Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i will be getting a hatchling common musk (stinkpot) and i would like to know if my set up is ok
20 gallon long filled with 3" of water, is this too deep?
large rocks/gravel covering the bottom, this is my main concern. i bought a large bag of decorative garden rocks/gravel from my local garden center, it was only 5.99 for a 40lb bag compared to petshop gravel i saved a bundle. i did not use the whole 40lbs instead i picked out the rocks i thought would be best,about 1/2" - 2" size, the largest smoothest ones i can find. i believe they are eggrocks, many of them were broken so some arent so smooth. will this hurt the turtles bottom shell? im worried he may get scratched. also the rocks were very very sandy. i rinsed them the best i can until the water was clear but when i added it to the tank it was still cloudy. this morning it was all clear thanks to the filter but i was wondering if this kind of rock is safe? can it be poisonous? being that it didnt come from a petstore?
and about water temp, the temp is 79 and the basking area is 85 is this too cool for a baby? should i raise the temp?

As long as the rocks aren't rough, they shouldn't hurt your turtles shell. As far as water temps and basking temps, the ones you posted seem close to the correct range. And the rocks shouldn't be poisonous to your turtle. If you want, you can boil them in a pot for a few minutes, let them cool, and then put em back in the tank. Heres a link to a website that has a caresheet on stinkpots: www.austinsturtlepage.com On the main page, click on "caresheets" and then on "muds and musks".

I have kept a prize winning Common Musk Turtle for about 11 or 12 years now. I have never had a problem with gravel and neither should you so long as it is too big for the turtle to ingest. Larger rock on the tank bottom should also be ok but only as long as they are secure and cannot be toppled by the turtle. If they fall off one another onto the turtle, or if they form crevices into which the turtle can crawl, the turtle could possiblybecome wedged between or under them not allowing it to reach the surface for air.

As far as filtration goes, be very careful about current with hatchling musk turtles. A weak current from a filter is best. You don't want the turtle not being able to reach the surface because of the current, it might drown. Since the tank is that big, which is a great size for so small a turtle, there will probably be an area with less current that the turtle will discover is easiest regarding where to reach the surface.

As to those temps, a basking spot of up to 90 degrees Fahrenheit is ok, 85 is acceptable. My Common Musk Turtle rarely basks. In my experience, a water temperature of 79 is actually on the high side for them. Mine have preferred temperatures that were in the mid to low seventies. It even does well with temps in the hight 60's in the winter - it continues to feed and remains active - just at a bit slower pace. I find higher temps, those anything above 75 degrees seem to stress my Musk Turtle if the higher temperature is maintained for more than a couple of days.

Best of luck with it, hatchlings can sometimes be a bit difficult but are well worth the effort you put into them. If it makes it to a few months old and grows well in that time, you will be able to expect a turtle that will live to up to 50 years of age. Definitely a long term commitment - longer than most marriages.

Best regards,
Glenn B

One other thing I forgot. I use gravel from Home Depot all of the time. I use naturally colored gravel, it has never hurt any of the turtles I have kept. I agree that prices at the pet shopp are wayt o high for something as dirt cheap as gravel. Giving it a good washing before using it is important, stir it as you wash it, then dump off the water, refill the container, stir it again, dump the water, refill, stir again - as you do this it will come out pretty clean, usualy by the third washing.

I appreciate your response to this old thread.
I have kept many species of mud turtle since the early 70s but I have never kept a common musk turtle! I actually never thought about their temp requirements or the fact that they would like it cooler than tropical muds.
Would like to see a photo of your long termer too.

best pic I have, and I don't have many.

one more try

is that a wild caught adult or did you raise it from a hatchling?
Still has carapace streaks, nice.