QUESTION & ANSWERS

John Courteney-Smith

DO YOU NEED A HELPING HAND OR ADVICE?

Email your queries to practicalreptilekeeping@gmail.com. A selection of submitted questions will appear here every month. Regrettably, replies can only be given through this column, and if you are worried about the health of your animal, seek veterinary advice without delay.

I am planning to use one of Arcadia’s D3 tubes for my young musk turtles. Can you please tell me which would be the best tube to use - either the D3 or the D3+ tube? The water depth is around 30cm (12in) and the musk turtles stay mostly down at the bottom. I need to know which tube would give enough UVB through the water to benefit my turtles. Have you any care information that you can give me too, please?

The musk turtle (Sternotherus odoratus) is probably one of the best choices as a pet turtle. Its compact size and ease of care make it the perfect subject for life in the home aqua-terrarium. An adult musk will rarely grow bigger than 10cm (4in) in terms of its shell length, and these turtles are not generally aggressive by nature. They are also known as stinkpot turtles because of their ability to emit a distinctive musky odour when they feel threatened, although they soon grow out of this habit once they are used to being handled.