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Hey everyone,

My RES Michaelangelo (Mikey) is very large for his age. I am pretty sure that Mikey is actually a female of course i didnt know this at the time i brought him home. He currently has a carpace length of 8 inches and he is not quite 3 years old yet I am not quite sure what to do he seems quite healthy but as a struggling college student it is very hard to house him. Anyone have any suggestions as to how i could get his diet on track? or how i could be positive that he is healthy?

How big was she when you first got her? If she was a hatchling and now has a 8" SCL, then that is very big. You need to cut back on the protein and offer more veggies.

She was a hatchling when i got her, still had her cute little egg tooth on her nose. I have been trying to feed mikey more veggies hopefully he will stay the same size while he matures

Wowza!

Generally, a healthy turtle will display the following traits:
- be very alert with bright, open eyes
- active
- very hearty appetite; may beg for food, even after they are done eating
- curious in surroundings & will explore or actively get into things
- breathes with mouth closed

A sick turtle will generally do the following:
- stops eating
- may sit on basking area for long periods of time with eyes closed & arms/legs/head pulled in
- may not be able to float on the water properly/evenly
- breathes with mouth open, gasps for air, or has mucus coming from mouth/nose
- has swollen eyes or rubs eyes all the time
- soft shell (keeping in mind that all hatchlings start off with soft shell when they emerge from an egg so that's normal, but it is not normal for them to keep this soft shell as they grow!).
- has sores on shell or skin which are gray/yellowish & smell bad
- is not growing at all
- scutes falling off revealing a gray layer underneath

Keep in mind that this list does not list EVERYTHING there is to look out for. But it hopefully can give you a general idea.

The length of the carapace does not include the curve of the shell? If it does, then try measuring again without it.

If you're not sure what sex your turtle is, can you post a pic of your turtle showing the tail (underside with the cloaca) and front nails? At that size, you should be able to tell for sure.