Tiny Turtle Q&A
Forgive the crude layout on this page. Ive built it to answer common questions for the baby turtles i have for sale as quickly as possible. It will be upgraded with all the bells and whistles soon.
~These are only being offered to my fellow Alaskan.~
Quick facts
- price: $95
- location: Kenai
-Still available?: Yes
So this specific turtle pictured was born from zuess by athena. Zuess is a dwarf mutation sternotherus odoratus, and athena is a regular. the regular size of the common musk turtle, as they are known by, gets to 3 maybe 4" for an exceptionally large specimen. Zuess isnt quite 2" and athena is about 3". i expect these guys to fall somewhere inbetween as adults. For pictures of them be sure to check out the turtle page.
I also may decide to release some 3 lined mud turtle babies, razorback musk, or eastern mud turtles (also super tiny) and will update when that decision is made.
-THE STRAIGHT UP, NO TALKING YOU INTO BUYING STUFF YOU DONT NEED, BREEDERS CARESHEET-
The first thing that needs to be understood about these guys is, please forget everything you know about red eared sliders (RES). these guys are very much not red eared sliders.
Well, as far as care goes, it doesnt get any easier. you set them up, give them pellets once a day and you refill their water as it evaporates. If you think your water has gotten too much poop in it by all means tear down your tank and refresh the water with new tap water of similar temperature. This does not need done often though. Now certainly someone is going to google the name here look up a caresheet that some guy in florida copy & pasted from a red eared slider caresheet and throw a fit at the notion that it could be that easy. Heres my response to that. Knock yourself out.
If you want to spend a bunch of money buying a filter, uvb lights, and big heavy glass tanks, more power to you. we tried that too at first. its nice, but really its just not necessary. these guys are not red eared sliders. A lot of times these caresheets are hosted by people who also sell supplies and want you to buy their supplies. Im not for that. heres what I know based off five years of experience:
A filter will give off a current that will force your tiny musk-mud turtle to swim to exhaustion and likely die. they rarely will use haul outs, but that is stressful for them too as in the wild an exposed tiny turtle is easy prey. if you must use a filter (such as you are also keeping fish) please baffle the current. You really will not need one however. these guys are not big enough to mess up the water and will scavenge any available feed keeping the water really clear by itself.
The truth is these guys naturally live in muddy water where they use their keen sense of smell to scavenge for food. muddy water isnt 'filtered' and doesnt get enough sunlight through it to make the use of uvb make any sense. these guys are capable of meeting their vitamin D needs through their diet.
We kept zuess for 5 years in a plastic tote, with shallow water on our kitchen table, with no filter or UVB. some will shout "Cruelty!" for a baby RES yes that would be cruel. very much so, but again, these are not RES. Zuess is now 5 years old, healthy, active, a proven breeder, and still the same goofy little critter that the whole family loves and brings to the reptile rally to show off to everyone how tiny he still is.
So April, what do I actually need then?
-Caging- Well a waterproof containment of some kind. No smaller than a 6qt shoebox and as large as you like. They can live in a ten gallon their whole life. they are that small. however they will appreciate the space so long as its not too deep. if youre going to use something bigger, be sure to watch them catch a couple pellets just to make sure they found their food ok? k.
-Gravel- although not completely mandatory, these guys walk on the bottom of the 'tank' so it helps to have some grip. I like the larger river rock pebbles from petco because the size allows them to retrieve sunken food bits from in between the pebbles keeping the tank cleaner. Something like this, $10 at petco
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/exo-terra-turtle-pebbles
~These are only being offered to my fellow Alaskan.~
Quick facts
- price: $95
- location: Kenai
-Still available?: Yes
So this specific turtle pictured was born from zuess by athena. Zuess is a dwarf mutation sternotherus odoratus, and athena is a regular. the regular size of the common musk turtle, as they are known by, gets to 3 maybe 4" for an exceptionally large specimen. Zuess isnt quite 2" and athena is about 3". i expect these guys to fall somewhere inbetween as adults. For pictures of them be sure to check out the turtle page.
