Mud turtle ID

Okapizebra

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Hi everyone, my coworker was re-homing a teeny tiny mud turtle and I decided to bring him in! He is roughly the size of a quarter and extremely adorable. I am hoping someone can provide me some insight as to exactly what species he is so I can make sure temps and setup are perfectly suited for him. Pics attached!

Right now he is being kept in a filtered 10 gallon aquarium with lots of plants and hides for him to explore, and only a few inches of water. He has an 18 inch t8 10.0 UV tube and a 30 watt flood basking bulb. Being fed zoomed hatchling formula. Please let me know if there is anything else I should be aware of as far as their care.


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Pastel Tortie

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I'm thinking mud turtles have smoother carapaces at that age, and yours definitely has keels. It might be a stinkpot (common musk turtle).

Can you get a picture of the plastron?
 

Pastel Tortie

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Take a look at the care sheets at Austin's Turtle Page. Many of us refer to them.
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheets.htm

Read the care sheet for the stinkpot (common musk) in the musk turtle section. You might also be interested in the care sheets for three-striped mud turtles and Eastern Mud turtles.
 

Pastel Tortie

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Okapizebra

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Thank you!

Could someone advise me on how much he should be eating? Pic above for reference on size of pellets. Seems like he will keep eating forever and I don't want to overfeed him.
 

Pastel Tortie

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Thank you!

Could someone advise me on how much he should be eating? Pic above for reference on size of pellets. Seems like he will keep eating forever and I don't want to overfeed him.
Hatchlings can grow pretty quick when they're eating a lot. If you feed him in a smaller, separate container outside his tank, you can put just a few pellets in there with him, and add more as he finishes each course. When he starts slowing down and isn't as eager about eating the current/next course, you can back off and close the cafeteria.

You may be able to get creative and scoop up the turtle and some tank water all at the same time, using a small plastic container. If the turtle associates the plastic container with feeding time, you may end up with a self-loading turtle. :)
 

Okapizebra

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Feeding in the tank isn't really an issue for me. He gets water changes every week, plus his tank is filtered. I have many aquariums and his is so easy to clean compared to them!

He's already trained to come to the front of the glass and beg for food. Good to know that i'm not feeding too much. Is there a point where he should no longer be eating everyday?
 

Pastel Tortie

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He's already trained to come to the front of the glass and beg for food. Good to know that i'm not feeding too much. Is there a point where he should no longer be eating everyday?
HE will tell you that answer is No. ? When he tapers off on growth, you will eventually want to cut back a little bit on his overall intake. You can either cut down on the amount per day, or cut back on how many days a week you feed. You can float some lettuce or a few leafy greens in the tank in case he gets the munchies. You have a good while before you have to worry about that, though.

We (actually my other half) tried planting anacharis and some other plants in the mud turtle tank a couple weeks ago. They completely demolished the salad bar!
 

Okapizebra

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In case anyone was interested in an update, this little cutie is growing like a weed and doing great! His appetite is never ending and is always begging at the front of the tank. He's at least doubled in size now and is living his best life in a 29 gallon aquarium. 20201125_142929.jpg20201125_142903.jpg
 

Moozillion

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In case anyone was interested in an update, this little cutie is growing like a weed and doing great! His appetite is never ending and is always begging at the front of the tank. He's at least doubled in size now and is living his best life in a 29 gallon aquarium. View attachment 311757View attachment 311759
Gosh, he's GORGEOUS!!!! :<3:
You're obviously doing it RIGHT!!!?
 

Relic

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That's a great set-up; water is so clear it looks like he's on dry land...except for that tiney bubble on his chin.
 

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