- High Protein Content Food. The first thing you need to know about feeding your musk turtles is that they should be fed high protein diets.
- Fruits And Vegetables. Musk turtles are omnivores. That means that they will eat both fruits and vegetables. ...
- Commercial Foods. Some musk turtles like to eat commercial foods. This option is ideal for those who live in areas where it is difficult to find fresh foods.
- Turtle Food Mixes. Another option for feeding your Musk Turtles is to make your mixture of foods. ...
- Algae. Algae is one of the best sources of nutrients for Musk Turtles. You can also buy algae supplements for your Musk Turtles.
- Freshwater. Your musk turtles need clean and fresh water to stay healthy. They may not drink as much as other species, but they still require plenty of water.
What do musk turtles eat in the wild?
In the wild, the Common Musk Turtle would eat a wide variety of water fish and insects. They are primarily carnivorous, although they do sometimes eat certain algae. In captivity, providing a varied diet will help to ensure that they remain happy and healthy.
Can musk turtles eat catfish pellets?
An interesting observation is that musk turtles seem to crawl along the bottom of their cage looking for food, so food that sinks tends to be far more readily accepted than anything that floats. Catfish pellets have been designed specifically for bottom-feeding fish. They can therefore represent a cheap and easy food source for your musk turtle.
What do you feed a stinkpot turtle?
Commercial turtle pellets fed alongside high-protein foods such as earthworms, crickets, fish and shrimp are a good choice. Some Stinkpots may also enjoy grazing on leafy greens too, but don't be offended if they turn their nose up at them. The Common Musk Turtle is generally regarded as a healthy little species.
What is the best thing to feed a turtle?
There is nothing out there that can be named the best food. Instead the best thing that you can feed your turtle is a balanced diet, that contains pellets, fruits, vegetables and meat. Can turtles eat pasta?
How often should I feed my musk turtles?
Musk turtles less than 6 months old should be fed twice daily and turtles over 6 months old should be fed once every other day.
What do baby common musk turtles eat?
Young musk and mud turtles will feed on a variety of food. They love guppies and mosquito larvae and will feed on blackworms and small redworms and will soon begin taking a variety of commercial pelleted food. Most remain small, with Common Musk Turtles (Stinkpots) reaching only 4 inches.
What do musk turtles need in their tank?
Though common musk turtles may not choose to leave the water, a floating dock or other haul-out area should be provided should they want to bask. Although it's nearly entirely aquatic and seldom leaves the water, a basking area should still be provided for a pet common musk turtle.
How long can musk turtles go without food?
In terms of days, a turtle can survive around 160 days without food. However, they must also have access to water during this time period as well as a healthy amount of light.
Do musk turtles eat lettuce?
Avoid feeding your turtles vegetables that contain little to no nutritional value, such as mushrooms, cucumbers, and eggplants. Instead, provide the turtles with fresh, nutritious vegetables, such as kale, collard, mustard greens, lettuce, spinach, cabbage, celery, and watercress.
What fruit and veg can musk turtles eat?
Shredded carrots, squash, and zucchini are great foods that turtles can eat, too. You can also go with edible aquatic vegetation such as water lettuce, water hyacinth, and duckweed. “For fruits, consider shredded apples and melons, as well as chopped berries,” recommends Dr. Starkey.
Do musk turtles get lonely?
I suggest you keep just the one musks, its nonsense that they become lonely, in the wild they are solitary creatures only coming together to bask or mate. By keeping two, you may well encounter aggression, meaning 2 set ups.
How deep should the water be for a musk turtle?
Due to them being a ground walker rather than swimmer, provide a shallow water depth of 10-15cm (4-5 inches); increase this depth as they grow.
Do musk turtles need heated water?
Given that musk turtles are so highly aquatic, maintaining water temperature is key to their health. Chilly water is the fastest way to cause sickness in any captive turtle. A submersible heater should maintain water temperatures at 72 to 78 degrees (though some of my colleagues recommend 75 to 84 degrees).
Can turtles eat lettuce?
Is Lettuce Safe for Turtles? There isn't any type of lettuce that should be poisonous to a turtle. They can eat all kinds, and many varieties — like romaine and radicchio — are both nutritious and delicious for them. Iceberg, on the other hand, is basically just crunchy water.
What are the signs of a dying turtle?
Six Signs That Your Turtle Is DyingIncreased Basking.Lack of Appetite.Foaming/Bubbles At The Mouth and/or Nose.Lethargy.Whistling, Coughing, or Sneezing.Lopsided Swimming.Respiratory Infection.Shell Rot.More items...•
Do turtles need to eat everyday?
turtles don't need to eat every day,except for young turtles one to 3 years old. A turtle is consider adult at 7 years old. Adults should be feed every another day.
How do you take care of a baby musk turtle?
7:0911:03Musk Turtle Care Guide (the best beginner turtle?!) - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipEat anything really floating on the surface of the water i've seen some people have success withMoreEat anything really floating on the surface of the water i've seen some people have success with floating foods.
