Musk Turtle Tank Setup – Guide

Pets of any kind, aquatic ones also, bring so much joy to pet lovers.

Musk turtles are one of the pets that can amaze and mesmerize you.

With their small size, they are relatively easy to keep.

They do not require a bogus home or an intricate physical requirement.

A very well-set-up tank can safely keep the turtle.

The common musk turtle is small, about 3-5 inches in length.

The turtle is decent of the United States, majorly eastern and southern United States.

Natural Habitat

It is an aquatic animal that dwells in shallow waters.

Slow-moving and shallow streams and ponds give turtles ample shelter as these environments meet their essential needs.

The musk turtle is not entirely aquatic as it cools off on land occasionally.

Their favored water temperature ranges between 75-80⁰F.

A basking temperature of about 90⁰F is also perfect for the turtle.

As a defense mechanism, it has a musk gland from where it exudes a smelly liquid to ward off predators.

This is why they are also called the stinkpot turtle.

They rarely exhibit defense when domesticated.

Averagely the musk turtle can live for about 30 years.

Setting Up Musk Turtle Tank

Musk turtle is relatively easy to keep in the appropriate tank.

Since they are small, they do not require so much space.

Turtles’ love for swimming is a factor to consider when designing their tank.

The placement of a few stones, a turtle dock, or some artificial plants around the tank will work well as musk turtles do need a place to bask and get out of the water.

Here are the main points to take note of in setting up a tank for musk turtles.

Tank Size

A tank 20 gallons in size is the ideal size for keeping an adult musk turtle.

Since the turtle enjoys swimming, a larger tank is the best option to give it access to the water.

The tank can be as large as 30 gallons for a single male and 40-45 gallons for a pair.

A tank that is much smaller can house the baby turtle.

A tank well below 20 gallons will be enough for a baby musk turtle.

These are about the minimum tank size, and you can go as large as you want.

A big space will not consume your small pet, so give it all the room you can afford.

Water Level

To meet the swimming need of your turtle, you need clean unchlorinated water.

For an adult turtle, filling the tank with about seven inches of water is sufficient to allow it to swim.

The shallow water of about 4 inches is enough for the little ones since they are more of a ground walker than a swimmer.

A filter can be fitted into the tank to reduce the frequency of cleaning the tank to about once a month.

Because the musk turtle love to enjoy some moments off the water, a stone or small rock can be a good addition.

This will provide the turtle with a land environment it can venture into when it is off the water.

Temperature

The water temperature for the pet should be maintained at about 80⁰F and a basking region of slightly higher temperatures up to 90⁰F.

The air temperature should be around 75⁰F. For a young turtle, the temperature can be slightly warmer.

You should get the best water heater for this purpose.

There are heaters specifically designed for tanks like this.

Submersible aquarium heaters are available for this purpose.

You can also use a basking bulb for the basking area of the tank.

Other Requirements

The tank’s lighting is an important factor to consider.

12 hours should be spent with the light on, followed by 12 hours without it.

This lighting schedule gives the turtle a feel of a very natural habitat.

It is essential to maintain a moderate level of humidity in the tank.

The turtle requires about 40% humidity.

Regular checking of humidity ensures that desired level is maintained to prevent reaching the limit.

At the bottom of the tank, place aquarium sand and fine pebbles.

This will allow your pet to walk along the tank’s bottom.

Broken ceramics, rocks, wood, artificial plants, and other materials added to the tank will keep your turtle busy playing around.

It could want to hide or do some surveying around objects.

You can also make use of live plants for your tank.

You will only need to get a UVB light for the plant to keep growing.

I mentioned the need for a filter earlier. The cleaning of the tank is important.

A musk turtle can be a dirty eater, making the water messy quickly.

You should look to change the water completely once a month.

Feeding The Turtle

A musk turtle is an omnivorous animal; it can feed on insects and plants.

You can easily provide your turtle with meals of earthworms, crickets, aquatic snails, mussels, fish, and others.

Large portions of the insects and worms should be chopped, e.g., the fish and every other big food.

Duckweed is an example of a plant that the musk turtle can be fed.

You can also chop some bits of carrot or lettuce for it to eat.

The turtle can also be fed with musk turtle pellets.

You should pay attention to the few needs of the turtle.

Water, temperature, humidity, and lighting are important for its health.

Paying attention to these things will ensure you don’t have to worry too much about its health.

And you can keep enjoying the sight of your swimming pet as long as you want.

In The End

Setting up a tank for your musk turtle is now not as hard as you might have thought.

It does not require that much space or water, and what it eats is not far-fetched.

You only need to be willing to take care of the turtle and build a good relationship.

With this, you will soon need not worry about the smelly liquid it releases when frightened.

Now that you know all these, you can confidently go ahead with your setup.

Musk turtles are one of the most interesting aquatic pets to keep.

Mike

A passionate content creator on pet behavior, nutrition choices, and health, Mike is an experienced pet expert. He has been writing on multiple websites to compensate for his passion for cats. Mike grieves around plenty of pets in his parents’ house. At the start of his career, he had a sturdy intention to be a part of pet care by any means.

With his affiliation to Purrfect n’ Pawesome, he found a way to satiate his craving to participate in pet health, wellness, and behavior analysis. He has been a significant part of our team and a major contributor in equipping our site with useful, authentic, and research-backed articles.

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