▷ Musk Turtle | All information and details

Datasheet Musk Turtle

Trade name:
Common Musk Turtle

Latin name:
Sternotherus odoratus

Order:
Turtles (Testudines)

Family:
Mud Turtles (Kinosternidae)

Genus:
Musk Turtles (Sternotherus)

Origin:
USA

Size (in cm:
8 to 13 cm

Length and width:
100 cm long and 40 cm wide

Volume in liters:
54 liters

Temperature:
22 to 26 degrees in summer, 8 to 12 degrees in winter

Behave

Lining:
Dry food, canned food, insects, snails

Behavior/stocking:
peaceful with conspecifics, group animal

Number:
1 male and 2 females

Life expectancy:
over 50 years

Difficulty level:
Novice Henning111, Common Musk Turtle, CC BY-SA 3.0

The musk turtle is an aquatic turtle that is often kept as a pet these days. The musk turtle originally came from the Southeast USA. It is particularly common on the Atlantic coast and in Florida.

It is also often sighted on the Mississippi and in Alabama. There it lives in lakes, ponds and rivers. Sometimes she also stays in slow-flowing canals. However, the otherwise quite undemanding turtles do not get along with brackish water.

Musk turtles owe their popularity as pets to their size. she stays relatively small so it looks very cute. In general, the turtles are between 8 and 13 cm tall and weigh between 150 g and 280 g.

Since the musk turtles come from warm regions, they like temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius very much. The water can be a maximum of 28 degrees Celsius in summer, and 22 degrees Celsius in winter is fine.

The water should not be warmer than the air, otherwise the turtles may hibernate prematurely. The hibernation usually takes place between November and January.

In the wild, too, most animals fall into the cradle around this time hibernation. But in warm regions like Florida, turtles stay active even through the winter. In Florida, temperatures rarely fall below 10 degrees Celsius.

Musk turtles are mostly light brown, but there are also dark brown specimens. The carapace is rather narrow and elongated. The pattern is clearly visible, but fades over life.

The head and legs are usually lighter than the carapace. However, the coloring often changes. Characteristic are the yellow stripes that run along the head.

Most of the time the musk turtles stay in the water. In the wild, turtles only leave the water to lay their eggs or in stressful situations.

Still, they need one Aquaterrarium with a land part. The aquaterrarium should be at least 100 cm long. The land part makes up about a third of the total area.

In a protected environment, the turtles come ashore much more often. For heating the land part, one is suitable heating lamp very good. The turtles often use the land part as a cozy sunbathing area.

The lamp should burn for 8 to a maximum of 14 hours. You can turn them off at night. A timer is very useful.

The food for musk turtles consists mainly of animal components. Musk turtles like to eat Worms, pieces of fish, snails and insects. The usual canned food for turtles is usually happily accepted. Dry food is usually not a problem either. Many musk turtles also like salad and fruit.

Since the musk turtle is not a pure vegetarian, it is not easy to socialize with small fish and snails. The fish may end up as a treat for the turtles.

It is exciting to watch the turtles. They are very agile and really good swimmers. Besides, they can excellent climbing. Because of this, branches and roots are a real asset to the land part.

They usually come alive at dusk. During this time they hunt for insects in the wild. For this reason, it makes sense to feed the animals in the evening.

On the whole, musk turtles can also be good for beginners. However, the tank should be large enough and well structured. Hiding places are very important to the animals.

The water doesn’t have to be too deep, although the turtles can cope with higher water levels. The transitions between water and land are important. There should be several opportunities for ascent in the water itself.

Big roots are very suitable. Musk turtles love to climb on land. In the summer months, musk turtles can also live in a small garden pond. However, this should have a very flat shore zone.

In addition, the pond should be in the sun, as the turtles like to swim sunbathing take. The pond must be fenced off, otherwise the turtles are guaranteed to disappear. Despite its size, the musk turtle is a very good climber.

Glass is unsuitable as the animals will hit their heads on it. It is best to use tall stones. In winter, the animals absolutely have to go back into the house.

gender differences

Determining the sex of the musk turtle is not really easy, since both sexes grow to the same size. Actually, there is only one sure differentiator.

Both Males have longer tails and thicker than females. In addition, the claws are often longer. Otherwise, the sexes look very similar.

breed

The breeding of musk turtles is quite possible under good conditions. The animals also reproduce in captivity. You can tell the turtles are laying their eggs when they get restless and visit the land part remarkably often.

They extensively inspect and sniff the place where they intend to lay their eggs. It makes sense to spread the land part with a lot of sand and moisten it slightly.

The eggs can be felt on the turtle’s shell, but this is not really recommended for inexperienced hands, you can easily destroy the eggs in the process. Most of the time the turtles don’t like to be touched anyway.

rearing

For the young turtles, this is it Hatching very strenuous. So they rest afterwards. For this reason, you should leave the little ones alone for 24 hours. The opening of the yolk sac is particularly sensitive during this time.

Bacteria can quickly penetrate a yolk sac that is open for a very long time, so cleanliness is very important. After 24 hours, you can carefully bathe the little ones in lukewarm water for 5 minutes. Most of the time they like this very much and drink water at the same time.

Within the first four weeks, the little ones should live in a natural dwelling. It is important to monitor the baby turtles’ feeding habits. If one of the pups is not eating, it should be taken to the vet. Usually the little ones start eating as soon as they can crawl around.

They should eat after 7 days at the latest, then the yolk sac is used up. The regular weighing the babies is important to monitor growth. After 4 months, the birth weight should have at least doubled.

It is good to have one for each baby plastic containers to have. A container measuring 30 x 20 x 20 cm is sufficient for baby musk turtles. Often the babies are quickly incompatible with each other, so you can separate them early.

Small musk turtles are not very good swimmers. A shallow bowl of water is often sufficient for them. But the heat lamp is important, the babies enjoy a warm bath.

socialization

A socialization is actually only with conspecifics really makes sense as the turtles are not vegetarians. Other animals are not necessarily safe in a shared tank. Especially snails and shrimp are eaten with certainty.

Even small fish are seen as food and are hunted. It is best to keep a male with several females together. Each turtle needs a hiding place and a small piece of land.

Where does the name musk turtle come from?

Musk turtles owe their name to their musk glands. These glands emit a strong odor. It is usually secreted to deter predators.

For this reason, you should always approach the turtle slowly and kindly, otherwise you risk doing the unpleasant thing secrete secretion. However, this only happens in really great stressful situations, which the tortoise perceives as life-threatening.