General Care Discussion :: worried newbie

[nick]

hey there- im sorry if this a repeat of other messages.....
i just got 2 baby RES in chinatown, nyc- i was trying to 'save' them, and now im not sure they are healthy or not. ive bought a 10 gallon tank, a uv-b lamp, floating dock, zoo-med 318 filter. neither turtle has eaten in a week, since i ve gotten them. ive put the pellets or lettuce or carrots in the water, on the dock, in a little bottle cap with water on the dock.....nothing.
also, one has light white tissue-stuff around the cloaca area? i cant figure out what it is.
i know its not unnatural to wait a week or so for them to start eating, after they feel comfortable with their surroundings. also, im vegan so i dont want to feed them fish, or soak the pellets in tuna, as crazy as that might sound.
-the other thing i want to bring up, one of my RES might have pyramiding- can anyone tell me if this is what it looks like, and what i can do? look at the photos.
the last photo is just, well....cute.
thanks to anyone who can help. i really love these little guys and want to show it.
thanks,
nick

[jenaero]

I don't know what to tell you about that stuff around his bum so I'll let someone else tackle that.

The setup looks good but I can think of at least 3 things you're missing that would more than likely help them start eating. You mentioned you had a uvb bulb. If that's all it is, it provides light but not heat. The basking area needs to be between 85 and 90 F. I don't see a water heater or thermometer anywhere either. Knowing the basking and water temps is so important. Turts that are too cold will not eat.

Good luck and welcome

[cam722]

One thing I noticed about your setup is that there's no heater. What are your water and basking temps? If the water is too cool (it should be around 78 for hatchlings) the turtles may not eat. Those of us in cooler climates have to make sure to keep the water temp constant.

Another observation, as your turtles get bigger you'll want to get rid of that gravel. You should have nothing in a turtle tank that's smaller than the size of their head, other than things you intend on them eating

You can up the water level too.. add a few plants for them to hide in and float around on, they can be either real or fake plants.

the one turtles shell looks a bit odd. I'm not sure if it's the picture or not. It looks like some of the scutes are indented. Keep us updated on the eating issue, and if you have any other questions, just ask

[ellman605]

you need a bigger tank, a ten gallon is ok for one hatchling, but for 2 it is already to small. "Rule" is 10 gallons for every inch, so....i think their to big. craigslist.org has good deals, i got my 50 gallon W for $50 there.

[marisa]

That last picture is wonderful! Is that stuff around the tail on the legs as well? Could be shedding, could be a fungus (couldn't tell from the pic). You might try a daily salt bath in aquarium salt for a few days and see if that doesn't help. (Get Dr. Wellfish at Walmart, it's cheap--put a tablespoon to a gallon of water, have it the depth of the shell and leave him in it for 30-45 min.) The shell looks like the turtle has been living in really poor conditions (given that you got them from Chinatown, we know the answer). Is the shell hard where the white areas are?

[buddys_my_turtle]

Also if you are intending to get more plants you might not want to get a real plant well you can but the turt. will chew it up at least thats what mine did and then your filter will clog which u can always clean but I am just going to have to go with fake plants because they are easy and some look realistic.But I recomand u ask the others for their oppinon!!

[nick]

thanks very much for your replies- im going to get a water heater right now.....its definitely what im missing.
the white spots on the shell are from the camera- sorry. but his shell is hard. im hoping it will heal when he starts eating.
ill keep you guys updated
thanks
nick

[new turtle-lover]

Don't worry about your turtles pyramaiding, it seems to me they aren't. Remember, pyramaiding is when each individual scute is raised.

[nick]

ive been keeping the water at 78 degrees, and the little dudes are so much happier and healthier- they both eat a lot now!
thanks

[khobbs]

in the second picture, the turtle on top, does it look like it's shedding it scutes?

[reptilegrrl]

Ok, it looks like you mean well. Thank you for rescuing turtles! The first thing you need to do is educate yourself about the needs of these turtles. Read the articles on this site and anapsid.org. The basking bulb you have in the pic is not a true UV bulb; the manufacturers want to sell them so they call them "UVB", but in reality they will not provide the full-spectrum light that the turtles need. You need a full-spectrum light. These are expensive but absolutely necessary.

Next, you need to be prepared to move htem into something bigger than a 10-gallon tank. They will grow outof that tank very soon.

Find yourself a good vet and take them in to be examined. This is the first thing one should do with any new pet!! They may have parasites or fungus. A vet can deworm them and make sure they are healthy, or get them healthy if they aren't. The white stuff looks like a fungus, and also, that turtle's shelllooks slightly deformed or damaged. So please get them to a vet!

Regarding diet: I am a vegetarian and in favor of rights for animals. This includes the right to health. Your turtles are not vegetarian, they are mostly carnivorous, and they need to have meat-based foods. Unlikes us humans, they NEED meat to survive and bea healthy. Period. Their pellets are meat-based, but they will also need fish, worms, etc. If you cannot feed them what they need, then it is best to find a new home for them.

I see that you have started heating the wayer, that's great. Definitely keep the water at around 78', and the basking area between 85 and 90. The gravel should go, too- it i just harbors filth now, and soon they will be able to eat it.

Good luck!

[marisa]

I don't know what the light is in the first pic, but if it doesn't supply UVB rays, then your turtle needs one as well. Do not just get a light that says "Full Spectrum," however, as this does not necessarily mean that it emits UVB rays. The light/package should specifically say that the light emits UVB rays for it to be a UVB light.

[nick]

can someone tell me what kind of fish are good to buy for the baby turtles to eat? they dont seem to be responding to carrots or lettuce.
thanks
nick

p.s that white stuff around the tail has fallen off. i have no idea what it was, but its gone!

[reptilegrrl]

Baby turtles are mostly carnivorous. They will respond better to carrots and lettuce when they get a little older.

Good fish to try out are guppies. Small rosies are also good. You can also look into tiny crickets (just drop them in the water, your turtles will get them) and nightcrawlers. A varied diet is the way to go.

[sonyj]

Even if he isn't eating the veggies now, don't stop offering them. He will eventually eat them. I've never had a problem with Koopa eating them as I've offered them since day one, but it did take about a week before he started eating them. Other turtles take longer to eat their veggies, but since they are so important to a healthy diet, just keep offering them along with his pellets.