sorry in advance for this being a super long post, i wanted to be thorough!
hey there. i have a turtle named Shark (aka Sharkie). He's an RES. i answered all the basic questions below. my question is about some odd behavior he's had within the past week or so...we have a filter with the intake coming down into the water and recently he has been scratching his shell on it. I was wondering if this was some sort of normal behavior or it's just like he has an itch or something? some other possible "symptoms" he has is shedding, sometimes it's heavy and sometimes very little (but only visible in the water). also when he is basking he kind of twitches like he is scratching his skin or just muscles are spasming. i haven't noticed that he's sluggish and he definitely IS eating. we clean the tank once every one or two months and he regularly take out water and replace it with clean water. we clean the filter every 3-4 weeks, too. also, there seems to be algae that gets in the filter and in the submerged part of his basking area, but we bought an algae killer that seemed to kill it but now all the dead stuff is there (we try to get clean it out as much as possible). i'm super poor (college student) and i just wanted to know if this could potentially be serious so i can take him to the vet if i need to. i hope this is detailed enough for answers! if you need pictures i can post some here. thank you so so so so SO much for your time! =]
How big is your turtle?
about 5-6 inches long
How long have you had it?
since august of this year, 2008
What is the water temperature?
usually around 75
Did you use a thermometer?
yes
Are you using a water heater?
no
How much water is in there?
40 gallon tank with 15-20 gallons of water in it
Are you using a water conditioner?
yes
Are you using any filtration?
yes, a ZooMed 501
What is the basking temperature?
80-85 last time i checked
Is there a basking light?
yes, ZooMed brand, 75 watts and also i switch it to an infrared light at nighttime, also 75 watts
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?
yes i have a floating type of lightweight "rock" that i got from Petco
What kind is it or what is it made out of?
i'm not sure exactly what it's made out of but like i said it's lightweight and it floats. it's probably some sort of foam type thing
Is there a UVB light?
yes, i have a full spectrum light in addition to the basking light
What have you been trying to feed it?
i feed him/her (not 100% sure yet) commercial diet floating pellet things and feeder fish (every other day for the fish)
When was the last time your turtle ate?
he eats regularly
How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
tank is a 40 gallon tank, 36x17x18 cm
Is the tank near a window?
yes but we usually keep the blinds closed though some daylight comes in
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?
depends on your definition of a lot...my boyfriend and i (we live together) usually are in there but the most activity is us getting up from the couch or leaving the room/apartment
Have you read the Basic Care section?
yes and i have a short book on RES
Have you searched the forums for similar situations?
yes
thanks again!