Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So, yeah, that's about it.... I would like to know, in general, what is your experience on compatibility and general attitude with these turtles. I've heard many can be very sweet, but before purchasing one I would like to know what your thoughts are.

Don't get me wrong, I know every animal is an individual, but its just a question on my mind

Many muds and musks can be very aggressive toward others of their own species, as adults. For the most part they have a good attitude. Just make sure that if you keep more than one, that they have a large enclosure.

See I have a midland painted that I would have it in with...and she isn't mature yet....I'd like to get a mud that is a little smaller then her to be honest, because I've gotten a new home for her little brother (he was a clutchmate) that had been beating her up.

She is just a placid turtle and I've been reading that they, muds and painteds can live together, I just don't want her getting torn up yanno? There are alot of "internet doctors" out there, so I'd rather have responses here from people with personal experience.

I think that would be perfectly safe. I have always kept muds and musks with other turtles like that. Go for it!

How big is the tank, and how big will the permanent tank be?

My male eastern mud bit the tail off of the female eastern mud. She recovered fine, but I learned my lesson. At a nature center I noticed a painted turtle being kept with an eastern mud in a 30 long - the painted turtle was missing part of it's tail, too, and had some wounds on it's hind feet. Yet another nature center has a pair of eastern muds in a very large indoor pond with other aquatics, but there are also many hiding places, and the muds stick to those while the larger turtles ignore that area - they have no problems there. If you have a VERY large enclosure, and hiding spaces seperate from the basking area (so no body parts are passing directly over a mud turtle hiding area), then it might be OK. Otherwise, I wouldn't mix.

FYI, male painteds can be VERY aggressive - no one ever told me this, I'm learning as I go in rescue, and I've getting in more and more calls about male painteds beating up on other turtles. I've gotten in a few other turtles that were kept in cramped conditions with male painteds, and they all had wounds of some sort. I don't see this problem with male sliders, what about others here?

Katrina

Hmmm...ok, see the current setup would likely just be my 55. I am in fact, going to purchase a 75 (yay for employee discounts! ) but that will be in a little bit of time.

As I said, my male painted was a real jerk to the female. Personally I find her to be as nice as can be....he however, was not. I just fear sticking another turtle with her that may get nippy....I'd rather her not get beat up yanno?

Maybe its time to look into some fish....heh

Al

If you get enough fish at one time, some of them are likely to live on to be decoration - I have several rosy reds with my mud turtles that are ignored now. I also have some sort of guppy/mesquito irridescent-looking little fish that came in with a bucket of water hyacinth and lettuce. I kept a dish pan of the stuff on my deck for a month and didn't notice the fish until I was taking out plants for a display - and found them in the bucket at the expo! Guess they came in as eggs, because they were a lot smaller when I found them.

Katrina