Recent content by Russian Rehab

hello all I have a hatchling musk turtle who is approaching 24 hours old. The baby was born with a large yoke sac that despite my best efforts they ruptured within about 2 hours of hatching. Below I describe what I have been doing so far PLEASE comment and let me know if their is anything...

That’s a great tip! Thanks!

everything you mentioned seems to be what she is doing so far accept the "flight" reaction. I tend to see her freeze when I approach then she runs as soon as I move away. is that normal? she is only 8 days old so that could be it to but she seems to be hitting all the other milestones early so I...

How do I know my hatchling musk is strong enough to go to her forever home? I have a 1 week old Common Musk Turtle hatchling who is eating and swimming well. the yoke sack is completely gone and she is active spunky. I have a great forever home lined up for her that is only a short car ride...

Hello all., bellow i describe the nesting behavior i have seen from my female common musk this breeding season. I want to know if anyone else has noted similar behavior in their nesting turtles? I am particularly interested in why you think she might be doing this also. she is doing it...

Musk turtles stay small forever only 4-5 inches as adults which makes them well suited for smaller spaces. these are my two breeding adults.

If you are new to turtle keeping this book is amazing! buy it used new is like $100 but i got mine for like $5 from B&N. also the shell looks good.

i agree looks female from the plastrome. males tend to have indented bellys so they can mount females for breeding. females have flat or rounded out so they have room for eggs.

i agree female. have you noticed that females also tend to have convex plastrome and larger more square heads? i cant tell if i am imagining it or not .

in regards to finding a vet i would suggest you search for local Herpetology Association i know in the US almost every state has their own. if anyone can help you find a vet it would be them!

side note turtles lungs are on the top of their shell so when they are upside down the rest of their organs are pressing on them and it makes it very difficult for them to breath. keep in mind not to leave her on her back for more then a few seconds :)

lol no ! if she opens her mouth when you hold her she is trying to be "scary" and show you she could bite you if she wants. it is a common even in my own turtle who have been handled since birth. dont worry about that at all. if you see her mouth breathing when she comes up for air and you are...

They look female to me FYI i am starting to notice that females of the common musk breed have larger heads more square shaped almost. has anyone else ever noticed this?

Great job saving this baby! your doing a wonderful thing! My guess is female. her plastrome looks to be convex indicating that she has room to form eggs inside. males tend to have concave belly's so they can mount the females. my tips below 1. DONT USE SOAP! I dont think that is safe unless...

Yes it is you are correct! I suggested going by plastrome though because if you only have one turtle to look at its kind of difficult to judge what is a "longer" tail and what id "shorter" while convex vs. concave plastrome is pretty straight forward even if you only have one turtle to look at.