# Musk Turtles as pets



## supatips (May 29, 2012)

I have a few questions for anyone who owns them if they would indulge me for a moment 

Are they messy creatures and do they smell at all? 

Can they survive out of water for long 

Will they live in a pond during the summer (rocks etc to get out if they want)

Are they aggressive at all or placid like tortoises and would I have the same problems as I would with two male tortoises being housed together and would I have an issue with them come tank cleaning time 

Are they expensive to keep 

Am I right in think typical size is around 12cm fully grown and how long for them to get full size if indeed you can put a time frame on it 

Thanks


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## zekee (Sep 14, 2011)

Plenty of reading out there on the care of musks, take a look at the website in my signature it should answer any questions you may have, oh and no they dont stink


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## supatips (May 29, 2012)

Thanks that was a great help


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

They only stink if you don't keep them clean! All turtles are fairly messy, but with the right setup with good filtration that shouldn't be a problem.

They can spend hours out of water at a time, but that should always be by their chice, not yours.

Yes they can live in a pond during the summer, in fact they can live in it all year round, but don't expect to see much of them. I have an escapee living in y large pond and have only seen her about half a dozen times in the past 18 months, in fact for the first 14-15 months I diodn't see her at all and didn't even know she was in there! Also, short of draining the pond or setting traps, recapturing them might not be easy!

Aggression can be an issue, especially between males, and also male to female aggression if you don't have a suitable M/F ratio.

Cost is relative, it depends what you call expensive? A correct setup could cost a few hundred pounds initially, although with a little ingenuity this can often be reduced considerably.

Yes 12cm is about full adult size, and under normal circumstances they could reach this in around 4-5 years. They never really stop growing though, although the growth rate eventually becomes so slow that it's hard to notice, after a while they tend to become bulkier rather than longer.


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## supatips (May 29, 2012)

Thanks for taking the time to answer of my questions 

The aggression sounds similar to tortoises in that respect I was more concerned with aggression towards me! When cleaning time comes moving them elsewhere etc I dont fancy getting bitten. My tortoises are very tollerable of being moved etc when neccasary I wondered if turtles shared their placid nature in that respect. I was thinking along the lines of only getting one due to aggression towards one another 

What sort of tank dimensions would I be looking at for a hatchling and an adult the internet seems a little all over the place with them and I would like the opinion of an owner and would they hibernate in the pond over winter without me needing to disturb them (I am thinking the freezing weather but these can be found in Ontario not famed for its warm winters!) 

Regarding being out of water it was more with a veiw to a trip to the vets etc but it sounds like a tub with some tank water in would be the better idea 

Thanks again


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

Oh you shouldn't really have any problems handling them, I mean they may bite if you wave a finger in front of them, it does look like a big worm after all, but they're unlikely to just go for you for no reason!

A standard 24 x 12 x 12 will do for the first year, after that a fully grown adult ideally requires a minimum of about 160 litres of water, there nmay be better alternatives to tanks though, just depends what sort of setup you want.

Yes in a pond they do hibernate and you don't need to disturb them, as I said it's not something I would particularly recommend though. I leave my Painteds outside all year round, but at least I get to see a lot of them during the warmer months, but Musks you almost may as well not have them!

For trips to the vet etc a plastic tub filled with wet sphagnum moss is ideal, water sloshes around and the turt gets bashed about, but they burrow into moss and it provides padding.


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## supatips (May 29, 2012)

Do you need to bother using a heater for the water in the tank if kept indoors all year round? 

Also am I correct in thinking they do not require cites certificates 

Sorry for what is an endless barrage of questions but I want to get my research done before I take the pluge


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## zekee (Sep 14, 2011)

Adult turtles will do fine with room temperature water 20-21c, hatchlings will require warmer water 24-26c. No need for a cites certificate with a musk. Ask all the questions you need, you can never do enough research..


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## Paul112 (Apr 6, 2007)

Here's a caresheet that I put together a while ago:

_Sternotherus odoratus_ caresheet

Very nice animals, lots of character!

Best,
Paul


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## supatips (May 29, 2012)

Thanks again everyone 

Just one final question 

In the event of a powercut what is the best thing to do 

Years ago we had tropical fish and the power went off overnight while we were sleeping because we were not able to turn the temp up gradually as we would have normally done to get them back up to regular temps the water got too warm to quickly and some of the fish died 

I wouldn't have the same problem with a turtle would I? 

I know its very worse case scenario but I like to be prepared for anything!


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

If the power is out for a few hours it's nothing to worry about, if it was a day or more then you'd need to make some alternative arrangements for heating and lighting, this would depend on the age of the animal and time of year though.


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## supatips (May 29, 2012)

Thanks 

What kind of alternate arrangments would be reccomended 

Trying to cover all my bases!


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

Well putting them in the sun is an option if it's summer and you've got no lighting or heating, in winter you could move the tank near a radiator assuming your C/H is still working, with luck though the days of long power cuts are long gone, back in the 70s they could be a real problem!


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## Shellsfeathers&fur (Jan 18, 2009)

Graham said:


> ... with luck though the days of long power cuts are long gone, back in the 70s they could be a real problem!


Three day weeks, candles, sugar shortage, petrol etc. 

Don't suppose there are many of us on here that remember! :lol2:


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

Ah the good old days, bin men and even undertakers on strike, huge piles of black bin bags in every street and bodies piling up in the morgues, in comparison there's very little to complain about these days!


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## supatips (May 29, 2012)

I just remember what happened with the fish I think that was just sods law the time of year and the lenght of time the electric was off and the fact it happend while we were sleeping 

But turtles are much a much hardier customer speaking of hardy customers would they eat live mussels if I put them in the tank I hear they are great at helping filtration 

I know keeping things in a tank with them is quite a touchy subject where I have been reading 

Thanks again for the help everyone


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