Mississippi Map Turtle Advice

crimson_lotus

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So I've had a tortoise for about 2 years...walked into the pet store to get some more sphagnum moss for her to hang out in, and noticed two turtles - one African Side Necked and one adult Mississippi Map together in the same enclosure, the side neck obviously the more dominant and biting at the poor scrawnier male map turtle.

I spoke with one of the employees, they didn't really seem to care when I suggested separation. Went back, wondering if I could do anything further (I don't like buying pets at pet stores, as I think it's just encouragement for them to get more and place them in poor habitats) and noticed the map turtle was free. So I took him home and...I know nothing about these guys.

I found a nice care sheet from the Turtle Room, as I've noticed from this forum that they know their stuff, so I'm not completely lost, I would just like a bit more detail for their care.

What kind of vegetables are recommended other than the bug diet of crickets and worms? Do you guys recommend anything else? I bought some blood worms after a quick phone search in the pet store, as I had to get back to work.

What kind of water quality does he need? I've been using tap water as I didn't exactly plan on bringing him home. Just dumped him in a large storage bin for now with an MVB and a basking rock. Water depth is about 5 inches, and he seems to like to stick to the bottom.

Anything recommended like a particular filter or water heater? I'm located in MA, pretty sure these guys brumate, but perhaps overwintering him would be best at this point.

Recommended size for enclosure? and the temperature range would be 70-80 for an adult, correct?

Thanks and sorry for the long post, I just want to give this guy the right care.

And yes, I did put a piece of lettuce on that rock. He hasn't eaten anything yet. He also has a weird circle on his head and some white stuff all over his legs that I can get a picture of later. He seems to be sleeping so I'm gong to leave him alone for tonight.
 

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crimson_lotus

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Now I get home from work and the turtle is bleeding from what looks like his nose and on the sides of his mouth...any help?!
 

crimson_lotus

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No falls since I've gotten him...it's been about 2 days. No pink on the plastron to indicate septicemia...maybe pneumonia? he does open his mouth when i pick him up but he's probably just freaked the hell out. No eating, either.
 

Robber

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You need to get water temp up to mid 70s, a 100 watt heater should do the trick for now.

You probably should add some water conditioner(bottle of it is less than $10) to reduce some of the chemicals in it.

He won't eat stuff out of the water; place the lettuce on the surface and he may nibble on it if he is warm/secure enough.

He may have bumped his beak on something in the tank while frantically scrambling around?

They are very active swimmers and a single male should have at least 55G in my opinion.
 

crimson_lotus

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You need to get water temp up to mid 70s, a 100 watt heater should do the trick for now.

You probably should add some water conditioner(bottle of it is less than $10) to reduce some of the chemicals in it.

He won't eat stuff out of the water; place the lettuce on the surface and he may nibble on it if he is warm/secure enough.

He may have bumped his beak on something in the tank while frantically scrambling around?

They are very active swimmers and a single male should have at least 55G in my opinion.

Thank you for your response! I will go out and get some water conditioner when I can.

I went out 2 days ago and purchased what I think is a 40 gallon that i will be using until I at least know what I'm doing. He has a water temperature of low to mid 70's and a basking spot of 80-90 under the MVB. I bought a tetra whisper filter for 20 gallons since I'm only filling the tank up halfway, but the tank is still pretty dirty. Not sure if it's working as well as it should. Should I get a stronger filter?

I also bought a water heater of 60w that seems to keep the temps above 70, as my house temp is about 65 degrees.

I tried last night to place him in a plastic bin, fill it up with water, and dump various foods like shrimp, mazuri turtle food, and reptomin sticks and he didn't budge. He did poop what appeared to me as a darkish red glob so I'm a bit nervous about this guys health.

I think he may have bumped his beak on something because a piece of his beak did come off a bit later.

What water level would you recommend for this guy? I have the tank filled to about 1/2 at the moment. I can share pictures later.
 

Robber

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Thank you for your response! I will go out and get some water conditioner when I can.

I went out 2 days ago and purchased what I think is a 40 gallon that i will be using until I at least know what I'm doing. He has a water temperature of low to mid 70's and a basking spot of 80-90 under the MVB. I bought a tetra whisper filter for 20 gallons since I'm only filling the tank up halfway, but the tank is still pretty dirty. Not sure if it's working as well as it should. Should I get a stronger filter?

I also bought a water heater of 60w that seems to keep the temps above 70, as my house temp is about 65 degrees.

I tried last night to place him in a plastic bin, fill it up with water, and dump various foods like shrimp, mazuri turtle food, and reptomin sticks and he didn't budge. He did poop what appeared to me as a darkish red glob so I'm a bit nervous about this guys health.

I think he may have bumped his beak on something because a piece of his beak did come off a bit later.

What water level would you recommend for this guy? I have the tank filled to about 1/2 at the moment. I can share pictures later.
They like deep water so I would fill it as much as you can. It will help with staying clean longer too. On that note, a 40 gallon tank with a turtle should have at least 60-80 gal worth of filtration. Looking at it another way, you need to turn the water over at least twice an hour. I have two Ouachita maps in a 75 gallon during the winter(they live in a 300 gallon pond during warm months) and the pump/filter runs 300 gal/hr and it stays nice.
 

crimson_lotus

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Thanks for your help! I just purchased a Fluval 306 as my Tetra Whisper 20i is clearly not enough plus some Reptisafe.

Do you use any tube vacuum things to change the water? I've read it's best to clean out 50% of the water once a week.
 

Alex Z

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Thanks for your help! I just purchased a Fluval 306 as my Tetra Whisper 20i is clearly not enough plus some Reptisafe.

Do you use any tube vacuum things to change the water? I've read it's best to clean out 50% of the water once a week.


Hi there, hope I can help. I have 2 juveniles. They live in a 55g. I have a fluval fx4 doing the heavy lifting. They are powerful swimmers and love deep water. They have a turtle topper. There temp is 78 and love to bask for hours. Add in a few hiding spots and you can go with river rocks or sand.
 
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