The Eastern mud turtle is one of the smallest turtles in the United States, reaching a length of just 3-4 in (7.5-10 cm). They aren’t very popular in the pet trade because of their dull colors, but they are active critters, so they can make good pets.
There are about 18 types of mud turtles around the world, including the Mississippi mud turtle and the American mud turtle. Eastern mud turtles are poor swimmers, but still prefer to spend most of their time in water.
What Is An Eastern Mud Turtle?
A full-grown Eastern mud turtle only reaches about 3-4 in (7.5-10 cm). Their upper shell (carapace) is dark green or brown to almost black. The shell doesn’t have any patterning or keels and is completely smooth. Most turtles have 12 marginal scutes, but eastern mud turtles only have 11.
The lower shell (plastron) is yellow to brown, also with 11 plates. A juvenile’s plastron looks slightly different with orange-red spots.
Juveniles are often mistaken for snapping turtles because the two look very similar. Eastern mud turtle babies have a larger and hinged plastron. A snapping turtle’s plastron is much smaller, but their tail is longer.
Their heads have irregular stripes that run between the eyes and nostrils.
Males look different from females because they have a blunt spine on the tip of their tail. Their plastrons are concave to accommodate mating, and their tails are thicker and longer. They also have rough patches on the inside of their hind legs.
Other mud turtles include the American mud turtle, the striped mud turtle, and the Mississippi mud turtle. The striped mud turtle looks very similar to the eastern, except it has prominent stripes across its head. The Mississippi mud turtle may even hybridize with the eastern mud turtle, where they occur together along the Mississippi River.
- Common Names: Eastern Mud Turtle
- Scientific Name: Kinosternon subrubrum
- Origin: Southern New York, to southern Florida, to central Texas
- Mud Turtle Size (Length): 3-4 in (7.5-10 cm)
- Lifespan: 20-50 years
- Enclosure Size: 40+ gallons
- Temperament: Semi-aggressive
- Ease of Care: Moderate
Mud Turtle Habitat
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation describes the eastern mud turtle’s range:
“The range of this species covers Long Island, south to southern Florida, west to central Texas, and north up the Mississippi Valley to southern Illinois and southwestern Indiana. An isolated population occurs in northwestern Indiana. In New York, there are only five populations remaining.”
The common mud turtle lives as far north as Long Island, New York, where only five populations remain. They live southward as far as southern Florida. The species lives westward as far as central Texas. They also live as far northwest as the Mississippi Valley, southern Illinois, and southwestern Indiana. There is a single, isolated population of turtles in northwestern Indiana.
Mud turtles like both fresh and brackish water and live in a variety of water landscapes. Their favorite habitats include marshes, moist ditches and fields, offshore islands, and smaller ponds.
They dislike deep, fast-moving water because they are weak swimmers. Instead, they stick to areas with slow-moving water and soft substrate. They choose areas that are shallow so that they can easily glide across the soft bottom of their habitat.
They also prefer areas with plenty of vegetation, so they have easy access to food and places to hide.
Diet
Eastern mud turtles are omnivorous, but prefer meaty foods. Some of their favorite foods include crustaceans, mollusks, tadpoles, carrion, and aquatic insects. They will also feed on seeds and vegetation.
Behavior & Temperament
Eastern mud turtles are semi-aquatic, spending most of their days in water. Even though they’re semi-aquatic, they don’t bask often. Still, they will sometimes sunbathe on floating rocks or debris.
During the summer, they are apt to spend more time on land. Warm weather prompts them to travel overland when their preferred habitat dries up and they must go in search of a new habitat.
Some turtles will avoid looking for a new habitat when theirs dries up. Instead, they will burrow into the mud and go into a kind of stupor called “aestivation” until the water comes back.
Eastern mud turtles also hibernate during the winter months, particularly in their more northern regions. In New York, hibernation lasts from September to April or May. At the time of hibernation, turtles burrow into the mud below the frost line. This is usually about 1-3 ft (0.3-0.9 m) deep.
Reproduction
In more southerly regions, female eastern mud turtles reach sexual maturity around 5-8 years of age. Males reach sexual maturity slightly sooner at 4-7 years. In the northern parts of their region, turtles may not reach sexual maturity until about 8-11 years of age. Sexual maturity occurs when a turtle reaches 3.1 in (8 cm) in length.
In the northern regions, breeding occurs right after the turtles wake from hibernation, from April to July. Breeding occurs slightly earlier in more southern regions, often beginning in May or June.
Mating mostly occurs underwater, but these turtles may sometimes mate on land. Females initiate mating by secreting pheromones from their musk glands. A male will then mount the female while biting her head and carapace.
