anything more requires at least 2 ½ feet

Tank conditions

• The inside surfaces of any tank must be non-abrasive, free of burrs or projections that could cause harm to turtles, and free of toxic heavy metals and organics, such as lead or copper paints.

• A tank must not contain any non-food items that may be ingested by a turtle or any items that would affect the turtles breathing or ability to float.

• Must be at least 30% shaded.

• salinity must be between 25 and 30 ppt

• ph levels between 7.2 and 8.5

Food

• Without exception, the food fed to sea turtles must always be of human quality or comparable quality of food that is reflective of their diet in the wild. Food must either be fresh, or frozen in some other manner that ensures the quality of the food. Any frozen food must be completely thawed in cool air, preferably, or cool water, prior to feeding and used entirely or discarded. Under no circumstances may food be refrozen. If the quality of the food is questionable, it cannot be used as food for sea turtles. This does not prohibit commercially prepared diets like dry, pelletized, floating or sinking formations, but they must be fresh or stored frozen to maintain nutritional value and to prevent deterioration. Examples of foods

Employees

• Any facilities holding sea turtles in captivity must have access to a veterinarian who: has an active veterinary license in the United States (means a person who has graduated from a veterinary school accredited by the American Veterinary Medical Association Council on Education, or has a certificate issued by the American Veterinary Graduates Association’s Education Commission for Foreign Veterinary Graduates).

• on call 24 hours

• At least 1 year of clinical experience with sea turtles

• Sea Turtle veterinarian- 82,040 a year