Eastern mud turtle eggs and hatchling

[turtlemanfla88]

I just hatched out some stink pots common musk they would not eat reptomin until I broke sticks in smaller pieces. I sprayed my eggs a little every day once one start hatching. I also keep sphagnum moss moist on top of all my turtle eggs and on some of my tortoise eggs.

 

[Moozillion]

WOW!!!
You are all doing a FANTASTIC job with these little guys!!!!
YOU ROCK!!!!

 

[kathyth]

You're doing a fantastic job with them!
Darn, are they the cutest! Thanks for the great pictures!

 

[Jabuticaba]

They're so cute! Great job!


May
THBs: Darwin & Merlin
Aussies: Dax, Vegas, & Cricket
IG: @AUSSOMEAUSSIES

 

[Lizadore]

I have a great update today! The egg we were calling #2 has hatched earlier this afternoon. So we welcome Donatello into the world! He seems bigger then Leo is even after Leo has been hatched for a while, a lot less yoke then Raph and Leo as well. Also there is more cracks in egg #1 and lots of movement so that one will probably either hatch later tonight or some time tomorrow and we will be welcoming out fourth little one (Who will be named Michelangelo, If you haven't guessed by now )

As of right now I am ecstatic even with out the fourth hatch we have three babies I never expected to even hatch at all.

Even with all the excitement I am a little worried about Leo, to me the bottom shell is slightly squishy, which she was only my second hatchling i have ever saw let alone held but compared to Raph she just seems soft. Also she will NOT eat meal worms she just runs/swims away. Its been hard trying to get food in her thankfully the second day after the yoke absorbed she did eat some of the pellets. We have two kinds and she is not picky too much on which one she eats just that the food has to be crushed and on the bottom she will not eat it floating or mushed up with a drop of water on land. We are feeding her twice a day and making sure she eats both times but it never seems like enough. Also she does not seem to like dirt (like runs away completely), or moss, or even water all that much.Pretty much she enjoyed her world of moist paper towel with nothing else.... So if anyone has any tips or tricks on picky eaters and weird turtle habits let me know.

If Leo does not start eating more we will probably not be moving her to the big tank with the other three turtles just to make sure she eats and doesn't slip by. Other then that when the last egg is hatched, all yokes gone, everyone eating mealworms or crickets, and everyone swimming strong, there is a huge tank going to be set up. It will mostly be water no more then 2-3 inches deep until they are bigger with land made out of pebbles that has plants and most and a thin layer of eco dirt on some part for the meal worms.


Last but not least, PICTURES!!!

Lets start with Leo

I think the egg picture is an older one but this is a mash up of little Leo also shows her plastron. In the two of her trying to climb she was running away from her food and the water...

Now for Donnie

A picture of his empty eggs

He hatched before we mosved him to paper towel.

Him trying to escape.

Him on the paper towel with some moss, (my dad is holding back the moss with a plastic spoon to see him).


Closest picture of the little one so far.

As soon as the yoke is gone we will get a picture of his Plastron, that is the only way we will be able to tell them apart. Especially once they all get together.

 

[Moozillion]

WOWIE-ZOWIE!!!! I LOOOOOVE stories like this!!!! You guys are the best!!!!

 

[turtlemanfla88]

congrats. My baby musks and muds go nuts over bloodworms or blackworms you can buy them at most pet shops or fish stores they are alive and have to be kepted in the refrig.

 

[turtlemanfla88]

I just hatched out some Eastern Muds they are eating very small worms and reptomin turtle food broke in half.

 

[lisa127]

I have been wanting a baby eastern mud for so long so I'm loving these pics!! Love the names you've given them too!

 

[Lizadore]

Hey Everyone! Boy has it been a long time since an update. First of all four turtles are doing great! they are growing bigger each and every day. They are healthy eaters, all of them will eat live meal worms, reptomin food, blood worms, dried shrimp, meal worms and crickets, and they will even eat live (well mostly alive) crickets.

Lets go in order on a little up date about each.

Raph: He, definitely a he is still the biggest of the bunch, his shell has flattened out some and is now almost light brown in colour. He is the grumpy of the tank, he tolerates the others and does not fight or anything but wants his own space and own food.

Leo: We are still unsure of the gender but still call it a girl. She is finally less picky about food and is more happy to be around the others then she used to be. We now can only tell her apart from the others because she doesn't have brighter spots on her head just cheek strips.

Donnie: He, we think, is very laid back not very gungho about anything but is so far the only one to date not to poop om me or give me grumpy turtle face when being messed with. He follows Raph a lot but most of the time fine him chilling with Leo, Surprisingly since they used to argue a lot. He is also known as the one with bright yellow head spots and not so many cheek stripes, but looks so much like Mikey.

Mikey: He/She, possibly she, Is always the easiest to find, she is always out in the open and not hiding under things. She also has check marks in her cheek stripes and yellow spots on her head. Her favorite food has always been blood-worms and that has definitely not changed. The last hatched she is rivaling Leo and Donnie to be second largest. Mikey is friendly to a point with the others but being that she is always out she doesn't hide with them.

All the turtles are about 1 inch to 1.5 inches long head to end of shell. About 4 times the size they were when they were born. They all comfortably inhabit a 75 gallon tank. They are up to two inches of water on the bottom and not as much land, its all gravel on the bottom and land. They are in a room with their own space heater that keeps it about 79-85 degrees in there. Its also where all out out door patio plants have been moved to for the winter.

The plan thus far is still to release them come March or April when it starts to get 7% degrees or more out side every day. But My dad has fallen in love with them so we will see how that goes. We might just have to get him a 75 gallon tank of fish to take care of instead.

No pictures this update, even though I have a lot from the last few months, they are just spread out on all the computers, so when I get them together expect a photo drop update.

 

[Randi]

Try frozen food like mysis, and brine shrimp. You would allow it to thaw in warm water. Would be better to feed those instead of blood worms.

The babies are really cute and you have done an awesome job!

 

[ETTB1314]

Omg I love your turtles story and do keep the updates coming! They are so cute and so very precious! Thank you for sharing!