After fertilization, a female mud turtle creates a nest. She often needs to travel 656.2-1,312.3 ft (200-400 m) from her water habitat to her nesting site.
The mother digs a small hole, about 3-5 in (7.6-12.7 cm) deep in sandy or loamy soil. She chooses a spot surrounded by lots of vegetation for hiding. Sometimes, she may create her nest inside a beaver dam or muskrat lodge.
A female mud turtle lays between 2-6 eggs in a clutch. The species lays about three clutches a season in the southern range. In the northern range, a single clutch is more common.
Unlike most turtle eggs, eastern mud turtle eggs are hard, not soft. They do not absorb water.. The eggs are brittle and bluish-white or pink.
Like most turtle species, the sex of eastern mud turtle eggs is determined by the temperature when they incubate.
The University of Michigan Museum of Zoology says that:
“Males are produced at an incubation temperature range of 21.5 to 27 degrees Celsius. A mix of males and females are produced at an incubation temperature range from 27.0 to 30.0 degrees Celsius. Females are produced at an incubation temperature of at and above 30 degrees Celsius.”
Mud turtle’s eggs incubate for about 76-100 days and often hatch between August and September. In colder regions, hatchlings may remain in the nest until winter is over and the temperature turns warmer.
Eastern Mud Turtle Care
Aquatic turtles are more difficult to care for than terrestrial turtles, and eastern mud turtles don’t enjoy handling. Still, if you follow the proper care requirements, it’s easy to take care of mud turtles.
Enclosure
Eastern mud turtles are small, but they are active, so they prefer a decent-sized enclosure. To keep them happy, provide them with at least 40 gallons.
These turtles are semi-aquatic, but they rarely leave water. Their enclosure should be mostly water. Provide them with a basking spot above the waterline.
Mud turtles can be dirty, so you’ll need a powerful filter to keep their tank clean.
Substrate
Since the enclosure mostly comprises water, you don’t need a substrate. If you’d like a substrate, large, flat rocks are easiest on your filter.
Decorations
These turtles will appreciate plenty of rocks and vegetation in their tank because they love to hide. Artificial plants work, but live plants are ideal because they provide a constant food source for your turtle.
Temperature & Lighting
A heat lamp and a UVB bulb need to be placed over the basking spot. The lamp will provide the turtle with a place to warm up, and the UVB lighting will provide your turtle with nutrients to keep its shell and bones healthy.
The basking spot should stay around 90ºF (32.2°C). The rest of the tank should remain between 75 to 85ºF (23.9-29.4°C).
Keep the water temperature between 74-78ºF (23.3-25.6°C). If your house runs cold, you may need to keep a water heater in the tank.
Humidity
Eastern mud turtles need moderate humidity kept around 40-50%.
Tank Mates
It’s possible to keep multiple turtles if your tank is large enough, but they prefer to live alone. Males can be especially territorial and may fight and injure each other. So, if you choose to house multiple turtles, don’t have more than a single male.
Diet
In captivity, there are plenty of foods to replicate their wild diet. A commercial turtle pellet can supplement their diet. You should offer meat, like insects, snails, worms, or small feeder fish and shrimp every other day.
The bulk of their diet should comprise dark, leafy greens, vegetables, and aquatic vegetation. Dust greens with calcium supplements every day for hatchlings or every three days for adults.
Conclusion
Most people don’t keep eastern mud turtles as pets. They’re tiny, dull, and may bite when handled. Still, they are easy to care for and are fun to watch flitting about the tank.
Eastern mud turtles are hardy, tolerating both fresh and brackish water. They are weak swimmers, so they like shallow water. Still, they spend most of their lives in water, only surfacing occasionally to bask and nest.
FAQs
Eastern mud turtles aren’t super common in the pet trade, but it’s not difficult to find them. Most pet stores who carry turtles will have them. If you can’t find them in pet stores, you can search for local breeders or online shops.
Depending on where you live, it may be difficult to get an eastern mud turtle as a pet since they are so small. In the United States, it’s illegal to buy a turtle that is less than 4 in (10.2 cm) long. Eastern mud turtles only reach about 4 in (10.2 cm) in length at their largest size.
But, they can make good pets. Because of their small size, they do not need as much space as other turtles. Keep in mind that they don’t like being handled. So, they make the best pets for people who like hands-off pets.
The eastern mud turtle was assessed in 2011 by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List and was labeled as “least concern” with an unknown population trend.
The species is not currently threatened, but they still face man-made dangers. These dangers include habitat destruction, pesticide poisoning, and death by vehicle.
