by Anna Liutko; June 20, 2020; 0. 0. Musk Turtle Care (Sternotherus odoratus) Erica Mede, CVT. Water turtles can be really interesting pets, but many get fairly large and require more space than most people want to offer. Keeping the right temperature and humidity is very important to ensure your turtle’s life quality is second to none. Our stock of musk turtles for sale are top notch and ready to ship to you via FedEx Overnight in heated or cooled, insulated shipping boxes and come with our live arrival and full 7 day health guarantee . The environment of a turtle is the area where it lives, and everything that lives in that area, not just the musk turtle. 5 inches (12 cm) Babies from 2.2 to 2.9 grams (Tiedemann, pers. A group set up for past or present owners of musk turtles world wide! Captive habitat: Hatchling musk turtles start off small; little bigger than a thumbnail. Common musk turtles may occasionally attempt to bite, so care should be taken in handling them. Although musk turtles are considered carnivores by nature, however, they may also eat algae. Razorback Musk Turtle. A very personable and responsive turtle. To take care of a mini pet turtle, it's important that you research the needs for your specific type of turtle since they can vary a lot across species. The carapace is typically arched slightly and the skin has much the same color as the shell, usually a drab olive or gray-brown. Mel - Musk turtle care. Aquatic Turtle Care. Keep in mind that sliders and cooters will reach a mature length of more than 12 inches, while mud and musk turtles are about half that size. 0. Common Musk Turtle Diet. A shallow water area of about 3 Inches is also a good idea. A common musk turtle living in a wild habitat eats a variety of insects such as crayfish, snails, earthworms, and mollusks. Common Musk Turtle Care Guide. This long lifespan makes the eastern musk turtle a great perfect choice for anyone who really wants to develop a long-term bond with their pet. It has a triangle-shaped head with short legs. For beginners, the hardier species of aquatic turtles are recommended, such as red-eared sliders, cooters, mud, and musk turtles. Their small size and the fact that they prefer shallow water, make eastern musk turtles easier to care for than many other turtle … Generally, though, you should feed your mini turtle pellet food and then supplement its diet with feeder fish, insects, and worms. An adult is only about 4 to 4 1/2 inches long, and the males are a little bigger than the females. The Musk Turtles - Musk turtles, also known as stinkpots, seem to prefer deep, still water in lakes, ponds, and sluggish streams with muddy bottoms and an abundance of plant life. Their common name, and This is because they may on occasion try and bite. They inhabit slow moving and still waters across North America, where they feed on small invertebrates, fish, and a small amount aquatic plant matter. The common musk turtle, otherwise known as the stinkpot, is very popular and one of the best turtles for novice turtle enthusiasts to take care of. Air temperature needs to be 75 degrees in the aquarium. The Kinosternidae are a family of mostly small turtles that includes the mud turtles and musk turtles. You will be able to start the baby off with shallow water and then raise the water level as the turtle grows. Its shell is high and shaped like a dome. Reptiles » Common Musk Turtle Care Guide. How to care for a Musk turtle. This semi-aquatic species of turtle prefers non-brackish water in the Your aquarium is where your pet turtle will reside for more than twenty years so it is an investment. Shares. The Bog turtle rarely grows four inches. 0. Musk Turtle Care (Sternotherus odoratus) Erica Mede, CVT Natural History Common Musk turtles, also called Stinkpots, are native to North America from south eastern Canada down through the south eastern and south central United States . They also feed on aquatic insects like damselfly nymphs, tadpoles, and dragonfly and fish eggs. If an eastern musk turtle is used to being around or handled by humans, the lack of fear means a distinct lack of stink. In some instances these reptiles have surpassed the 50 year mark, but that’s uncommon. In captivity, this carnivorous diet can be supplemented with a number of specially-made ... Read moreMusk Turtle … Browse more videos. Common Musk Turtle Handling and Temperament. Common Musk Turtle. Common Musk Turtle Sternoptherus ororatus. Since the environments of wild musk turtles and pet musk turtles are so different I am going to split this part in two sections, one about the wild turtles, and one about the pet turtles. If the area’s temperature is lower you will need a room heater or an infrared light to help maintain temperature. The Common Musk Turtle ( Sternotherus odoratus ) is a small turtle species, only reaching 4-6 inches in shell length when adult. For baby musk turtles I would suggest around 4-5 inches of water, with plenty of plants to climb up. Loggerhead Musk Turtle Care Sheet Sternotherus minor minor Attached is a pdf containing care information for the Loggerhead Musk Turtle, sternotherus minor minor. We know your penchant for reptiles, and we know how you love to have the most exotic of them in your home! To keep your musk turtle in the best of health it’s crucial that you offer them the right food. 0. Pet common musk turtles