Turtle Lighting

[cortezknight]

I have a eastern mud turtle tank that doesn't have any sort of heat lamp. I have had her for a year now and I take her outside from time to time to get some sun. She's pretty healthy but will she continue to be?

 

[BrianWI]

Yea, she should be good. I used to keep wild ones when I was a kid in our backyard pond. They don't seem to need to bask much, some never did. I think they get their D3 from their food. If you have her outside as well, all the better. They are tough little turtles.

 

[cortezknight]

Yea, she should be good. I used to keep wild ones when I was a kid in our backyard pond. They don't seem to need to bask much, some never did. I think they get their D3 from their food. If you have her outside as well, all the better. They are tough little turtles.

Thanks for the information! I do realize that she usually moves out of the sun and tries to dig in the grass

 

[BrianWI]

What does she eat?

 

[cortezknight]

What does she eat?

Freeze dried meal worms/crickets and raw chicken

 

[BrianWI]

You should offer some dark greens, Try dandelion. May take a lot of offerings to get her to try them.

 

[Markw84]

Freeze dried meal worms/crickets and raw chicken

Try to get her on some good pellet as well. Like @BrianWI mentioned, they do get some D3 from scavenging fish, etc. So a good pellet like Mazuri Aquatic, or reptomin will give that D3. However, they do synthesize D3. The bottom crawlers, like mud, musk, snappers all bask by hanging in shallower water in the weeds or hanging near the surface in weeds. UVB actually penetrates water quite well. Most don't realize that as we know glass and plastics, etc all filter UVB, but water does not. So they pick up plenty of UVB even a foot or so below the water.

 

[BrianWI]

Try to get her on some good pellet as well. Like @BrianWI mentioned, they do get some D3 from scavenging fish, etc. So a good pellet like Mazuri Aquatic, or reptomin will give that D3. However, they do synthesize D3. The bottom crawlers, like mud, musk, snappers all bask by hanging in shallower water in the weeds or hanging near the surface in weeds. UVB actually penetrates water quite well. Most don't realize that as we know glass and plastics, etc all filter UVB, but water does not. So they pick up plenty of UVB even a foot or so below the water.

We had clear, sand bottom lakes where I lived, 3 really close by. Used to love watching them walk along the bottom, never really swimming, like little underwater tortoises. I think their "sunning" equivalent was getting in the shallow reeds and sitting looking like a rock.

 

[Markw84]

We had clear, sand bottom lakes where I lived, 3 really close by. Used to love watching them walk along the bottom, never really swimming, like little underwater tortoises. I think their "sunning" equivalent was getting in the shallow reeds and sitting looking like a rock.

Exactly! I have Razorback and Stinkpot in my pond. With the windows, it's really interesting to watch them patrol the bottom like little bulldogs!

 

[BrianWI]

Exactly! I have Razorback and Stinkpot in my pond. With the windows, it's really interesting to watch them patrol the bottom like little bulldogs!

They are my favorite water turtle. I think the OP will be good between his feeding and taking them outside. I do always recommend feeding pellets as well, as you said. So helpful in rounding out a diet.

 

[juli11]

I only keep K. cruentatum from this genus. And I keep them with a lamp because they sit outside from time to time and really use it.
I also keep Sternotherus odaratus and carnitus. This genus is really familiar with kinnosternon. But I only see that the southern type of odaratus use the outside sun spot.
So what I wanna say is that the southern the turtle live the more it needs a basking spot and a lamp.
Do you know from where your turtles come?

 

[cortezknight]

I only keep K. cruentatum from this genus. And I keep them with a lamp because they sit outside from time to time and really use it.
I also keep Sternotherus odaratus and carnitus. This genus is really familiar with kinnosternon. But I only see that the southern type of odaratus use the outside sun spot.
So what I wanna say is that the southern the turtle live the more it needs a basking spot and a lamp.
Do you know from where your turtles come?

I got her from the middle of the road

 

[juli11]

I got her from the middle of the road

Okay in which state do you live? More in the south or more in the north?

 

[Anthony P]

Kinosternon species and the Musk species are quite different in behavior. My Mud Turtles basked as often as many other "pond" turtle species as far as I have experienced. I would say lighting is important.

 

[cortezknight]

Okay in which state do you live? More in the south or more in the north?

North carolina

 

[cdmay]

Since you're keeping her indoors in an aquarium set-up I would recommend using UVA/UVB bulbs in a typical aquarium reflector. While eastern mud turtles don't typically bask as much as other species, I've absolutely observed wild eastern muds basking in north Florida creeks. And as was mentioned above, they do get natural sunlight even when prowling around in the vegetated shallows that they seem to prefer in the wild.
It would be a minor expense to purchase an aquarium light unit and good quality UVA/UVB bulbs are readily available at decent pet and aquarium stores.
True, they are a bit expensive, but then you may have this turtle for decades if you care for her properly.