Kinosternon subrubrum. (eastern mud turtle)

Origin: Southeastern United States
Length: Up to 30 centimeters
Age: Around 40 years old
An adult individual has a yellow-brown to black carapace and a yellow to yellow-brown ventral carapace. The belly shield is hinged and can be closed for security.

Care
Experience: Novice turtle keeper
Food: omnivorous
Feed adult: 2 times a week
Feed young: Daily
Water bowl: Yes
Water change: 3 times a week

Power supply
The mud turtle is omnivorous but mainly a carnivore, incidentally it would also eat aquatic plants. There is special turtle food for sale at the pet store that consists of dried flies and larvae. However, it does not contain enough vitamins and it is therefore important that they are supplemented in the diet. Furthermore, meat, fish, insects, worms, snails can be fed. Dogs or cats can also be fed as the main food, but variation in the diet promotes health and longevity.

Water
Because the ornamental turtles are most common in rivers and lakes, they need a terrarium that can hold a 20 cm water and does not need too much water. So that they can swim.

Cleaning
To clean the terrarium, part of the water must be changed at least once a week. The food remains should preferably be removed immediately so that you prevent the filter from becoming clogged. You can rinse the filter completely clean with cold water once every 3 months.

Handling
There will be times when you will need to handle your turtle and it must be done correctly so that no injury or stress can be involved. Handle the turtle by grabbing it by the back of its shell. This works well when they are unable to scratch your hand with their paws or bite with their head. If this is the case, the turtle can deposit on your hand with all the consequences. In addition, always wash your hands before handling and make sure to handle the turtle with both hands.

Housing
Minimum stay size for 1 Turtle: 80*40*50 with a water depth of 20 cm
Surface: 0.75m2 per turtle
Day temperature: 18-22C
Night temperature: 15-20C
Hours of light: 10 to 14 hours
Soil cover: coarse sand, loamy sand

Design
The mud turtle needs a real aquarium with a shared land and water area. This means that the terrarium is pretty bare with few plants. In the terrarium will have to have a land piece without sharp edges. This must remain dry so that they can dry their shell properly.
Turtles need UV light to make vitamin D. You can give them this by using a UV lamp if they are kept indoors. If they are kept outside, sunlight is sufficient.
Once it gets nice and warm outside, the turtles can also be kept in an outdoor pond. An easy guideline is: when the temperature at night is above 20c degrees, the turtles can stay outside, this is usually from April to September. This country house has a few requirements that it must meet. It should have a shelter with a heat lamp in it. This ensures that they can still warm up on a somewhat colder day. The enclosure must also have shade and hiding places. You can achieve this by placing some plants, but make sure that the plants are not poisonous to the turtle. The turtle should not be able to escape, because of their climbing behavior, a 50 cm fence is really necessary. Lastly, it must be safe from dogs, cats and other predators.

Behaviour
Diet: Omnivorous but mainly animal
Lifestyle: Testtrial & diurnal

Character
They are interesting and active animals that can be busy, but need a lot of space to be kept properly.

Points of attention
Mud turtles are solitary and it is advisable not to house them together as they can show aggressive behavior towards each other.

Cost and Purchase
Legislation: The mud turtle falls under CITES II, to own this turtle you need CITES or transfer papers. You should get this with the purchase.
One-off costs: This includes the costs for accommodation, lighting, heating, terrarium and decoration. This can cost a few hundred euros to a few thousand euros in total. The final amount depends on the quality and size of the products.
Fixed costs: Fixed costs include the costs for the feed, which is a few tens of euros per year.
Unexpected costs: Costs are incurred when your turtle happens to get sick or your equipment breaks down.