Common musk

EJ · 30-10-2012, 07:55 PM

Some of you might remember that I caught a small musk early in the spring of this year. It laid one tiny egg in the water. I didn't think it was any good but I incubated it anyway.

To my excitment... I looked in the incubator yesterday and the egg was empty. The turtle was nowhere to be seen. Today it decided to come up...

The turtle is the smallest I've ever seen. It looks totally unreal.

Here's a couple photos for size perspective...

This is the turtle on a US quarter...

It sucks that I didn't get any measurements of the egg before it hatched. This is the most excited I've been over a chelonian in a long time.

Kirkie... what do you feed something that tiny?

TillyTortoise · 30-10-2012, 07:58 PM

Wow

that is small! What does it weigh Ed?

Merlin M · 30-10-2012, 08:08 PM

Oh that is SO tiny!!!!!! well done Ed! (well mostly well done turtle, it made it after all...)

EJ · 30-10-2012, 08:21 PM

It weighs... 1.9g It is very healthy and active. The yolk sac was totally absorbed.

Quote:

Originally Posted by TillyTortoise

Wow

that is small! What does it weigh Ed?

Catwoman63 · 30-10-2012, 10:29 PM

Oh that is sooo Tony ed and you must be excited its the tiniest hatchling i have ever Seen x

Kirkie · 30-10-2012, 10:50 PM

Congratulations Ed, they are ridiculously small aren't they?

My hatching 3 striped mainly get tiny pieces of shellfish at first, shrimp, crayfish or mussel. *The smell seems to tempt them to bite. They soon start taking pellets, red ones if you can get them. Sera Raffy are the only red pellets available in the uk. Reptomin has a fishy odour which works. Shellfish and trout based home made turtle pudding too.

I dont really bother with live food. Theyre more ambush feeders at this stage, very shy at first and I like to drop food on their noses to make sure they're feeding.

EJ · 31-10-2012, 12:50 AM

This thing is not shy at all... it actually tried to bite me at one point. I was going for earthworms, frozen guppies, bloodworms... Turtles of the US and Canada gives a really good discription of their diet.

Do you feed any greens?

Thanks for the input. It gave me more ideas.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirkie

Congratulations Ed, they are ridiculously small aren't they?

My hatching 3 striped mainly get tiny pieces of shellfish at first, shrimp, crayfish or mussel. *The smell seems to tempt them to bite. They soon start taking pellets, red ones if you can get them. Sera Raffy are the only red pellets available in the uk. Reptomin has a fishy odour which works. Shellfish and trout based home made turtle pudding too.

I dont really bother with live food. Theyre more ambush feeders at this stage, very shy at first and I like to drop food on their noses to make sure they're feeding.

Suze65 · 31-10-2012, 07:58 AM

Congratulations Ed, I can't believe how tiny it is, I thought my Marginated was tiny at 7 grms.

EJ · 31-10-2012, 06:54 PM

Thanks all.

Kirkie... when do they start feeding?

Kirkie · 31-10-2012, 07:56 PM

I've had 3 striped go up to a week but its usually after 3-4 days that I know they're eating. To answer the earlier question about feeding plant or vegetable matter; I only have strands of Elodea in with them, never seen them eat it but the very young ones seem to test everything by biting it. They start on cuttlefish very young as well. My adults don't really eat veg, they take sweetcorn and pumpkin seeds when I offer them but not in large quantities.

30-10-2012, 07:55 PM	#1
EJ Senior Member Adult Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 8,277	Common musk Some of you might remember that I caught a small musk early in the spring of this year. It laid one tiny egg in the water. I didn't think it was any good but I incubated it anyway. To my excitment... I looked in the incubator yesterday and the egg was empty. The turtle was nowhere to be seen. Today it decided to come up... The turtle is the smallest I've ever seen. It looks totally unreal. Here's a couple photos for size perspective... This is the turtle on a US quarter... It sucks that I didn't get any measurements of the egg before it hatched. This is the most excited I've been over a chelonian in a long time. Kirkie... what do you feed something that tiny? __________________ Ed Tortoise Keerpers @ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tortoise_Keepers and http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/284442591651347/ Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

30-10-2012, 07:58 PM	#2
TillyTortoise Senior Member Adult Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Vale of Glamorgan, South Wales Posts: 2,327	Wow that is small! What does it weigh Ed? __________________ Ross

30-10-2012, 10:29 PM	#5
Catwoman63 Senior Member Adult Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: South East England Posts: 6,739	Oh that is sooo Tony ed and you must be excited its the tiniest hatchling i have ever Seen x __________________ BEV XXX 0.3.0 - T Horsfieldii (Xena, Zelda & Lilly) 2.2.0 - TG Terrestris (Zeus, Astreus / Zagreus & Alexia) 1.2.0 - Zebra Finches (Gunner / Bonnie & May) 0.1.0 - SBT (Hazel) 1.0.0 - FBD (Ted)

31-10-2012, 07:58 AM	#8
Suze65 Senior Member Adult Join Date: May 2012 Location: Wiltshire Posts: 6,769	Congratulations Ed, I can't believe how tiny it is, I thought my Marginated was tiny at 7 grms. __________________ Suze. 3 THB, Sammy, Jemima, & Phoebe 7 Marginated, Tabitha, Ptolome, Tatiana, Noah,Lottey, Lulu & Poppy 1 TGG (Emma) RIP Feb 2012

31-10-2012, 06:54 PM	#9
EJ Senior Member Adult Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Atlanta, GA Posts: 8,277	Thanks all. Kirkie... when do they start feeding? __________________ Ed Tortoise Keerpers @ http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Tortoise_Keepers and http://www.facebook.com/#!/groups/284442591651347/ Trying to keep the fun in Chelonian care

30-10-2012, 08:08 PM	#3
Merlin M Senior Member Adult Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Edinburgh Posts: 4,186	Oh that is SO tiny!!!!!! well done Ed! (well mostly well done turtle, it made it after all...)

30-10-2012, 10:50 PM	#6
Kirkie Senior Member Adult Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4,887	Congratulations Ed, they are ridiculously small aren't they? My hatching 3 striped mainly get tiny pieces of shellfish at first, shrimp, crayfish or mussel. *The smell seems to tempt them to bite. They soon start taking pellets, red ones if you can get them. Sera Raffy are the only red pellets available in the uk. Reptomin has a fishy odour which works. Shellfish and trout based home made turtle pudding too. I dont really bother with live food. Theyre more ambush feeders at this stage, very shy at first and I like to drop food on their noses to make sure they're feeding.

31-10-2012, 07:56 PM	#10
Kirkie Senior Member Adult Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 4,887	I've had 3 striped go up to a week but its usually after 3-4 days that I know they're eating. To answer the earlier question about feeding plant or vegetable matter; I only have strands of Elodea in with them, never seen them eat it but the very young ones seem to test everything by biting it. They start on cuttlefish very young as well. My adults don't really eat veg, they take sweetcorn and pumpkin seeds when I offer them but not in large quantities.

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