I also may decide to release some 3 lined mud turtle babies, razorback musk, or eastern mud turtles (also super tiny) and will update when that decision is made.
-THE STRAIGHT UP, NO TALKING YOU INTO BUYING STUFF YOU DONT NEED, BREEDERS CARESHEET-
The first thing that needs to be understood about these guys is, please forget everything you know about red eared sliders (RES). these guys are very much not red eared sliders.
Well, as far as care goes, it doesnt get any easier. you set them up, give them pellets once a day and you refill their water as it evaporates. If you think your water has gotten too much poop in it by all means tear down your tank and refresh the water with new tap water of similar temperature. This does not need done often though. Now certainly someone is going to google the name here look up a caresheet that some guy in florida copy & pasted from a red eared slider caresheet and throw a fit at the notion that it could be that easy. Heres my response to that. Knock yourself out.
If you want to spend a bunch of money buying a filter, uvb lights, and big heavy glass tanks, more power to you. we tried that too at first. its nice, but really its just not necessary. these guys are not red eared sliders. A lot of times these caresheets are hosted by people who also sell supplies and want you to buy their supplies. Im not for that. heres what I know based off five years of experience:
A filter will give off a current that will force your tiny musk-mud turtle to swim to exhaustion and likely die. they rarely will use haul outs, but that is stressful for them too as in the wild an exposed tiny turtle is easy prey. if you must use a filter (such as you are also keeping fish) please baffle the current. You really will not need one however. these guys are not big enough to mess up the water and will scavenge any available feed keeping the water really clear by itself.
The truth is these guys naturally live in muddy water where they use their keen sense of smell to scavenge for food. muddy water isnt 'filtered' and doesnt get enough sunlight through it to make the use of uvb make any sense. these guys are capable of meeting their vitamin D needs through their diet.
We kept zuess for 5 years in a plastic tote, with shallow water on our kitchen table, with no filter or UVB. some will shout "Cruelty!" for a baby RES yes that would be cruel. very much so, but again, these are not RES. Zuess is now 5 years old, healthy, active, a proven breeder, and still the same goofy little critter that the whole family loves and brings to the reptile rally to show off to everyone how tiny he still is.
So April, what do I actually need then?
-Caging- Well a waterproof containment of some kind. No smaller than a 6qt shoebox and as large as you like. They can live in a ten gallon their whole life. they are that small. however they will appreciate the space so long as its not too deep. if youre going to use something bigger, be sure to watch them catch a couple pellets just to make sure they found their food ok? k.
-Gravel- although not completely mandatory, these guys walk on the bottom of the 'tank' so it helps to have some grip. I like the larger river rock pebbles from petco because the size allows them to retrieve sunken food bits from in between the pebbles keeping the tank cleaner. Something like this, $10 at petco
https://www.petco.com/shop/en/petcostore/product/exo-terra-turtle-pebbles
-A haul out of some kind. anything goes here as long as they can climb up it easily. We just use a flat washed stone and some plastic plants for this purpose, but feel free to be creative. you can also just slope the gravel to one side. It helps if there is some area that is submerged where they can stick their head out to breathe without having to tread water.
-The feed. So far the ONLY pellet I have found that is small enough to feed these guys is this:
-The feed. So far the ONLY pellet I have found that is small enough to feed these guys is this:
At the soldotna petco it is $4.38 and it will last you like forever. make sure its the hatchling formula until they are over 2" (if they ever do get over 2")
-heat-
if your house is especially cold (significantly below 70 degrees) they will appreciate an under tank heater. a cheap one can be bought new and I also have a few of them used laying around too. Just let me know. You DONT want to overheat though, so this is only necessary if you have a cold house k?
thats really it.
Can they be housed Alone?
Yep. Sure can. A .19 feeder rosy minnow can give your turtle to chase if you think hes bored without a friend. Goldfish contain heavy metals and are not recommended to keep with your turtle. Rosy minnows are the way to go.
Can they be housed together?
Yes, we keep several together with no issues. Just make sure that if you are housing many together that they are roughly the same size and there is enough food to go around. one pinch each should do the job!
