Feeding and Nutrition :: question about calcium supplements for baby turtles.

[101290]

i have a question about calcium supplements - specifically, the powdered calcium supplements.

red-eared slider turtles need to eat underwater.
since they eat underwater, wouldn't the powder on their dried food just come off in their tank water?

i feel like my baby turtles aren't getting enough calcium (i feel this way because the edges of both of their shells are sort of ... hard, but slightly bendy) so i'm looking into different types of calcium supplements.

i have been feeding them ReptoMin food sticks from TetraFauna (contains a minimum of 2.0% calcium) along with ReptoTreat Gammarus (dried shrimp - no calcium on the nutrition label).
i have been giving them a combination of two food sticks & a shrimp once a day; & i have been feeding them the same combination since the middle of June 2011.
i also put in a piece of a cuttlebone in their tank, but they don't eat it - one turtle actually uses it to just sit on.

i went to Petco yesterday & actually looked around for food that had higher amounts of calcium - i ended up buying Fluker's Buffet Blend (contains a minimum of 4.50% calcium).
one of my turtles ate a pellet of the new food, but he didn't eat the dried mealworm (he just tore up the worm into three parts & left it there).
my other turtle didn't eat the new food today; he didn't eat any of his food actually.
they both usually poop after 30 minutes when they're done eating.

..........

POSSIBLY ADDITIONAL HELPFUL INFORMATION:

both of my turtles' shells are about 1.5 inches long & they both live in a tank with the dimensions of 20x10x12 (i don't remember how many gallons of water the take holds), but the water in the tank is about 3.5 inches deep.
i have a UVB light (Zilla Slimline Tropical 25 UVB T8 Fluorescent Fixture), a basking area (Zoo Med Turtle Dock), & a water filter (TetraFauna ReptoFilter; for aquariums up to 20 gallons), but i do not have a water heater & a basking light anymore because they broke (i ordered them both online & i should get them in a week or so).

one turtle is friendly & swims up to me when i'm near the tank.
the other turtle is shy, stays underwater for the majority of the time but occasionally comes up for air, gets scared when anyone walks by the tank, hides under the floating basking area, & doesn't even bask at all (... or maybe i just haven't seen him bask).

..........

do i need to increase their calcium intake?
is powdering their food with a calcium supplement better? or would i be better off using a spray calcium supplement (Zilla Calcium Supplement Reptile Food Spray)?
should i just feed them more of their regular food?
... or am i just being silly & over-reacting?

help?

[Love of Animals]

Hatchlings will have shells that are a little pliable. The shells will harden when they get older. For a calcium supplement I feed my turtle cuttlebone found in the bird section. Chip off the hard backing and plop in the tank. When the turtle wants some calcium they'll nibble on it. My turtle prefers me to cut his cuttlebone into bite size pieces. Then he eats it. A lot of people just leave them float though. What is your turtles diet like?

[101290]

my turtles' diet is in the first post .____.
i also have a piece of a cuttlebone in their tank - they don't eat it.

[Love of Animals]

You can break it up into small pieces like I mentioned I have to do for my turtle. He doesn't like it whole either. If you really want them to eat it break it into small pieces and soak it in tuna water. At 1.5 inches their shells will be pliable. That's normal. Even though you are feeding them a good pellet (reptomin) introduce veggies at an early age. Meal worms aren't very nutritious. You mention the water in your tank is only 3.5 inches deep. Raise it RES love to swim even as hatchlings. Just put some decorations in so they can rest at the top.

[steve]

I think people like to use the jell-o recipe for adding extra calcium into the diet. You can also dust pellets.. moisten them, add the calcium and let it dry before feeding them.

[101290]

thanks for all of the helpful tips!

[brtmon123]

i use a spray on calcium supplement because i was in the same situation. I sprayed it on my turtle pellets, let it sit for a few minutes to get abosrbed and within a week, his shell was hard again. :]