Snapping turtle breed - Info needed! MONARC23! **PICS ADDED**

[Goat_Walker]

My dad had a hissy when he brought it home and I told him it wasnt a snapper. But he stood behind me when I posted this thread to make sure i put snapper on there.

SO a Musk turtle. Do they have fangs like a musk deer?

 

[geepy]

My brother has raised a couple of musk turtles. Down south we call them "stink pots" LOL. If you need any more info I can ask my brother. Just let me know. Watch out because they can get nippy.

By the way we just released an american snapper that we found in the road, and was almost dead. It did not look like your turtle at all.

 

[Goat_Walker]

Most likely we are going to watch and study him for a day or two and then release him back into the wild, aka, our pond.

 

[Epona142]

Awww, a stinker!!

These are my all time favorite turtles. I've got one here I've had for 12 years, bred him myself.

Stinkers love shallow water and do like to haul out on a rock, despite what some people say.

They might not be "pretty" and yeah they can smell but...I love my stinkers.

 

[gypsy2621]

You can give it lettuce once in a while even though it has no value, its a treat,

nice little musk, I wish we had them here , but they are so few and far between.

 

[Goat_Walker]

I just brought my dad in here to show him the link and he was all " bring up a picture of an alligator turtle" so I did, then he was " No, a BABY alligator turtle." Im like, dad, the shell will be no different on a baby thanit is on an adult.
So i pull it up and he admits defeat!

Yesterday there was a dead water mocassin in the road and he tried to tell me it was a rattle snake!

I love the older people in the world, but when they say something like it is fact and it is so obviously not, well I just cant help but laugh! we were at the zoo the other day, Looking at the meerkats ( sis had a softball game at the field across the street) and this dad says to his six year old son " LooK, a chipmunk!"

 

[geepy]

Just for dads sake. Are your sure it was a mocassin? Banded water snakes look almost like a mocassin.

 

[starrwalker]

This is a Musk Turtle - I am a licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator and come across these from time to time -
although I cannot support the keeping of a wild animal I will give you a few pointers if you choose to do so
-he will need an semi - aquatic enviroment
you need at least 10 gallons of tank per inch of shell - I would say a 55 gallon setup with about 12 inches of water and a ramp to a dry area would do. Diet of protiens from live bugs & fish ( you can try worms and feeder goldfish )will eat some veg. however cannot live off of this. Also will need natural sunlight for shell growth a special bulb can be used if needed. Best of luck

 

[Epona142]

12 inches of water is TOO much for a musk turtle!!

I agree completely with ten gallons per inch of shell, I even posted that earlier, but musk and mud turtles are NOT strong swimmers and prefer shallow water. I never have it more than four times their height.

I have successful bred Stenothernus oderus many times, and those are my experiences. I've heard of stinkers drowning in tanks with water too deep for them.

 

[mwdh1]

Okay, I can see the experts have stepped in, so I am going to back away from this thread slowly and hope I don't get caught in the crossfire.