Can they be housed with others?
A: yes and no. Yes if the 'other' turtle is a musk or mud (eastern muds will require more resting spaces than musks just something to be aware of). So yes for the common & razorback musk, 3 lined/red cheek/eastern/mississippi muds. as long as everyone is roughly the same size. Do not house babies with adults. The answer is no if it is not a mud/musk turtle or fish. Some have sucessfully done this with sliders/cooters in the past, but for me its just too risky. different growth rates, different environmental requirements, different species...
-Handling-
They generally dont like to be picked up by the top and bottom of the shell, because they dont have much of a bottom shell (called the plastron) so pressure there is probably painful for them. When you handle them place them on the hand and let them crawl freely, hand over hand. they calm down in a second or two. Ive never been bit by one but ive seen some aggressive wild caught adults in youtube videos, handled improperly, gape their mouths in display and Im sure a full grown adult could bite, painfully. LLLreptile did one particularly cringe worthy video, showing exactly how NOT to do it, with a wild caught adult if anyone is interested.
But April, I looked it up online, don't they STINK?
short answer No, but they do have musk glands. if you catch an adult off guard in the wild, ive heard from friends in florida, that they can release a stench similar to what a garter snake can give off. But honestly, ive never smelt it. No one I know here has. Either none of mine have ever used it, or the smell is so weak we couldnt sense it. And we have harassed them plenty for photo shoots and reptile rallys. Maybe its because they are captive born? I dont know, all i know is ive kept quite a few for half a decade and still am yet to know what the "Musk" really smells like. Other keepers i know from online say that they've smelled it from their adults, but it only happens as a defense, certainly wouldnt stink your reptile room up, and goes away within moments. theyre pretty tiny folks, and their not skunks by any means. So dont let the name put you off.
But April, what about the 4" turtle law?
Glad you asked :) It is not illegal to own a turtle under 4". It is only illegal to transport a turtle under 4" across state lines, unless you have a permit from USFWS (which i do) or it is crossing for "valid scientific or educational purposes". This is why petco can not sell you a baby RES but can sell you a 4" res. Dont get me wrong there are people in the states who flat out ignore this law and will send you one anyway, but if you get caught it is a federal offense. A felony actually. And after you pay a $75 overnight shipping fee, plus the cost of the animals, they could not arrive, or arrive dead, and thats entirely at your risk. Turtle mills dont take responsibility if they sell an animal illegally, so its one of those situations where you really shouldnt expect a refund even if they ship you an empty box. >:@ too many times ive seen it happen, so i got the permit so i could send up stock legally, which also makes their descendants 100% legal. So no worries, with my turtles, you get paperwork to prove that your baby was obtained legally, along with the benefits of having access to the breeder, your babies parents', etc.. If you do end up moving out of state or need to travel with your turtle in the future, contact me so I can give you all the details on how to do so legally :)
What methods of payment do you accept?
Currently I accept paypal, bank transfer, or cash.
Can I reserve a baby?
Like all my animals I take reservations up to the number I have available. Babies are sold in order of time of reservation until all have been sold, so if you change your mind please do let me know.
How do I contact you?
PM April Linkfield on Facebook
Email [email protected]
Text only at 907-741-1479
When will you be available for local pickup?
Contact me and we'll arrange a good place and time that works for you. Im generally available after 3pm
Do you ship?
Yes. I have been safely shipping reptiles for many years. It does have an additional cost associated though, be sure to send me your zipcode and ill get you a quote. The cbb tiny turtles are one of the Arctic Exotics "Alaskans only" exclusives, and will not be shipped out of state. (Much love, 907).
Thats about all i can think of for now, but be sure to check out the turtle page for pictures of the parents and more babies!
Thanks for looking!
if your house is especially cold (significantly below 70 degrees) they will appreciate an under tank heater. a cheap one can be bought new and I also have a few of them used laying around too. Just let me know. You DONT want to overheat though, so this is only necessary if you have a cold house k?
thats really it.
Can they be housed Alone?
