Eastern mud turtle

[Resa]

My son has brought me what I believe is an eastern mud turtle. I have done some research to see requirements of keeping one however it's a little confusing. Considering time of year it is. I've never owned a turtle before! I'm confused as to what's a must to be inside of the enclosure. I'm currently using a (roughly 8gallon) plastic container....if anyone can help me I'd be very grateful!!! By the way in located deep southern part of Louisiana. Currently in 70s during the day.....thought that info can help as well

 

[Resa]

Btw I've recently put in small pieces of boiled egg and egg shell as well as pieces of Apple

 

[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Did your son get this turtle from the wild or purchased it? If taken from the wild, it should be put back where it was found.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Yes, it looks like some sort of mud turtle. They aren't good swimmers, so it is helpful if you have a sloping 'bank' so he can walk up to the top to breathe rather than having to swim up to the top. They are pretty carnivorous, so live food should be on the menu.

Wellington made a good point. There are laws on the books about taking turtles from the wild. Make sure it is legal to pick up they type of turtle you have (that is, if he took it from the wild).

I'm afraid we don't have care sheets for water turtles here on the Forum, but maybe you can get some pointers from this one:

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-mismud.htm

 

[cdmay]

Hi Resa,
He does look like an eastern mud turtle from your photo but if he is a locally caught turtle from southern Louisiana then he would be a Mississippi mud turtle, Kinosternon subrubrum hippocrepus. Check the sides of his head for some yellow stripes. Both are great little animals!
The temperatures are fine for him to be out and about now and after he adjusts to captivity you won't need to hibernate him per se, although I bet he stops eating as much in the late fall.
Mud and musk turtles are wonderful little animals to maintain. Easy too. I know a friend with an common musk turtle nearing 50 years old.
High quality fish food pellets are relished by them and you can feed cooked shrimp, very lean cooked chicken and the like as well. A key point is moderation.
Here is a good source (and interesting viewing too.) of information regarding the keeping of our native mud turtles...look up You Tube videos produced by BauriiBob or MuddyBob. He has recorded a whole bunch of videos about his wild caught/rescued striped mud turtles (very similar to yours) and his aquariums set-ups are great. But don't be discouraged, yours need not be as big as Bob makes his.
Also, look up the online article by David Kirkpatrick regarding the care of mud and musk turtles. Very good info there.

Don't hesitate to ask more questions!

 

[Moozillion]

Hi, Resa!
I am in south Louisiana also, Covington, to be exact.
I have a little Mississippi mud turtle who hatched last year. I'll attach some photos so you can see.
To own any turtle in Louisiana you MUST have a Fishing/Hunting license. They're easy to get and don't cost that much. I am not aware of any other laws pertaining to mud turtles. You can get more information from the state Wildlife and Fisheries department. Their website is way too confusing, so I ended up emailing them and asking, when I was getting my Hermann's tortoise.

Hmmmm... can't seem to get my computer to upload photos right now...
Will try again later.

 

[Moozillion]

I got my mud turtle when he was just little hatchling, and here's what I did.
I'm not saying I'm an expert, but this seems to have worked so far.

I can't tell from your picture if he's in a dry tank or if there's any water in there. You may already know this but the aquatic turtles can ONLY EAT when he and his food are completely under water. He CANNOT eat up on dry land.

I put in mine a 20 gallon aquarium with sand on the bottom and lots of plastic plants he can hide under and climb. You can keep the bottom of the tank bare if you want to- it makes cleaning easier! But you should probably avoid small gravel that he might mistake for bits of food. Although they are tolerant of poor water conditions, they will be a lot healthier in good quality water. I do at least a half water change every 2 weeks or so (sometimes a little longer). I use the chemicals they have in pet stores to remove chlorine from the water and keep the pH close to neutral (7.0), just like they do in aquariums of fish. If you've ever kept fish in an aquarium, you'll find keeping a mud turtle very easy! He relaxed a LOT once I got him a cave he can hide in. I kept the water level low (3-4 inches). I use both an aquarium thermometer attached to the tank (below water level) and a temperature gun to monitor the temperature in his water. I keep it around 76-78* and have a heater in the tank. I have an incandescent light bulb in a shop light fixture for heat on top of his basking platform, but he has shown NO interest in basking. Some muds don't bask, but it is my understanding they should ALL have access to someplace they can climb completely out of the water if they want to. Turtles are very messy eaters so everyone recommends a filter that is meant to handle 2-3 times the amount of water in the tank. My filter is rated for a 20 gallon aquarium, and although my aquarium is 20 gallons, I only keep it half full, so that's just 10 gallons. It seems to work really well. I also use the test kits to keep track of the water quality. Again, these are available in the pet stores and online.

My turtle is growing rapidly, and is about 3 inches long right now. I plan to upgrade him to a 40 or 55 gallon aquarium next year, even though he'd probably be just fine in his 20 gal.

If you look up in the first section of the Water Turtles threads, you'll see a thread titled "What to Feed Aquatic Turtles and Why," by Anthony P. I found this VERY helpful and followed their recommendations. (By the way, ANYTHING you see about water turtles posted by Anthony P is useful to read- he is one of several turtle "gurus" on this forum and is very helpful and reliable. )
Mud turtles are absolutely adorable. I love how mine prowls around the tank, poking into things and exploring. He has learned to come to the side of the tank and beg for food! Silly boy!

How long is your turtle?