will eat earthworms, cut-up fish and shrimp, crickets and bloodworms. Description: Commonly referred to as “stinkpot” turtles, the Mexican giant musk turtle is the largest of all musk turtles.It gets its name from the “musky” smell it excretes from glands at the rear of the shell. Natural History Common Musk turtles, also called Stinkpots, are native to North America from south eastern Canada down through the south eastern and south central United States . Musk turtles can live for as long s 50 years and that’s in the wild. Unlike other musk turtles, the Loggerhead appears to be diurnal. Report. Stinkpot Musk Turtle (Kinosternon odoratus) – From New England to Florida and Wisconsin, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. As with many turtles, the care of this one requires an expenditure of time. The family contains 25 species within four genera, but taxonomic reclassification is an ongoing process, so many sources vary on the exact numbers of species and subspecies.They inhabit slow-moving bodies of water, often with soft, muddy bottoms and abundant vegetation. But just because they can eat them, it doesn't mean that every vegetable is good for them. Specific Types of Turtles: The Bog Turtles - There are small turtles in the world, but the Bog turtle is the smallest and is one of the most rare turtles around. Musk turtles vary in five different species but the ways in which to care for them are very similar if not the same.. Musk turtles enjoy swimming so that means they require a slightly large tank to accommodate this hobby. So I’m august I’m getting a baby Common Musk turtle aka A StinkPot turtle, so I have some questions about the setup I would love for some Musk turtle experts to help me. 2:16. A visit to the nearby pet shop, and what do you see! This is probably an adaptation to its habitat, where the water temperatures in the springs maintain a constant temperature (in the low 70's) year round. A 55 gallon tank would be good for a musk turtle. Like all musk turtles, the narrow-bridged musk turtle is almost entirely aquatic, and prefers habitats such as slow-moving creeks, or shallow ponds that are heavily vegetated. Here is what I found out. The Whisper type filters are good for shallow habitats with a small volume of water, but they are limited in their ability to handle turtle waste. com.) Musk Turtle Care has 4,322 members. Musk Turtle Handling and Temperament. To find out which vegetables can musk turtles eat, I decided to do some research. The Common Musk Turtle is an ideal beginner species due to their adult size and ease of care. Luckily, this only happens when the turtle senses danger. Most pets will eat pelleted turtle foods, as well, including Reptomin and Mazuri Freshwater Turtle Diet. About the Musk Turtle. Musk Turtle Care – Musk Turtle Temperature & Humidity. Size: Small Length: 4-4.5” Type: Aquatic turtle Lifespan: 30-50 years Food: Pelleted commercial diet, Insects, Snails, Mollusks, Worms, Fish, Non-toxic aquatic plants Difficulty Of Care: Low Maintenance Comparable Breeds: Loggerhead Musk Turtle, Mud Turtle This can just be another basking platform underwater. Common musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) is a long-necked small turtle. It spends much of its time walking along the bottom, foraging for aquatic insects and other invertebrates , and carrion . The typical common musk turtle lifespan is between 30 and 50 years when given proper care. Playing next. Care and caution must always be taken when handling the common musk turtle. Captive bred musk turtles for sale should always be purchased over a wild caught musk turtle for sale when possible. When they hatch, musk turtles are about the size of a penny. It has a dark-gray to brown shade. They are also known as Stinkpot Turtles due to a smelly liquid they produce from musk glands when threatened. Stinkpots have the standard North American musk turtle form-factor; small oval-shaped turtle with a reduced, almost ‘surf board’ plastron (more mobility than a mud turtle at the cost of reduced protection; grayish skin is seen up the center & between plastral scutes) & a … We are here to offer advice, answer questions and generally look at best practice for Musk turtle keeping, if we see something that in our opinion is putting … Turtles love to eat, usually they will eat everything that you put in front of them, and this includes vegetables. The yellowish-green streak goes all the way from its pointed head through the neck. While musk turtles may eat the odd piece of pond weed in the wild, their diet is almost exclusively made up of meat. These turtles bask high above the water in nature, dropping as much as … The stinkpot, or common musk turtle, is a great choice for beginner or novice turtle enthusiasts as it: For an adult no deeper than 14 Inches. Musk turtles (or any turtles) are not really ‘touchy feely’ animals, but they will tolerate light handling without musking their owner and I have never heard of this being an issue at all amongst musk turtle keepers. Razorback musk turtles are more competent swimmers, they can withstand deeper water than any other musk turtle. The minimum for a full grown musk turtle is a 40 gallon breeder as it provides the 10 gallon per inch room but I STRONGLY recommend a larger tank as these are active turtles. 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