Mud turtle question

Rmayes

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Ok so it looks like my water maybe too deep but I have a fix for that and it looks like it'll take a long time for him to reach a couple inches to where 5 inches of water will be okay. Probably gonna have to figure out another tank. This setup doesn't allow for a half inch of water. How big is the area that your keeping yours in?
 

Pastel Tortie

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How big is the area that your keeping yours in?
Right now, each "room" is probably about the same size (footprint) as a small plastic shoebox (think sandals or flip-flops, vs. tennis shoes). Each of the Micro Muds has a third of the breeder box. In another week or two, I will probably upgrade them to half each. If I had just one, it would be in a slightly larger container so I could provide more of a temperature gradient.
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Pastel Tortie

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This week I've been relying on the seasonal ambient temperatures in Florida. The house thermostat is set at 78F during the day. Ambient temperatures in the bathroom range from ~78-81F in the summer.

I usually take the Micro Muds out to feed them, using slightly warmer, slightly deeper water than is in their enclosure...but only while there's a lifeguard on duty. :)

I want to add a light fixture to provide daylight and heat (basking area if they want it). I have to make sure the light isn't too big or too hot, though. I have to make sure there's enough room for them to get away from the heat if they need to.
 

Pastel Tortie

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Thought I'd include a couple more pictures.
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The turtles and the houseplants all hide out in the large master bathroom because the cats are not allowed in there.

Apparently the plants make for a nice view, which both Micro Muds seem to enjoy.
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Markw84

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@Rmayes I just saw and was looking through this thread. You do not have a painted turtle. In the pictures you posted I see a Yellow Bellied slider and what is probably another Yellow Bellied, but the pictures are too blurry to tell on that one. If you could post a good picture of both, top and bottom and a good shot of the head and neck stripes I can tell you for sure.

Yellow Bellied Sliders become pretty large turtles and need a lot of room. They also can get fairly aggressive and the more brightly colored one you have looks to becoming male. They normally would not bother a mud turtle, and in a large enough area would get along fine. However, I would not do that in an aquarium setup.
 

Rmayes

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Thought I'd include a couple more pictures.
View attachment 249112
The turtles and the houseplants all hide out in the large master bathroom because the cats are not allowed in there.

Apparently the plants make for a nice view, which both Micro Muds seem to enjoy.
View attachment 249113
I like that enclosure maybe I should just have kept it a little more simple at first, looks like the stay small for a pretty long time. How big would you say each section is? Maybe I could just put albus in a 5 gallon for now. My 5 gallon is 8.5 × 16. Right now alli he does is borrow under rocks in a shallow puddle until I take him out to eat.
 

Rmayes

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@Rmayes I just saw and was looking through this thread. You do not have a painted turtle. In the pictures you posted I see a Yellow Bellied slider and what is probably another Yellow Bellied, but the pictures are too blurry to tell on that one. If you could post a good picture of both, top and bottom and a good shot of the head and neck stripes I can tell you for sure.

Yellow Bellied Sliders become pretty large turtles and need a lot of room. They also can get fairly aggressive and the more brightly colored one you have looks to becoming male. They normally would not bother a mud turtle, and in a large enough area would get along fine. However, I would not do that in an aquarium setup.
 

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Markw84

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@Rmayes You have a male Yellow-Bellied Slider and a female cross between a Yellow-Bellied and a Red-Ear (possibly Yellow-Bellied/Cumberland Slider)
 

Rmayes

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Ok I always thought they were both probably males, if anything I thought the light one would be female and the dark one would be a male for sure. Lol. I plan on getting them a 100 gallon tank in the next year hopefully that'll cover them.
 

Pastel Tortie

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I like that enclosure maybe I should just have kept it a little more simple at first, looks like the stay small for a pretty long time. How big would you say each section is? Maybe I could just put albus in a 5 gallon for now. My 5 gallon is 8.5 × 16. Right now alli he does is borrow under rocks in a shallow puddle until I take him out to eat.
For the overall container, the shorter side is 10.25" across the bottom and 11.75" across the top (outside dimensions). The overall container's longest side is 16" at the bottom and 17.5" at the top.

Inside dimensions for each slot is 5.5"-5.75" wide by just over 11" long, measured at the top.

I think the 5G tank sounds like a great option. You could even set it up as a slant tank if you wanted. It's long enough to provide a basking light at one end, yet still have a temperature gradient.
 

Rmayes

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For the overall container, the shorter side is 10.25" across the bottom and 11.75" across the top (outside dimensions). The overall container's longest side is 16" at the bottom and 17.5" at the top.

Inside dimensions for each slot is 5.5"-5.75" wide by just over 11" long, measured at the top.

I think the 5G tank sounds like a great option. You could even set it up as a slant tank if you wanted. It's long enough to provide a basking light at one end, yet still have a temperature gradient.
Ok good i'll probably just set him up just like yours, I guess I can use his current cage for fire belly toadd that I wanted to get.
 

Pastel Tortie

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Ok good i'll probably just set him up just like yours, I guess I can use his current cage for fire belly toadd that I wanted to get.
It just occurred to me... You may be able to find some forum members who can talk toads, as well as turtles, in the Everything Else > Other Pet Talk section.
 

Pastel Tortie

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@Rmayes How is your three-striped turtle doing lately? I'm trying to figure out how to modify the Micro Muds' setup for cooler weather, now that the ambient temperatures will be getting cooler at night. Do you have any thoughts on the temperature issue?
 
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