Breeding musk turtles

kyle123

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Hi, I have a male and a female musk turtle. They are around 5 years old and have been produced around 3 eggs sinse I've had them which have been layed at the bottom of the tank. Next year I am planning on breeding them properly. I have a 300 litre tank which I'm planning on adding a dock with sand to. The dock they currently have is solid so they can lay eggs in it. Does anyone have any good links to where I can find out how to breed them, Thanks
 

Pastel Tortie

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There doesn't seem to be a huge amount of information online regarding breeding common musk turtles. Maybe some other members can point you to specific resources.

Most of the care sheets I have bookmarked for mud and musk turtles don't really address reproduction. This is one of the few that does address it.
http://www.turtlerescues.com/mud_and_musk_turtles.htm

I have two hatchling three-striped mud turtles, so that's the species I'm most familiar with.

@Markw84 Any thoughts?
 

Grandpa Turtle 144

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From what I know of water turtles they need to be under water to swallow their food .
My vet had some water turtles and every night he would take them out of the tank of water and put them in tank with soil in it .
Maybe you need to do that also ?
 

Markw84

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Musk turtles lay small clutches of 2-3 eggs normally. They dig a very shallow nest or sometimes simply push into low growing plants and leaf litter and deposit their eggs there. They like to select very cryptic locations as with most very shallow nesters where the sun does not heat the eggs too much - so mostly shaded. In an indoor tanks, I would set up a container like a dish washing tub filled with sand/peat moss mix. About 50/50. Plant some pothos ivy and some creeping jenny and let it grow in. Put that in the tank with the top about an inch from the surface with a ramp or log so the female can access. Put an incandescent basking light over an edge of it where the surface soil can heat to 85° or so. That would be the most inviting solution for both you and the turtle. Be sure her diet includes plenty of good turtle pellet with appropriate calcium.
 

cdmay

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Musk turtles lay small clutches of 2-3 eggs normally. They dig a very shallow nest or sometimes simply push into low growing plants and leaf litter and deposit their eggs there. They like to select very cryptic locations as with most very shallow nesters where the sun does not heat the eggs too much - so mostly shaded. In an indoor tanks, I would set up a container like a dish washing tub filled with sand/peat moss mix. About 50/50. Plant some pothos ivy and some creeping jenny and let it grow in. Put that in the tank with the top about an inch from the surface with a ramp or log so the female can access. Put an incandescent basking light over an edge of it where the surface soil can heat to 85° or so. That would be the most inviting solution for both you and the turtle. Be sure her diet includes plenty of good turtle pellet with appropriate calcium.

Great advice. All I would add is that all of our native musk turtles benefit from a winter cool down period.
It doesn't have to be a a full on hibernation or anything like that, but letting them experience cooler temps, shorter day lengths and less food for a few weeks will help cycle them into breeding.
 

kyle123

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Thanks all for the help. I have given them a cool down this winter and let the tank cool down to 18 degrees and have the lamp on for 8 hours a day. I have just finished building the dock and will post pictures when I have found some plants and a hide to go in. I'll keep posting in this thread if I have any developments
 

Russian Rehab

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Thanks all for the help. I have given them a cool down this winter and let the tank cool down to 18 degrees and have the lamp on for 8 hours a day. I have just finished building the dock and will post pictures when I have found some plants and a hide to go in. I'll keep posting in this thread if I have any developments

Dont forget about a good nesting box!
my musks have laid 20 eggs so far this season all i use is a 10 gallon tank on its side filled 2 way with coco core and vermiculite on a slant (like the side of a pond. and i have a latter leading up out of their tank to the netting box.... make sure their is no way for the turtle to escape using the latter because the female will probably end up under your refrigerator. mine did this several times before i locked it down with Styrofoam
pics of my setup below
 

Pastel Tortie

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Dont forget about a good nesting box!
my musks have laid 20 eggs so far this season all i use is a 10 gallon tank on its side filled 2 way with coco core and vermiculite on a slant (like the side of a pond. and i have a latter leading up out of their tank to the netting box.... make sure their is no way for the turtle to escape using the latter because the female will probably end up under your refrigerator. mine did this several times before i locked it down with Styrofoam
pics of my setup below
The pics didn't show up for me, but I'm looking forward to seeing your setup.
 

Russian Rehab

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The pics didn't show up for me, but I'm looking forward to seeing your setup.
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