| general
|
| description |
They are bottom-dwelling
freshwater turtle inhabiting muddy rivers of North and
Central America |
| distribution |
U.S.A. and Canada
(Canadian Southern border to central South America)
code : CA, US
|
| adult
size |
8 cm (3 inches) to 15 cm (6 inches)
|
| subspecies |
Sternotherus carinatus - Razor-backed Musk Turtle
Sternotherus depressus - Flattened Musk Turtle
Sternotherus minor - Loggerhead Musk Turtle
Sternotherus minor peltifer - Stripe-neck Musk Turtle
Sternotherus odoratus - Stinkpot Musk Turtle
|
| housing |
| natural
habitats |
Semi-aquatic,
Cryptic;
Still or slow moving bodies of water |
| aquarium |
Musk turtles do a great deal of " bottom walking
" . Because of this, it suggest using shallow water
to allow them to easily reach the surface to breathe
and the water depth of 2 to 4 inches (5 to 10 cm)
Land area is necessary, with one end built up with
rocks to provide a dry basking spot
|
| activity
period |
Nighttime (nocturnal);
give heat and help monitoring by infrared lamps (e.g.
Nightlight Red Bulb, Infrared
Heat Lamp) where the light is invisible for it but
humans |
| temperature |
32 - 34 ¢XC -- basking
spot (e.g. Basking
Spot Lamp)
25 - 28 ¢XC -- cooler area (e.g. Daylight
Blue Bulb)
22 - 23 ¢XC -- at night (e.g. Nightlight
Red Bulb, Infrared
Heat Lamp, Ceramic
Heat Emitter) |
| diet |
|
wild diet |
Carnivorous (meat-eating);
crayfish, snails, insects and worms may make up a large
part of their diet. Some vegetable matter such as duckweed
is also taken |
| captive
food |
Fish (e.g. minnows, goldfish),
crayfish, shrimps, insects, Aquatic
Turtle Food |
| note |
Be careful not to overfeed
your Sternotherus. It is recommend only feeding 2 to 3
times a week for adult turtles and every day or every
other day for the rapidly growing hatchlings |
| reproduction |
| reproduction |
Oviparous, musk turtles
will lay 1 to 6 eggs in a hole they dig in sand or under
grass and leaves |
