And mud turtles eat ...... what?

[researcher]

I put a football-sized mud turtle into my 12X8 backyard pond (3' deep in the middle, with waterlilies and elodea) ~6 weeks ago. I toss a few turtle-food pellets into the pond about every-other-day. The little reptile seems pretty content (How would I tell he isn't?), but I'm wondering: what do mud turtles eat? Are they herbivores or carnivores, or ... opportunists? The pond also has small goldfish, a few zebras/tetras, and plenty of frogs.

"Lambchop" (I opted to name him) settles onto the pond's edge to sun himself at times, but otherwise, I've never seen him wandering around on land.

Would it be an idea to toss some dried mealworms into the pond for him?

While I'm at it: there's mud at the bottom of the deep (3') part of the pond. Is that enough for Lambchop in winter? Would he hibernate down there in cold weather?

Any feedback would be appreciated from you experts. Thx .....

Mitch

 

[Mmathis]

Where do you live (climate, location)? How much actual research have you done on these turtles? While I am a turtle fan, I think I would be looking at information specific to this turtle. I have box turtles, but all box turtles aren’t alike in their needs.

Oh, and be aware that turtles are escape artists!!! If you want this guy to stick around, you’ll have to “turtle-proof” your pond and the surrounding area. I say “surrounding area,” because mud turtle are partially terrestrial.

 

[JRS]

I see from a previous post in July that you are in North Carolina and were thinking box turtle back then. https://www.gardenpondforum.com/threads/box-turtle-their-nutritional-needs.32556/#post-513159

Max. size listed for your native mud turtles from the link, posted by @BKHpondcritters, in that thread is 5 inches, so I am wondering if that matches your description of football sized?

 

[researcher]

Thx, guys. Right -- I'm in eastern NC. Hot, muggy now.

I'm still not certain I have a mud turtle; it's mos' def' longer than 5". A picture of one I saw in Google showed an orange-like rim on the carapace. My turtle, though, has a shell that's totally dark (as far as I can tell). And it's football-length. ? I'm certain (now) it's not a box turtle. Maybe a Florida cooter?

I found a few mushy, ripe American persimmons in my yard today and tossed them pond-side. Just now ... I saw Lambchop grab one and head back into the water. I may place a paw paw out there soon to see what he thinks of that. Otherwise, some grapes, kiwis, tomatoes, figs. Don't wanna overload him, tho'.

He hardly ever leaves the water; generally, just to sun himself. No water bodies near me (w/in 3-4 blocks) other than a semi-dry ditch/creek 2 blocks from me. It would be a tough row for Lambchop to hoe if he tried to get over there.

I'll experiment -- meal worms, pices of garden greens, etc.

Obliged for the info. Any more is welcomed!

 

[Mmathis]

Whatever he/she is (unless it’s a snapper), it’s most likely an omnivore, possibly preferring either a more protein rich diet or one with more veggies. It sounds like it was hungry. In the wild, they’ll eat what they can find, mostly, so it’s important to know what kind you have. You need to be able to provide a nutritious and varied diet. Aquatic turtles eat in the water, but there are a few different kind of aquatics that live in our area. Mine are box turtles (non-aquatic ), but there are some members who have aquatic turtles.

Take a few pictures and let us see what we think it is. Take some from the top (carapace view), from the bottom (plastron view), and a few from each side. Put something in the picture as a size comparison. All pics, preferably with head and extremities showing (if possible).

 

[researcher]

Hi, TM. I have 1 decent photo of Lambchop on my phone, taken from about 40' away -- he's shy (I say "he"; I have no idea. When I liberated/kidnapped him 45 miles away, I didn't think to look for any sex-ID characteristics. Wouldn't really have been familiar enough anyhow to know. I ran into him in a huge, busy parking lot [super-hot, at the time], and time was short), so .... making comparison shots, side shots, glamour shots, etc, prob'ly not a "go". He seems to spot me from 50' away and dives for cover. I'm not tech-savvy, either, so not sure how to attach a photo from the phone. I'll experiment w/ that today to see what I can do.

While I'm at it: are turtles generally loners? Lambchop's the only reptile in my pond. I was thinking he wouldn't necessarily crave turtle companionship.

Re: the food: I put turtle pellets out for him at times; good calcium content and protein/fat, so .... that's something. I'm wondering if grapes would be appreciated/helpful. I have tons.

Much obliged for the info. All of it is starting to flesh out my body of knowledge some .....

Mitch

 

[researcher]

OK -- I think this may work; a fuzzy photo of Lambchop. It'll at least give an idea of his basic stats (football-length, dark, into his surroundings) .....

 

[Mmathis]

Turtles are loaners. Picture not showing up — maybe do an Internet search for turtles that closely match this one. I suggest you try feeding more protein.

 

[j.w]

Turtles are loaners. Picture not showing up — maybe do an Internet search for turtles that closely match this one. I suggest you try feeding more protein.

When I click on it then it shows up for me. I don't know my turtles so no help on which kind it is. Would be good to be able to see a closer photo to see the markings on the head etc.

 

[j.w]

I took a screenshot:

 

[BKHpondcritters]

That doesn't really exactly match any of the turtles I can find either in my book, or on the 'herps' website. Based on your story of finding him in a parking lot, I suppose it's possible it's a non-native pet that was dumped...

 

[researcher]

Ooooh, BKH; I sure hope not. For what it's worth, he has a white strip on his throat. Everything else, dark. Standard turtle face, I guess.

Thx much, JW, for the shot work.

I'll keep checking around to see what I can find. More complex than I expected, I hafta admit ......

 

[JRS]

Likely one of your native cooters or slider from that pic. Cooters and sliders can become very dark/melanistic, both shell and skin, as they age so that may explain atypical coloration. I am looking at the shape of the shell:

Florida Cooter

herpsofnc.org

Yellow-bellied Slider

herpsofnc.org

Both very similar in habits and food. More plant matter as adults but will eat about anything. Fruit as an occasional treat but I would not feed a lot. Algae, lily pads, collard and dandelion greens, low protein pellets. Usually cannot capture live fish or frogs unless very small but will eat carrion, slugs, worms and insects.

 

[Mmathis]

@researcher, can you not pick it up for some pictures?

 

[researcher]

Likely one of your native cooters or slider from that pic. Cooters and sliders can become very dark/melanistic, both shell and skin, as they age so that may explain atypical coloration. I am looking at the shape of the shell:

Florida Cooter

herpsofnc.org

Yellow-bellied Slider

herpsofnc.org

Both very similar in habits and food. More plant matter as adults but will eat about anything. Fruit as an occasional treat but I would not feed a lot. Algae, lily pads, collard and dandelion greens, low protein pellets. Usually cannot capture live fish or frogs unless very small but will eat carrion, slugs, worms and insects.

It's appreciated, JRS; either variety could be it (from your photos), but Lambchop doesn't seem to have any coloration other than dark. Maybe he's elderly? Like the slider mentioned, this turtle dives fast when he glimpses me from 50' or so away (my back door, basically).