Yep. Sure can. A .19 feeder rosy minnow can give your turtle to chase if you think hes bored without a friend. Goldfish contain heavy metals and are not recommended to keep with your turtle. Rosy minnows are the way to go.
Can they be housed together?
Yes, we keep several together with no issues. Just make sure that if you are housing many together that they are roughly the same size and there is enough food to go around. one pinch each should do the job!
Can they be housed with others?
A: yes and no. Yes if the 'other' turtle is a musk or mud (eastern muds will require more resting spaces than musks just something to be aware of). So yes for the common & razorback musk, 3 lined/red cheek/eastern/mississippi muds. as long as everyone is roughly the same size. Do not house babies with adults. The answer is no if it is not a mud/musk turtle or fish. Some have sucessfully done this with sliders/cooters in the past, but for me its just too risky. different growth rates, different environmental requirements, different species...
-Handling-
They generally dont like to be picked up by the top and bottom of the shell, because they dont have much of a bottom shell (called the plastron) so pressure there is probably painful for them. When you handle them place them on the hand and let them crawl freely, hand over hand. they calm down in a second or two. Ive never been bit by one but ive seen some aggressive wild caught adults in youtube videos, handled improperly, gape their mouths in display and Im sure a full grown adult could bite, painfully. LLLreptile did one particularly cringe worthy video, showing exactly how NOT to do it, with a wild caught adult if anyone is interested.
But April, I looked it up online, don't they STINK?
short answer No, but they do have musk glands. if you catch an adult off guard in the wild, ive heard from friends in florida, that they can release a stench similar to what a garter snake can give off. But honestly, ive never smelt it. No one I know here has. Either none of mine have ever used it, or the smell is so weak we couldnt sense it. And we have harassed them plenty for photo shoots and reptile rallys. Maybe its because they are captive born? I dont know, all i know is ive kept quite a few for half a decade and still am yet to know what the "Musk" really smells like. Other keepers i know from online say that they've smelled it from their adults, but it only happens as a defense, certainly wouldnt stink your reptile room up, and goes away within moments. theyre pretty tiny folks, and their not skunks by any means. So dont let the name put you off.
But April, what about the 4" turtle law?
Glad you asked :) It is not illegal to own a turtle under 4". It is only illegal to transport a turtle under 4" across state lines, unless you have a permit from USFWS (which i do) or it is crossing for "valid scientific or educational purposes". This is why petco can not sell you a baby RES but can sell you a 4" res. Dont get me wrong there are people in the states who flat out ignore this law and will send you one anyway, but if you get caught it is a federal offense. A felony actually. And after you pay a $75 overnight shipping fee, plus the cost of the animals, they could not arrive, or arrive dead, and thats entirely at your risk. Turtle mills dont take responsibility if they sell an animal illegally, so its one of those situations where you really shouldnt expect a refund even if they ship you an empty box. >:@ too many times ive seen it happen, so i got the permit so i could send up stock legally, which also makes their descendants 100% legal. So no worries, with my turtles, you get paperwork to prove that your baby was obtained legally, along with the benefits of having access to the breeder, your babies parents', etc.. If you do end up moving out of state or need to travel with your turtle in the future, contact me so I can give you all the details on how to do so legally :)
What methods of payment do you accept?
Currently I accept paypal, bank transfer, or cash.
Can I reserve a baby?
Like all my animals I take reservations up to the number I have available. Babies are sold in order of time of reservation until all have been sold, so if you change your mind please do let me know.
How do I contact you?
PM April Linkfield on Facebook
Email [email protected]
Text only at 907-741-1479
When will you be available for local pickup?
Contact me and we'll arrange a good place and time that works for you. Im generally available after 3pm
Do you ship?
Yes. I have been safely shipping reptiles for many years. It does have an additional cost associated though, be sure to send me your zipcode and ill get you a quote. The cbb tiny turtles are one of the Arctic Exotics "Alaskans only" exclusives, and will not be shipped out of state. (Much love, 907).
Thats about all i can think of for now, but be sure to check out the turtle page for pictures of the parents and more babies!
Thanks for looking!