Pelusios Nanus (African Dwarf Muds)

[KevinGG]

Thought I'd share the new pair of Pelusios Nanus or African Dwarf Muds. The name is accurate. These guys are incredibly tiny. (I'll believe they can lay multiple eggs when I see it.) I believe they are the smallest freshwater turtle species, but not positive on that.




They are incredibly easy keepers. The first day I got them, they were begging for food. No pickiness and a strong appetite. I'm currently keeping them in a 75 gallon with a small 12" x 6" land/nesting area. It has become apparent that this is too small. They LOVE their land area. Jay Frewer had warned me of this, but I didn't listen. The female likes to bury herself in the sand. Male hangs out on the driftwood.






I have an old 6' x 2' enclosure I used for a juvi Redfoot that I lined with pond liner. Im going to clean it out and get them set up in there. This way I can get a large land area going. I'm really enjoying these guys. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up with a larger group next month. Thank you to @Anthony P for helping me out with the care for this species. He and Jay will be to thank when I breed these guys.

Follow me on Instagram for daily pics of the turtles: @theturtleisyou

 

[wellington]

So very cute. Are they full size or will they get bigger?

 

[KevinGG]

So very cute. Are they full size or will they get bigger?

Nope. These are full grown. And they're supposed to be able to lay multiple eggs in one clutch!

 

[KevinGG]

I love their grumpy little faces. These guys have proven to be extremely easy keepers. Very hardy. And incredibly funny!

 

[cdmay]

They are great little animals for sure. Glad to hear that yours are doing well...this seems to be the common report from those who have nanus.
Sure hope you get fertile eggs!
Please keep posting images and let's us know more about their care...especially regarding behavior.

 

[Moozillion]

ADORABLE!!!!

 

[KevinGG]

They are great little animals for sure. Glad to hear that yours are doing well...this seems to be the common report from those who have nanus.
Sure hope you get fertile eggs!
Please keep posting images and let's us know more about their care...especially regarding behavior.

Thank you. Me too. Will do.

 

[KevinGG]

Follow @theturtleisyou on Instagram for more photos and videos.

 

[cdmay]

Great shot!

 

[KevinGG]

Great shot!

Thank you. I got very lucky

 

[TammyJ]

Very cute little turtles, best of luck with them!

 

[KevinGG]

Very cute little turtles, best of luck with them!

Thank you very much

 

[cdmay]

Kevin, have you seen anything that resembles breeding behavior?

 

[enchilada]

what kind filter you use? will the sand get in the filter cause trouble?

 

[KevinGG]

Kevin, have you seen anything that resembles breeding behavior?

I haven’t seen any. I recently raised the water level and they didn’t seem to like that. I’ll give it a few more days and see how they do. I’m trying to follow @Gerards husbandry as he successfully bred them.

 

[KevinGG]

what kind filter you use? will the sand get in the filter cause trouble?

I’m using one of the large whisper filters. No I haven’t ever had trouble with that. Even submersible filters directly on sand have been fine in my experience.

 

[cdmay]

I haven’t seen any. I recently raised the water level and they didn’t seem to like that. I’ll give it a few more days and see how they do. I’m trying to follow @Gerards husbandry as he successfully bred them.

Can you describe Gerard's husbandry? Anything different or special?
Eric Holt has had some breeding from his group but I'm not sure how regularly they are reproducing.

 

[KevinGG]

Can you describe Gerard's husbandry? Anything different or special?
Eric Holt has had some breeding from his group but I'm not sure how regularly they are reproducing.

I’d love to hear what he is doing.

PM me your email and I’ll send you an article that Anthony wrote for Batagur magazine describing their care.

 

[cdmay]

Spoke to Eric yesterday regarding his nanus.
He says they are active and go back and forth between the land and water areas of their Waterland tub.
Apparently they are producing eggs but because of Eric's workload, he's been discovering the eggs after they have been dug up and/or destroyed by the other turtles climbing around in the dirt area.
This issue has since been fixed.

 

[KevinGG]

Spoke to Eric yesterday regarding his nanus.
He says they are active and go back and forth between the land and water areas of their Waterland tub.
Apparently they are producing eggs but because of Eric's workload, he's been discovering the eggs after they have been dug up and/or destroyed by the other turtles climbing around in the dirt area.
This issue has since been fixed.

Sent you the article.

Wow. That’s too bad. Yes, they really enjoy land and will burrow both on land and in water.

It seems that everyone who has bred them has a group rather than a pair. This may have something to do with my luck. I’ve also only had them for a short while. If I don’t see breeding behavior at some point, I’ll probably separate them, induce a cooling period, and pair them up for a week at a time. My water level needs to be decreased as well. They really dislike it and won’t venture downward.

It would be interesting to get locales of everyone who has bred them. This is something that hasn’t really been talked about much. There may be differences in behavior. Supposedly, mine come from Kahemba.