General Care Discussion

Hello! I've been somewhat obsessively stalking this forum for some time since I acquired two baby red eared sliders to get started, but I'm posting now because I'm starting to get a little worried for them.

I "rescued" them from my own family, who got them (likely illegally) from Chinatown as hatchlings to please my much younger brother and sister (4 and 9 yrs old). I have them in a little setup with me in college right now, and got them a tank, a heating lamp and UVB bulb, a floating dock, a filter, and a water heater, with some plastic plants and decorative rocks (which are large, so they don't choke on them). I'm currently looking into getting them a much larger tank, but since I'm a college student, I have a very, very tight budget--I've been scouring Craigslist for some used tanks. The other problem with having very little money is that I can't really afford to go to the vet unless I have no choice, which is not great but at least better than them dying at home.

The turtles have grown a little since I took them in two months ago (they're maybe about 3 inches now?), but I'm starting to notice what might look like pyramiding, and potentially fungus? There are some little white spots distributed evenly across both of their shells. Also, I noticed that the outer edge of their scutes are transparent. I'm not sure if this might be a problem, but it seemed weird to me. I know that they're basking quite frequently, because every time I walk into the room they're jumping off the dock into the water. However, I didn't know until recently about the head-size amount of pellets rule, so I think I've been feeding them too many high-protein baby turtle pellets. (The container that the pellets came in said to feed them more food until they slow down for about 15 or so minutes, which I guess is wrong--they just keep eating away until I stop feeding them.) The other concern is that I didn't realize I needed to change the tank water as frequently as once every week or two weeks--I thought that since I was using a feeding tank, I could get away with a little less. This is definitely something I will be correcting, but maybe the less frequent water changes contributed to these conditions I'm observing. I did check to see if any of the white spots were shell rot, and as far as I can tell, they FEEL okay--they're not soft or sticky or anything--which is why I suspect it might be fungus.

I'm going to cut down substantially on the pellets, get them some cuttlebone and calcium blocks, try harder to get them to eat more veggies (they didn't eat any lettuce, and only a little bit of carrot the other times I've tried), and clean the tank more frequently. What else can I do? Can anybody give me any more information about the pyramiding, white spots, and transparent outer scutes? Am I just paranoid, or am I right to be worried?

The other thing I'm worried about is their behavior, which is becoming very erratic and frantic. I observed that they were freaking out a lot when I first got them in their terrible condition--they were kept in a tiny plastic carrying tank with an inch of water on the bottom, in a shadowy spot in the corner of a room, with no lights, no dry area, no filter, and all the other things you guys probably have nightmares about. When I put them in the larger, clean tank with a light and filter, they calmed down and seemed to recognize me after a while. They still seem to recognize me, but I've been noticing that they get more frantic when they get put into the feeder tank (which is actually the carrying tank they used to be in). They scurry around everywhere and try to swim frantically through the wall. Recently, they've even started to eat a little less, I think. I've tried feeding them in their normal larger tank, which is better, but I still notice some of the nervous behavior. How much of this is just them not realizing what glass is, and how much of it is them being stressed out? What can I do to help them?

I attached some images; if you look closely, you'll see the white spots and the transparent scutes, particularly near the bottom of the shell. And the pyramiding?

Sorry for the long post, but I just have a lot of questions! Thank you so much for any info you can give me!

Hi... hard to tell if its fungus. I agree with cutting back on the pellets, that's the bigger mistake here. I wouldn't stress over cuttlebone and don't use calcium blocks/white turtles/etc. Get a good brand pellet (Mazuri or Omega-One) and reevaluate the diet.

Hi Steve--thanks for the reply! I'll do that, and see how things are. Looking at them while they're dry earlier made those things seem less problematic and less pronounced, so that's good.

I agree with Steve and would like add don't stress about them not eating vegetables. As long as your feeding one of the pellets Steve mentioned they will be fine.

