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[markars]

I had a pair of macleays and i had them since hatchlings- of all the turtles that i have kept they are the ones that stay the smallest for the longest. I also belive that they are the smallest hatchling size- they are smaller than a two cent peice when they come out. They are a small turtle compared to a broard shell but as adults they are still best kept in an outside enclosure(pond). My male is about 170 mm now and he is about 7 years- the female is about 200 mm and is the same age. All turtles become tame as they recognise you as a food source and go nuts every time someone goes near the fishtank- but they never become "affectionate" If you have fish in the tank you will most probably not have them once you put turtles in the tank- There are some exceptions(murray cod seem to go well as long as they have plenty of cover and are not big enough to eat your turtle) You can keep males and females together. They are easy to keep as long as you keep the cage clean and keep the turtle fed on a good diet and provide for all their needs. As for the cage - a three foot fish tank is what i use to keep two or three hatchling in and you can keep them in that until the are about 120 mm in shell size( if there are three in there about 90- 100 mm) I use a reptisun uv fluro in the cage for a light and i use a 100 watt uv basking light above the log- I always have two types of land in the cage- one is a log that sticks out with the basking light above it and the other is a perspex landing covered in supergrass. tI think that natural sunlight is good for all reptiles and for my hatchlings i have a wine barrell on the balcony and it is set up as the "holiday cage" it is stocked with fish and weeds for them to eat. i put them in it on week ends and if i am home in the afternoons when it is light still. A uv tube costs about twenty dollars if you order them through a lighting shop of they cost an arm and a leg if you buy them from a pet/ reptile store. Not many people keep them that i know of and the hatchlings( if any) that come from my old pair are spoken for( i am taking half the clutch) but pm expansa1 on this site as he may know some one or go to the horses mouth and call john cann- if anyone knows where to get them from, he will. They should cost between 60- 100 dollars each. Try getting a goodbook on australian turtles- any of john canns are good or any of those small books called "keeping short necked turtles" as most hatchling short necks have the same basic needs.
A tip- stay well clear of turtle foodfrom pet shops and either make your own or do as i mostly do and spend twenty minutes once a week down at the local creek catchng fish and water prawns and the like and also a proportion of insects in the diet is a good idea.