[G.Moore]

Hi

We recently set up our Razor back Musk turtle and are loving him. We are interested in a tank mate or two.. defo another musk but were wondering what other species would get on and keep quite small so the musks dont get bashed about all over the place

Also any advice on feeding? cause he spends a lot of time underwater as i was told to expect but the pellets float... have tried feeding him on my hand or in a bowl of water but he is so scared he just hides away. None the less he is doing well... have seen him eat the odd bit of pellet and chunk of bloodworm.

Thanks in advance

 

[G.Moore]

Also, any reason not to use a fogger with turtles? taa

Plus we have a basking spot around 85-90 ish at the hottest point with more room should he wish to be dry and not so hot.. this is ok?

Sorry for the questions but we are paranoid new parents!

 

[Geomyda]

Also, any reason not to use a fogger with turtles? taa

Plus we have a basking spot around 85-90 ish at the hottest point with more room should he wish to be dry and not so hot.. this is ok?

Sorry for the questions but we are paranoid new parents!

A fogger! what on earth do you want to use a "fogger" for?:whistling2:

 

[G.Moore]

Cause its pretty on the water surface? but naturally if it will be bad for him in any way we wont add it

 

[Geomyda]

Cause its pretty on the water surface? but naturally if it will be bad for him in any way we wont add it

Don't add it!: victory:

 

[RORCOV]

Foggers are not a good idea. High humidity can contribute to respiratory infections in turtles.

Secondly, turtles are solitary creatures so do not need the company of other turtles. Musks are generally known for being quite pugnacious with their own, or similar looking species. So housing multiples together usually ends up with bouts of aggression, particularly once they reach sexual maturity.

However, it can work, but you just need to be prepared that you may need to house each animal singularly in the future.

Temperatures for a RB Musk should be around mid to low 90 degrees F for the basking area and a water temp of mid to high 70s

 

[G.Moore]

great thankyou, this is all very helpfull.. will lower his basking lamp a little and prep a second tank

 

[clairethorn]

we have a common musk and a razorback musk who have lived together for around 18 months and seem fine so far. the razorback is def more shy than the common who is nosey and would eat all the food if we let her.

 

[G.Moore]

Some images for you to see our baby! and oh my goodness at your collection list Claire!

http://img203.imageshack.us/slideshow/webplayer.php?id=sam0080b.jpg

 

[Graham]

Setup looks quite nice, the best choice for a tankmate would be another of the same species, but as Jo says be prepared to seperate them if neccessary.

Also any newcomer would need to be quarantined for several weeks at least, there have been several reports of sick Musk hatchlings recently and I wouldn't take any chances, they may well all be coming from the same supplier and could be sick, or in contact with other sick turts, before they even reach the shops.

 

[G.Moore]

Thanks, working hard to get it right... only concern atm is that the UV is to far off and he wont benefit... 12 inches is the reach for UV?

and yea ill set a secondary up and quarantine, it will also give me somewhere to put the newcomer should they not get along.

 

[Graham]

What % output is the UV? The lower the output the closer it needs to be.

 

[G.Moore]

thats interesting, cause we baught the 5% based on what the shop guy said... and ours is closer than it would have been in their set up... but then again. These are the same shop keepers that contridicted each other when asked the same questions seperatly.

 

[Graham]

A 5% needs to be at no more than 6" to be effective, this is really the absolute minimum output that you should use, a 10% would be much better when you come to replace it.

I wouldn't pay too much attention to the shopkeepers advice TBH, there are people here who actually keep them and who are not after your money!

 

[G.Moore]

Cool, i have the recite for the bulb so ill go swap it tomorow. Quick note on feeding, we are currently snapping 3 sticks into small pieces and dropping them in per day as advised. But i read elsewhere that a person only fed his 2-3 times a week...

Advice please

 

[G.Moore]

On the shop keeper front I know exactly what you mean. I consider myself to be fairly well informed on keeping beardies and chameleons and the set ups they had them in were entierly inapropriate for them made me sad..

 

[Graham]

Up to about a year old you can feed them every day, then gradually reduce feeding to every other day, then by the time they are 3 years or so a couple of times a week should be enough.

Feed all the food in one sitting, a quantity equivalent to the volume of the turt's head.

 

[G.Moore]

Great, thankyou so much for all the advice. Its really appreciated. Im sure ill be back with more embarasing newbie turtle questions later

 

[G.Moore]

We have noticed a fair amount of condensation on the glass, the lid is closed with a couple of small vents... I noticed the pre made set ups had mesh lids, would it be worth removing some of the lid for mesh to keep the humidity down? or is this a non issue?

 

[Shellsfeathers&fur]

Humdity/Condensation is a valid point. Its best to take the lid of altogether. as it can lead to respiratory problems. If you have cats who show an interest then a piece of mesh across the top is ok to use. With the lights you may well have to find another way of fixing them. With some of our setups we use the "plastic suckers" and then clothes pegs to keep the cables tight, should they slip/fall they can't go in the water. The plugs are all on RCDs for safety.