How big is your turtle?
About 6 inches head to tail.
How long have you had it?
About 5 months-- I adopted him from another student who could no longer keep him. I am not sure how old he is.
What is the water temperature?
My stick-on thermometer says the tank temperature is around 86 degrees with his heating lamp on.
Did you use a thermometer?
Yes, one of the cheap stick-on ones. I'm not sure how accurate they are?
Are you using a water heater?
I have a stick-on external heater that a PetCo employee recommended to me. It doesn't do much, so I recently got a heating lamp and it certainly gets very warm.
How much water is in there?
It is a 10 gallon aquarium with water eight inches deep.
Are you using a water conditioner?
No.
Are you using any filtration?
Yes, I have a TetraFauna filter with replaceable filter cartridges. I change the filter cartridge around every two weeks.
What is the basking temperature?
Around 86 degrees.
Is there a basking light?
Yes, I have a heating lamp over his basking area and a UVB lamp over the rest of the tank.
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?
Yes.
What kind is it or what is it made out of?
I have a fake plastic rock cave surrounded by other rocks, both flat and rounded. There is a larger flat rock that my turtle climbs up on to bask.
Is there a UVB light?
Yes, for the past week we have had a UVB light. I did not have one before.
What have you been trying to feed it?
ReptoMin floating pellets and often some dried mealworms from Zoo Med's Gourmet Aquatic Turtle Food. Sometimes I also give him small dried shrimps, but not very frequently or recently. I just put a lettuce leaf in his tank for the first time-- he is curious about it, but has not yet eaten it.
When was the last time your turtle ate?
About two hours ago.
How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
10 gallon tank.
Is the tank near a window?
Yes, it is next to a window.
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?
There is not really a lot of activity.
Have you read the Basic Care section?
Yes.
Have you searched the forums for similar situations?
Yes-- I have read almost every available web page on pink plastrons/pink bruising on the plastron. I wanted to ask for myself because my turtle is very active and seems healthy-- he is eating and basking normally, and still gets very excited when I come to put food it (swims frantically and awaits the food). Even when I put the yellow-topped ReptoMin container on a table next to the tank, he quickly swam towards it (I've read that other turtles also respond with excitement to the yellow top of the container!). He seems to have a lot of energy, so I'm confused about the pink plastron coloring...
Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?
Pink "bruising" on the plastron.
-------------------------------
I usually live with my turtle at my college house in upstate New York. Because I am home for intersession, I have him back with me in Boston, Massachusetts. I was recently cleaning the back of his shell with a toothbrush because he had some scute shedding-- it was not FULL scutes, but rather the lines between the scutes shedding in small pieces. While I was cleaning him I noticed his pink plastron and I became very worried. I have been reading about septicemia and I am very scared that he is sick! He is not acting sick, however-- he seems very lively, still swimming and eating and basking as usual.
Other important information:
We have had him for about five months. He has been living in our house, which is quite cold, but we bought him an external tank heater (recommended to us by PetCo) and he always had a light (just a regular bulb, not UVB or heating lamp). There were a few very cold days when he seemed rather inactive and lethargic, but we tried to heat the tank as best we could. We did not know a lot about turtles. When I finally brought him back to my house in Boston I went out and bought him a heating lamp and a UVB lamp-- about a week ago. So he has lived in a healthier habitat for about a week or so.
While there is pink on the plastron, there does not seem to be any pink on his skin or on his shell.
I am trying to educate myself as much as possible on RES health and wellness! I am very concerned and I would love any opinions.
Here are pictures of the turtle, the habitat, and the plastron:
Please help! Thank you so much!
Good job heating up the water and getting the UVB, that's really important.
