Mary Allen
The musk turtle is an aquatic turtle that is often kept as a pet these days. Musk turtles originally came from the southeast of the USA. It is particularly common on the Atlantic coast and in Florida.
It is also often sighted on the Mississippi and in Alabama. There it lives in lakes, ponds, and rivers. Sometimes she also stays in slow-flowing canals. However, the otherwise quite undemanding turtles do not get along with brackish water.
Musk turtles owe their popularity as pets to their size. It stays relatively small and therefore looks very cute. In general, the turtles are between 8 and 13 cm tall and weigh between 150 g and 280 g.
Since the musk turtles come from warm regions, they like temperatures around 25 degrees Celsius very much. The water can be a maximum of 28 degrees Celsius in summer, and 22 degrees Celsius in winter is fine.
The water should not be warmer than the air, otherwise, the turtles may hibernate prematurely. The hibernation usually takes place between November and January.
In the wild, too, most animals fall into hibernation at this time. But in warm regions like Florida, turtles stay active even through the winter. In Florida, temperatures rarely fall below 10 degrees Celsius.
Musk turtles are mostly light brown, but there are also dark brown specimens. The carapace is rather narrow and elongated. The pattern is clearly visible but fades over life.
The head and legs are usually lighter than the carapace. However, the coloring often changes. Characteristic are the yellow stripes that run along with the head.
Most of the time the musk turtles stay in the water. In the wild, turtles only leave the water to lay their eggs or in stressful situations.
Nevertheless, they need an aqua terrarium with a land part. The aqua terrarium should be at least 100 cm long. The land part makes up about a third of the total area.
In a protected environment, the turtles come ashore much more often. A heat lamp is very suitable for heating the land part. The turtles often use the land part as a cozy sunbathing area.
The lamp should burn for 8 to a maximum of 14 hours. You can turn them off at night. A timer is very useful.
It is best to keep three animals together. So that peace reigns, one should make sure when buying that one acquires one male and two females. Then living together usually works out splendidly. A musk turtle should not be kept alone, otherwise, they will become lonely.
The food for musk turtles consists mainly of animal components. Musk turtles like to eat worms, pieces of fish, snails, and insects. The usual canned food for turtles is usually happily accepted. Dry food is usually not a problem either. Many musk turtles also like salad and fruit.
Since the musk turtle is not a pure vegetarian, it is not easy to socialize with small fish and snails. The fish may end up as a treat for the turtles.
It is exciting to watch the turtles. They are very agile and really good swimmers. They are also excellent climbers. Because of this, branches and roots are a real asset to the land part.
They usually come alive at dusk. During this time they hunt for insects in the wild. For this reason, it makes sense to feed the animals in the evening.
Overall, musk turtles are easy to keep, even for beginners. However, the tank should be large enough and well structured. Hiding places are very important to the animals.
The water doesn’t have to be too deep, although the turtles can cope with higher water levels. The transitions between water and land are important. There should be several opportunities for ascent in the water itself.
Big roots are very suitable. Musk turtles love to climb on land. In the summer months, musk turtles can also live in a small garden pond. However, this should have a very flat shore zone.
In addition, the pond should be in the sun, as the turtles like to sunbathe. The pond must be fenced off, otherwise, the turtles are guaranteed to disappear. Despite its size, the musk turtle is a very good climber.
Glass is unsuitable as the animals will hit their heads on it. It is best to use tall stones. In winter, the animals absolutely have to go back into the house.