stinkpot aka musk turtle needs help

[syddakyd]

i have always been interested in them since they are way different then the common basking turtles. anyways. its about 4.5 inches in a 15g with 5 inches of water and has a 'basking' spot even though they never use them but just incase.

the first two days it was eating freeze dried krill and waxworms. i bought other food for it like pellets and fish. it stopped eating completely. then, its eyes clouded over and it kept scratching them. so, i kept cleaning the water making it pristine so its eyes would heal, and they did. it seemed to be shedding b/c i seen peices of dead skin around the tank so i thought maybe that was why it wasnt eating but that was a few days ago. it hasnt ate since last tuesday although now it looks healthy.

[Max]

What are the water temps and is he wild caught or did you get him from a pet shop? In either case it sounds like he may have some sort of a parasite with a secondary infection. I'd take him to a good herp vet just to make sure. Make sure you wear gloves and use hand sanatizer etc. after handeling it .

[syddakyd]

temp = 78 degrees. wasnt told by i assume he is wild caught i got him last week at a reptile show. yea im real careful about germs and all that. im going to to try raising the temp. to 84 and see if that stimulates its appetite.

also, if i add it to my pond is it more then likely to stay since its not really a swimming type of turtle? its probably too late to add it this time of year should of done it in like mid june

[Vicious_Fish]

I have a 2 inch year old Stinkpot. They are great turtles and aren't too hard to care for. I would also recommend raising the water temperature up to 80. Even though they don't bask, you should still provide them with a place to bask and a UVB light.

Feed a varied diet of Reptamin pellets, shimp pellets, crickets, freeze-dried shrimp, frozen shimp, aquatic insects, small amounts of raw fish and tuna, and a few cichlid pellets every now and then. Remember, a varied diet is key to keeping any herp healthy.

You could keep your turtle in your pond as long as it is escape proof. And stinkpots are excellent escape artist and are one of the best climbing turtles out there.

[syddakyd]

well, taking out the filter and heater and light seemed to have made it happy. now that its in a dimly lit room with room temperature water it is eating non stop. who would of thought. this may be the lowest to maintain reptile

[Vicious_Fish]

well, taking out the filter and heater and light seemed to have made it happy. now that its in a dimly lit room with room temperature water it is eating non stop. who would of thought. this may be the lowest to maintain reptile

My Musk turtle is pretty shy too and as soon as I turn off his light in the evening, he comes out of his little cave to hunt around in his tank. You should only have to feed your turtle 2-3 times a week. They can get fat and overweight very easily. If he stops eating remember to bump his water temperature back up into the the hight 70's. Good luck!