Turtle experts!!! what type of turtle do i have?? (pics included)?

Question

I got this turtle from a reptile show and i forgot to ask the man what type of turtle it was!! so can you please tell me what type of turtle i have? I dont know if you can tell in the pictures but his head has tiny black spots on it. thanks for the help

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc31/sunnathr/Phone1004.jpg

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc31/sunnathr/Phone1005.jpg

http://i217.photobucket.com/albums/cc31/sunnathr/Phone1002.jpg

ill add more pics if needed

Answer 1

Looks like a mud turtle or possibly a musk turtle.

The very distinct nose and eyes tells me it's one of those 2.

Jason: I thought razor back  as well, but it could also be a yellow mud turtle, eastern mud turtle, or even a scorpion mud turtle. In  the asker's photo, I didn't see the raised ridge (razor back) on the carapace like on a razor back musk turtle.

Razor back musk turtle: http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/turtles/pict...

Yellow mud turtle: http://webspinners.com/coloherp/geo/spec...

Eastern mud turtle: http://www.uga.edu/srelherp/turtles/kins...

Scorpion mud turtle: http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1274/1343...

I'll stick with my original statement. It's some kind of mud or musk turtle.

Answer 2

oh wow, it is hard to tell because it looks like a rare species of turtle. Gotta say though, the water level in that tank is extremely low, turtles love to swim, so you should make it much higher. Also you need a basking space, uva lighting, uvb lighting, a heater, a filter, and at least a 50 gallon aquarium. But do research on what type of turtle you have, that is really important.

Answer 3

I wish my red gun wasn't out.  I can't even make an educated guess.  But, the ribbing on the shell is very interesting.  It looks too large to be a baby turtle (unless that's a tiny tank), and usually that sort of detail on a shell fades as a turtle ages and wears it smooth.

You'll have to google water turtles of the region/state it originated from, and study up on its habitat/nutritional needs.

UVB is very important (you'll need D3 in his diet too), and a basking perch so the animal can leave the water to sit under the light and control its body temperature.  Turtles are cold blooded and need heat for digestion.

I'll post a basic gut loading recipe here for you, and also a general guide to feeding water turtles.  But, he might be more of a meat eater, than a vegie eater, so you'll need to find out what he is, so you can provide for his dietary needs properly.

GUT LOADING CRICKETS for REPTILES:

The number one problem:

Dried up and malnourished pet store crickets and mealworms. These food items are essentially useless. A dehydrated and unfed cricket contains almost no nutrients at all; refrigerated mealworms are even worse. A lot of the variety in nutrients found in wild insects is actually in the stomach content - usually plant material. We need to duplicate this to provide the best for our reptiles; without the risk of illness/disease/parasites which can result from feeding our pets wild insects.

Please note that wax worms, while fattening, are not nutritious.  Young geckos can eat small silk and phoenix worms, as well.

Basic Dry/Staple Cricket Food:

Equal amounts of dry Iguana food, dry dog food, chick starter mash, oatmeal (you can add dry baby food wheat/rye/barley, etc. as well; even shredded wheat - no sugar).

Grind these items together.  Place in a small lid/bowl for the crickets to eat.  Store the unused portion in the refrigerator or freezer, until needed.

Supplement daily with one of the following: sweet potato, bananas, zucchini, oranges, carrots, strawberries, assorted squashes (acorn, yellow, etc.), grapefruit, green beans, apples, kale, spinach, cactus pads, and just about any other nutritious item you can think of (do not use white/yellow potatoes - these are starchy and only good if used as a moisture source during shipping, and NEVER use Avocado - it's poisonous to most animals).

Provide the dry food and kale at all times (kale is readily available during the winter months, too), rotating the other food items through in succession. The key is variety, and to provide an assortment of varying nutrients. What you are trying to do is offer your reptiles crickets with guts 'loaded' with fresh foodstuffs.

The crickets should be gut loaded for 1-2 days prior to offering them to your reptiles.

Also, provide fresh clean water in a lid/bowl, adding a sponge or folded paper towel to prevent drowning.

  

Don't offer more crickets than the reptile(s) will consume within: 1.) a few hours if it’s a lizard, salamander, frog/toad, or 2.) a few minutes, if it’s a water turtle, so you know the crickets will still be full of the good stuff when eaten.

The crickets should be dusted (shaken in a plastic bag gently to coat them) with vitamins (keep these refrigerated) and calcium D3 powder 2-4 times a week, depending on the age of the reptile.

Be sure to remove any uneaten crickets so that they do not soil your pet's environment/water or bother your pet, once it is full.  Crickets CAN turn the table - and feast upon your pet! Or aggravate them, causing stress and even cessation of eating.

Also be sure the crickets are the correct size for the reptile.  The cricket should be the same size long as the reptile’s head is wide (about the space between the lizards’ eyes).

There are many opinions on how to meet the dietary requirements of your RES (and other water turtles).  You can consult your vet for their recommendation, too, and google turtle breeders/sites to see what they feed.  This is what I have found to provide a happy/healthy reptile:

In the wild, red ear sliders (and other water turtles) eat both animal and plant sources of food. However, juveniles are mainly meat eaters, and eat less plant matter than they will as they grow.



In captivity, the diet for juveniles should consist of a commercial aquatic turtle pellet product (like Reptomin floating food sticks); aquatic plants such as Anacharis (research which are safe for consumption); gut loaded crickets; and very small feeders guppies/goldfish/minnows. Hatchlings should be fed small amounts spaced several times over the day (they are growing quickly) and juveniles should be feed on a daily basis. The diet can be supplemented with frozen tubiflex worms and earthworms. Plant matter, in the form of leafy greens (*like curly kale, collard greens, turnip greens, duckweed, water lettuce, Anacharis, chickweed, plantain weed, fig leaves, grape leaves) or finely chopped mixed vegetables, can be offered several times weekly but may not be readily accepted until they grow a bit older, or curiosity sets in.

Get a cuttle bone from the bird dept. at a local pet shop (you can easily cut this to a desired size or use whole for larger turtles/tanks) and drop it in the water for added calcium.  Turtles are curious, and eventually they'll bite at it.  This is fine too, but if they don’t, they will still get added calcium as they drink the water.

For adults the diet is relatively the same (amounts increased as they grow, and daily feedings decrease), but more of the diet may consist of commercial turtle pellets and plant items, such as Anacharis (*see plant/vegetable material above) and vegetables.  

All my turtles, regardless of age, enjoy their gut loaded crickets.  Offering fresh live fish supplements their diet, and provides a good source of exercise as they swim, stalking and catching them.  Adults should be fed assorted greens several times a week.  Adult turtles may not eat daily, but most will if offered the opportunity.

Alternate/rotate the greens to provide a variety of nutrients: (*see above); kale; romaine/red leaf lettuce; mustard greens; dandelion greens/flowers; watercress; parsley; Swiss chard; shredded carrots; shredded squash (yellow; pumpkin; acorn; etc.); mixed vegetables (fresh is better, but thawed frozen can be used) and miscellaneous fruits. NO iceberg lettuce; brussel sprouts, or cabbage!  Never Avocado (this is toxic/poisonous to most animals)!

You can reduce your task of keeping their environment clean by removing your turtle(s) to a small tank/plastic water filled container of the same water temp. (water turtles primarily feed in the water) for feeding.  Turtles shred their food with their beak and front claws, and tend to be quite messy eaters.

Enjoy your new pet!

I hope this has been helpful.

Answer 4

good call gunny! it is  a razorback musk turtle. here is a pic of one.http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/Ca...

Answer 5

Yes, it absolutely is a razorback musk. I have had them before.