Sternotherus odoratus
Common musk turtle
Mostly water, heavily filtered, plus a dock where the shell can dry under UVB. The temperature numbers above are for the water. The dock is warmer.
Legal status
- Check local rules
Sternotherus odoratus is not recorded here as listed in the CITES Appendices. No EU wildlife-trade annex was verified for this species, so the annex field is empty. It is not marked on the EU list of invasive alien species and it is not marked as venomous. National and regional rules can still restrict keeping. Check local rules before you keep, move, or rehome an animal. This record is not a permit and not legal advice.
Official sourceNot legal advice. Rules differ by country, and sometimes by region. Check the law that applies to you.
- Temperature
- 22–26°C
- Basking
- 30–32°C
- UVB
- Ferguson zone 2 to 3. About 0.7–2.0 over the basking dock
- Humidity
- 60–80%
- Minimum enclosure
- About a 90 cm aquarium for one adult, with a dry dock
- Adult size
- About 8–14 cm.
- Lifespan
- Often 20–40 years.
- Difficulty
- intermediate
Diet and feeding
A commercial turtle diet, insects, and the occasional plant. They are mostly carnivorous. Juveniles daily. Adults every other day.
Substrate
Bare bottom or fine sand. Large gravel is an impaction risk.
Health
Shell rot, ear abscesses, and metabolic bone disease without UVB. They release a smell when frightened. That is the musk, not a disease.
Handling
They bite. Wash your hands. Salmonella advice applies to small turtles.
Husbandry ranges are general guidance for captive care, not a veterinary prescription or a permit. Confirm the gradient with your own thermometers. UV zones follow Baines et al., Journal of Zoo and Aquarium Research 4(1), 2016, https://www.jzar.org/jzar/article/view/150. Legal fields use the source link on this species and stay empty when an annex was not verified.