This is a follow up to the thread about red-cheeks with some more detail about how I've kept them. Much of this will apply to other types of mud turtle and there are a lot of photos here of striped mud turtles.
Since about 1980 I have converted aquariums into 'aqua-terrariums' by dividing the tank into two parts (water and land) with a piece of half inch Plexiglas. I use silicone to make the parts water tight. One side is filled with potting soil to fill up the empty space and then topped off with the same sand I use in the water section. This way, when the turtles go back and forth from the land to the water, the water doesn't get fouled. However, you can also use an unmodified aquarium with a ramp leading to a second box or tub for nesting. Some keepers have a nesting box above the aquarium with a ramp or something similar that allows a female to gain access.
Here are some photos. I should mention that most of these photos the turtles involved are striped mud turtles, Kinosternon baurii. In the second and third photos there is a female nesting--you can see her head protruding out from under the cork bark. Striped mud turtles tend to bury themselves when nesting.
In these photos there is sand used as a substrate. But more recently I have been maintaining my aquatic turtles without any sand. This makes for much easier maintenance.
For smaller species like the striped mud turtles I use 20 gallon long, 55 gallon and 40 gallon 'breeder' aquariums. For larger species like the red-cheeks, 40 gallon breeder and 75 gallon aquariums are used. Waterland tubs are also excellent.
This is a 20 gallon long tank that is OK for nesting female striped mud turtles.
Live plants can be incorporated but I've found that the red-cheeks tend to tear them up.
But the smaller striped muds like them just fine. Here is another nesting female...
This is a female red-cheek nesting...
You can see from these photos that various forms of filtration are used. Submersible filters are OK for small aquariums but I prefer larger canister filters for anything over 55 gallons. Heaters are used at times too.
As for feeding I have tried almost everything you can think of over the years. If I don't happen to have a lot of turtles at a particular time, moving a turtle into a separate tub or the kitchen sink for feeding goes a long way in keeping the tank clean. I am a nut about water cleanliness!
Foods for red-cheeks have included various kinds of pellet food designed for tropical fish, pellets made for aquatic turtles, frozen fish foods of various kinds, shrimp, whole live fish, parts of fish (or lobster!) I've caught and was eating myself, nightcrawlers, super mealworms, cooked chicken, and a bunch of other things I can't think of right now. The key is to not over feed and ensure that the turtles are getting enough calcium.
Keeping mud turtles like red-cheeks in indoor aquariums is a lot of work but
it is well worth it.
Since about 1980 I have converted aquariums into 'aqua-terrariums' by dividing the tank into two parts (water and land) with a piece of half inch Plexiglas. I use silicone to make the parts water tight. One side is filled with potting soil to fill up the empty space and then topped off with the same sand I use in the water section. This way, when the turtles go back and forth from the land to the water, the water doesn't get fouled. However, you can also use an unmodified aquarium with a ramp leading to a second box or tub for nesting. Some keepers have a nesting box above the aquarium with a ramp or something similar that allows a female to gain access.
Here are some photos. I should mention that most of these photos the turtles involved are striped mud turtles, Kinosternon baurii. In the second and third photos there is a female nesting--you can see her head protruding out from under the cork bark. Striped mud turtles tend to bury themselves when nesting.
In these photos there is sand used as a substrate. But more recently I have been maintaining my aquatic turtles without any sand. This makes for much easier maintenance.
For smaller species like the striped mud turtles I use 20 gallon long, 55 gallon and 40 gallon 'breeder' aquariums. For larger species like the red-cheeks, 40 gallon breeder and 75 gallon aquariums are used. Waterland tubs are also excellent.
This is a 20 gallon long tank that is OK for nesting female striped mud turtles.
Live plants can be incorporated but I've found that the red-cheeks tend to tear them up.
But the smaller striped muds like them just fine. Here is another nesting female...
This is a female red-cheek nesting...
You can see from these photos that various forms of filtration are used. Submersible filters are OK for small aquariums but I prefer larger canister filters for anything over 55 gallons. Heaters are used at times too.
As for feeding I have tried almost everything you can think of over the years. If I don't happen to have a lot of turtles at a particular time, moving a turtle into a separate tub or the kitchen sink for feeding goes a long way in keeping the tank clean. I am a nut about water cleanliness!
Foods for red-cheeks have included various kinds of pellet food designed for tropical fish, pellets made for aquatic turtles, frozen fish foods of various kinds, shrimp, whole live fish, parts of fish (or lobster!) I've caught and was eating myself, nightcrawlers, super mealworms, cooked chicken, and a bunch of other things I can't think of right now. The key is to not over feed and ensure that the turtles are getting enough calcium.
Keeping mud turtles like red-cheeks in indoor aquariums is a lot of work but
it is well worth it.