Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey everone,

My girlfriend and I have recently come across quite a large group of musk turtles. From one individual, we obtained a common musk(f) and a razorback (f). From another individual, we obtained a chippas giant musk(m), a razorback(m), and 2.5 common musks. At the time, I already had a male common musk.

I'm interested in creative ways to house these animals. Ease of cleaning is obviously important, because it will ensure that it gets done on a regular basis. Lets face it, hard to clean enclosures usually aren't as clean as easy ones. I don't really like aquariums. Cost is the other issue.

It is obvious that the giant musk needs to be housed by himself. He's just a beast, even though he's only 6 inches. However, I'm unsure as to the compatability between the other musks. My original thought was to house the razorbacks together since they are a pair.

I had already imagined that common musk males will probably fight with each other. The previous owner of that large group said that all of his commons fought when placed together.

Is there a typical size of enclosure that could house a large group of females without aggression?

Are there any creative ideas out there for linking tanks together so one filter (probably wet/dry) and heater can accomodate a large number of turtles? I'm looking at rubbermaid bins and bulkheads as an idea, but I'm running into a lot of potential walls.

Any ideas or comments are welcome. Asthetics are unimportant to me. I'll house in stock bins, plastic, or glass if I can find an easier way to clean.

Thanks,
Dave

Well I can take a few off your hands for you =).

I think your on the right track thinking stock tanks and large rubbermaids. I think thats the best way to go in your situation. I have seen people link stock tanks together before but it was only 2 and they had a "tunnel" connecting the stock tanks so the turtles could move from one tub to the other. In your case you do not want to do this.

Keeping pairs together is fine as long as you want them to breed. If you do, your going to need a land mass where they can lay. I would not house 2 males in the same enclosure, nor would I mix species. Keeping 1.2 would be fine though. It all depends on the turtles personality. Some females get along, others dont. You will just have to see what works.

I can not picture using one filter on that many enclosures. I would see problems with the intake and output making the water in the tanks different levels. It would basically be like draining the tank with the intake and filling the tank with the output. You would need a series of pipes to connect all the tanks with like mesh in between them so the turtles could not enter another tub. If you dont want to spend a bunch of money you can make some filters using a container filled with media and a pump. Theres lots of ideas out there, just search the web for DIY pond filters.
Good Luck,
Chris
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Hey whats up, I'm Chris and I currently have 1.0 Softy, 0.0.1 Midland Painted, 1.0 Bearded Dragon

Thanks for the quick response! I usually don't post in this forum and other forums on kingsnake usually have slow responses.

I was pretty sure males would fight and yes, I'm interested in breeding. If I kept 1.2 stinkpots, how many gallons would I need?

What size tank are my best odds for keeping the 1.1 razorback?

I'm really good with DIY filters, having made many sumps for saltwater tanks. I have most of the supplies already. I guess I just need to assess whether it would be better doing this or having individual powerhead filters heaters for each tank...

Dave

>>Thanks for the quick response! I usually don't post in this forum and other forums on kingsnake usually have slow responses.
>>
>>I was pretty sure males would fight and yes, I'm interested in breeding. If I kept 1.2 stinkpots, how many gallons would I need?
>>
>>What size tank are my best odds for keeping the 1.1 razorback?
>>
>>I'm really good with DIY filters, having made many sumps for saltwater tanks. I have most of the supplies already. I guess I just need to assess whether it would be better doing this or having individual powerhead filters heaters for each tank...
>>
>>Dave

Probably the cheapest thing you could do is get a 150 gallon stock tank, fill it with obstacles(logs, rocks, etc) and make sure you have a decent size basking spot. You can also take ply wood and make a nesting box for them. In this setup, you could keep both the Razors and Common Musks. I've kept Loggerheads and Razors together before with no problems. The only thing you'll want to watch out for is possible aggression between the common musks. Otherwise you should be fine with that type of a setup.

If you were to use aquariums, you could use a 55 gallon for the commons, with an out of tank basking platform. And another 55 gallon tank for the razors with an out of tank basking platform.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.
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Jeff H.
http://www.jandsherps.com

Well are you going with stock tanks? I would say a 150gal would be plenty big enough for a trio of musks. They have 50gals out there that would work well pairs. Personally I think it would be to much of a hassle using only 1 filter. I would just make filters for each enclosure. That way, say if a turtles sick, your not infecting every turtle. Just a thought...
Chris
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Hey whats up, I'm Chris and I currently have 1.0 Softy, 0.0.1 Midland Painted, 1.0 Bearded Dragon