Common musk turtle questions.

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RobE

RobE

Candiru
MFK Member
Aug 17, 2008
440
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46
Seminole, FL
I am new to turtles and picked up a common musk last weekend. Hes about 2.5" long and eats anything i drop in the tank. The questions i have are about lighting, i went ahead and put in a uvb bulb knowing theyt dont really need it and i have a little basking area for him. I dont know if i should set up a heat lamp on the basking area, i see some info that says yes and others that say its not needed. I will if it will help but i dont really want to set the lamp up if its not going to be used. Next i was going to put some plants in there for cover and if he wants to graze and would like some suggestions on what type to use. At his size how often should he be fed? He quickly eats up everything i put in there and i dont want to feed him to much. We are really enjoying the new addition to our zoo, thanks in advance for any input. Rob
 
I have never bothered with a heat lamp for mine but i always provided a small basking spot for them (which they rarely used). Just make sure the temperature does not get too cold, 75 is a safe low- range temp but 80-85 is much better.
 
Are you refering to water temp or air temp? If water i have the heater set at 76 deg, if air i am in trouble because 75 is the hottest my house gets. I keep it cold!
 
I have a basking light for my pair even though they never use but I still like to provide it just in case. I keep my water temp around 78 F.
 
Thanks for the input. Anyone have suggestions on plants? I wanted to get another musk so i can have a pair and was wondering how they tend to get along. The ones available locally are around 1". How would a 2.5" turle do with a 1" turtle?
 
you should not have a problem with them being together but keep an eye on them for the first few days especially during feedings. Also, most any aquatic plant will do fine, they don't really bother them if they are fed properly.
 
I don't know about mixing those sizes. A small 1" baby could easily be injured or killed by a larger one. See if you can find a bigger sized turtle or perhaps grow out the baby in a separate tank for a while. When I first introduced my female stinkpot to my male he followed her around for a bit and nipped at her shell and feet.
 
So at 2.5" should i feed every day or every other day? Sorry about all the questions i just want to make sure i have a healty turtle.;)
 
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