Saving Fern - a 3-striped mud turtle - October 2010

Fern is an adult, female 3-striped mud turtle that was rescued by my vet, Dr. Qureishi in Lutz, Florida. He found her upside down in the road, unconscious. She had significant damage to the head including a fractured skull, both jaws were broken, deep gash in the top of the head and side of the neck, damaged eye socket, and scuffs on the plastron. After almost four months of care, she is recovering and doing very well. She still has some neurological symptoms, but I think she will be okay. She is carrying two eggs which I hope she will lay soon.

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• 3-striped
• mud
• kinosternon
• baurii
• turtle
• turtles
• chelonian
• fish
• aquarium
• tank
• pets
• animals
• reptile
• aquatic
• Florida
• wildlife
• swamp
• pond
• lake
• stream
• river
• creek
• wetland
• retention pond
• conservation area
• veterinarian
• Lutz
• rehab

[Jesuswongchrist]

@BauriBob What kind of sand is in the tank? Also, I have the same kind of turtle, just darker. The turtle seems to be shedding a lot. And info on the shedding?

[BauriBob]

@Jesuswongchrist play sand from any hardware store like Lowes or Home Depot. Turtles shed their scutes as they grow. Unless it is excessive (sometimes from overfeeding or disease) it shouldn't be a problem. You might want to visit the Turtle Forum online and see what other turtle keepers say about that.

[MRsageprductions]

@bauribob love the video and hope fern is in the best of health, i have two turtles i rescued, about 4 inches in length, i have confirmed they are scorpion mud turtles and wanted to ask some questions. after four inches, i heard that they can be in up to 2 feet of water if built slowly. I have a preformed 125 gallon pond i want to put them in, it has an area to bask and i would put a cinderblock to make it easier to climb out. would the cinderblock leach into the water? is the water too much?

[BauriBob]

@MRsageprductions I don't know anything about cinderblock, so I can't help you there. Never heard of scorpion mud turtles, sorry. Generally mud turtles live in shallow water from a few inches to a foot, not often much deeper than that. If the entire pond is 2 feet deep, that may be too much. If you have a shallow area, that might work. You'll have to do some research.

[KaosChrist]

@BauriBob ok thanks for the info and the prompt responses.

[BauriBob]

@KaosChrist different theories on that. Join the Turtle Forum and see what folks there are suggesting. My turtles are all overweight and I struggle with getting that under control. It is probably best to feed an adult turtle no more than 3 times a week. Some say to feed an amount roughly equal to the size of the turtle's head, some say feed all they can eat within 15 minutes. Examine the turtle's backside and watch for excessive weight gain or loss. Hatchlings can eat more.

[KaosChrist]

@BauriBob im not going to over feed just keep make sure he isnt hungry. what is a good amount to feed an adult?

[BauriBob]

@KaosChrist don't overfeed, especially when adults or they will get fat in a hurry.

[KaosChrist]

@BauriBob thanks for the info. the muds im looking at r still really small. i was also thinking of feeding the mud separately in a little bin i have. and keeping him very well fed. hope u have a good one.

[BauriBob]

@KaosChrist I have catfish and darters. My turtles have bitten the catfish when they are competing for the same food in the tank. Generally they leave them alone but my turtles are well fed. Larger fish are not likely to be bothered but there are no guarantees when you mix turtles and fish.