Elon the musk turtle rehomed by RSPCA after record 1,579 days Elon the musk turtle – also known as the stinkpot turtle – has been rehomed by the RSPCA after being looked after for 1,579 days, which is the charity’s longest ever search for a new owner for a reptile.
The musk turtle – sternotherus odoratus – is native to the eastern United States and south-eastern Canada and has the nickname stinkpot turtle because it can release a foul musky odour from scent glands on the edge of its shell to deter predators.
Head of reptiles at Brighton Fred Bark said: “Elon was quite a personable chap really and he was easy to handle when musk turtles can often be smelly and quite bitey.
“But we needed adopters who had an enclosure with some space, an area of land as well as water as musk turtles have all the care needs of a reptile and a fish.
Staff at the charity’s Brighton Reptile Rescue centre first took in Elon when he was abandoned during lockdown.