How much water does a baby musk turtle need?
An aquarium of 80 liters (20 gallons) is enough for one, and to keep two make sure you have an aquarium double that size! When your turtles are small, make sure your water is not too deep. This is because musk turtles are not great swimmers. They tend to sink to the bottom as they do not have an air bladder like fish.
Can musk turtles eat fish food?
Fish food is safe for turtles to eat, but it should not be part of their main diet. Fish food is not toxic to turtles and you do not have to fear if your turtle does end up eating a few bites worth.
Do musk turtles need a heat lamp?
Although common musk turtles do not always emerge from the water to bask, a basking light is essential for captive turtle health. High-quality UVB bulbs are especially necessary for helping turtles metabolize calcium and to avoid vitamin A and D3 deficiencies.
How to feed a musk turtle?
Placing food onto dry land very rarely elicits a feeding response in musk turtles. Instead, drop the food into the water infront of your turtle. If your turtle is hungry then it should start feeding rapidly. Note that some musk turtles can be quite shy.
What do musk turtles eat?
While musk turtles may eat the odd piece of pond weed in the wild , their diet is almost exclusively made up of meat. In captivity, this carnivorous diet can be supplemented with a number of specially-made turtle foods, which can make feeding your musk turtle much easier. Here are some of the best foods for your musk turtle:
How long does it take for musk turtles to eat roaches?
A better alternative here is known as “gut loading”. A mineral-rich supplement is fed to feeder insects like crickets or roaches for 24-48 hours, before the insects themselves are fed to your musk turtles. When your turtle eats the insect, they also benefit from all the nutrients inside the gut. Sale.
What kind of worms do turtles have?
Also available from aquarium shops are live bloodworms. These small, red aquatic worms are typically bought in a sealed plastic bag. Just snip the corner off and pour the bloodworms into your turtle tank.
Do musk turtles eat in water?
Observations in the wild have found that musk turtles do almost all their eating in the water – not on land. Furthermore, studies have shown that when the water temperature drops below 18’C musk turtles simply stop eating. The first step in feeding musk turtles is therefore ensuring that their water is warm enough.
Can musk turtles eat mussels?
Some keepers have found that bivalves like cockles and mussels are also readily accepted by musk turtles. Once again, however, be sure to limit the intake to avoid increasing sodium levels too rapidly.
Do musk turtles crawl?
An interesting observation is that musk turtles seem to crawl along the bottom of their cage looking for food, so food that sinks tends to be far more readily accepted than anything that floats.
1. High Protein Content Food
The first thing you need to know about feeding your musk turtles is that they should be fed high protein diets. It means turtles’ diet should contain more than 15% protein. The best sources of proteins are:
2. Fruits And Vegetables
Musk turtles are omnivores. That means that they will eat both fruits and vegetables.
3. Commercial Foods
Some musk turtles like to eat commercial foods. This option is ideal for those who live in areas where it is difficult to find fresh foods.
4. Turtle Food Mixes
Another option for feeding your Musk Turtles is to make your mixture of foods. This way, you can control what goes into the mix and ensure that it contains all the nutrients your turtle needs.
5. Algae
Algae is one of the best sources of nutrients for Musk Turtles. You can also buy algae supplements for your Musk Turtles. Algae is an excellent source of minerals and vitamins.
6. Freshwater
Your musk turtles need clean and fresh water to stay healthy. They may not drink as much as other species, but they still require plenty of water.
What do musk turtles eat?
What Vegetables Can Musk Turtles Eat? Written by Phyllis Kramer in Care Guides, Turtle Facts. Musk turtles love to eat, usually they will eat everything that you put in front of them, and this includes vegetables. But just because they can eat them, it doesn’t mean that every vegetable is good for them.
Why doesn't my musk turtle eat?
The only reason it doesn’t eat is because it’s used to other types of food, that are not as healthy, but a lot more tasty. After a couple weeks or a month of using this method, your musk turtle will start eating vegetables soon enough, and in the end it will also start to enjoy some of them.
Why do turtles have a lot of phosphorus?
Phosphorus is what gives turtle shells a little flexibility, which is great because this little extra flexibility makes them more resistant to bites and other types of impact. But too much phosphorus can also make the shell too soft, and as a result much weaker when it comes to defending the turtle from predators.
How to stop turtles from eating meat?
Start by reducing the amount of food that you give it and replacing it with vegetables. If it still doesn’t eat, replace more of its food with vegetables. Do this until it starts eating the vegetables.
Can you give musk turtles salad?
For example instead of giving your musk turtle iceberg salad, you could give it greenleaf salad which contains a lot ...
Can you feed musk turtles iceberg salad?
If in the past you used to feed your musk turtle some of those less nutritional vegetables, there is no problem, as I said they won’t harm your tulte.
Do turtles eat vegetables?
In general vegetables are regarded as great food sources that can help any person or animal maintain good health, but turtles don’t benefit in the same way from vegetables as we do. Some of the vitamins and nutrients from vegetables that help people remain healthy have little to no beneficial effect for turtles.
