HELPPPP!!!! musk turtle!

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turtlesrock

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Oct 9, 2009
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Ive had a baby musk turtle for 4 1/2 months now and it hasn't eaten yet. It had a yolk when i got it and it still does. do yolks tend to last this long?? also its shell is super soft. is this normal??

I am worried about him.
ANY advice is welcome!
 
No it isnt by any means normal! Where did you got your turtle? At what temp are you keeping it? He isnt able to eat anything because the yolk prevents him from boing so, it should have been absorved long ago. It could be retained, which Im afrai its bad news.
 
if its a baby that had a yolk sack when you got it, its eaten in the past 4 1/2 months. i garuntee it.

what food have you tried?
 
Move it to a shallow tank or tub with only about an inch of warm water in it so you can monitor if it's eating or not. Try some bloodworms, chopped up earthworms, chopped up shrimp or fish and Reptomin. Don't worry about the soft shell yet. Most baby turtles have them for the first year of so of life.
 
It would likely not pass up wriggling live black worms. In the future if you continue to collect from the wild and cannot get them to eat the processed foods you're offering, try live foods and provide lots of variety.

It is always a very good idea to use what would be available to them where you collected them as well. Flip submerged stones or logs and grab up any invertebrates with a net and offer them if possible to get the animal eating.

You might also find it helpful to put the turtle in with another turtle of the same size that is already eating well to get it to feed competitively, although this needs to be done carefully so you know if both turtles are indeed feeding.
 
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