Okay, thanks! Do you think that changing up their diet will help with the erratic behavior? I noticed them "claw fluttering" at each other face to face and seeming kind of aggressive last night, which I think might be because the tank is too small. I'm working on that. Does anyone have other ideas about what's affecting their behavior?

Turtles can be aggressive with eachother. A larger tank might work but separation might be necessary. I doubt their diet is a factor. The fanning can also be mating behavior. Keep a close eye on them. Is only one showing this behavior?

I hadn't noticed aggressive behavior until two nights ago, which I haven't noticed since. They seem to get along fine, except that one of them, Merry, has generally seemed more "dominant," eating more food if fed together with Pippin and kind of swimming over him (I'm assuming they're male but technically they're too young to sex). But never particular aggressive. It was interesting because it seemed that two nights ago Pippin was the one "winning" and chasing Merry around and snapping at him after they did the claw fluttering at each other. However, BOTH of them were fluttering their claws at each other at the same time, not just one of them.

http://exoticpets.about.com/od/aquatict ... wflutt.htm

Thanks, Kansasslider!

I will make these changes and hopefully see an improvement.

I hope it helps but keep in mind you might have to separate them.

Hello again! Just wanted to follow up on this conversation, but also bring up another concern.

I made the changes that we talked about last time--I started feeding them a little less, giving them veggies on a veggie clip, and also gave them a cuttlebone. They've been munching on both the Romaine and the cuttlebone just fine. I've also upgraded to a larger tank (actually a plastic storage bin), so now they're in a 30 gallon tank filled maybe 2/3 of the way with water. The water has been crystal clear, since I added a very powerful filter (up to 80 gallons) and also some of the sludge-eating bacteria stuff. I might just be optimistic, but their shells seem to be starting to smooth out (though the scutes are still retaining some of the previous pyramiding structures). Also, I don't notice any more of the white spots! They also have stopped fluttering their claws at each other, which is a relief.

I am happy with the improvements, and I think the turtles are, too! However, I'm still a little worried about one of the turtles, Pippin, who seems very panicky and nervous. He has always been that way, hence my choice to name him Pippin instead of Merry (haha), but it seems to have gotten worse recently. He also seems to be eating with less enthusiasm--he'll still eat, but he'll come to the surface of the water, snap up a pellet or two, then sink to the bottom and chew and then return to the top, while before he would just gobble everything up. I still notice him basking and swimming occasionally, but most of the time I think he just hangs out in his little corner, especially if I come in and he gets spooked. He'll just dive off the dock and scramble under it so violently it's a bit unnerving. Merry seems to be just fine and happy, and I don't notice him being intimidating toward Pippin.

The other thing is that I've noticed that their plastrons are pink. I read that this probably means there's extra blood flow in the area because they're still growing (they're ~2.5 inch babies). Please let me know if this isn't the case and I should look into it more!

Thanks again for all your help and advice!

The pinkness might also be due to an abrasive docking area or substrate. Pippin's behavior might be related to the change in seasons. As for any skittishness, they will have their own personalities and it might be just the way he is. A lot of times they will stop basking if they think you will give them a treat

Thanks, Steve! I will just assume that it's just his personality or the seasons, unless I see something else or it gets to the point where he doesn't bask or eat.

Also, what kinds of things might cause them to get scratched? I put some large rocks I picked up on a river bed in the tank. If you look at the above photos, you can see the kind of rocks that are in their tank. They aren't terribly smooth, but they don't seem all that jagged either. Looking at the plastrons, the pinkness seems to be from inside, beneath the surface of the shell. I've attached some photos for your reference.

From the pics, it does look like it's mostly from the fast growth. A correction in the diet should help.

Okay, that sounds right to me. I'll try to cut down on the pellets even more, poor things. Thanks again, Steve! I will keep you all updated--hopefully they will look better soon!

General Care Discussion :: New turtle mom--worried about their health!

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