Hi Everyone!
I'm new to turtles, but not to reptiles (iguanas) or exotics (chinchillas). My father either has a painted turtle or a red ear slider which he is no longer able to care for. He's over 20 years old, about 5 inches from head to tail, active, eats well, but has some concerning marks on his plastron, needs a full habitat upgrade and vegetables added to his diet. I'm helping him out weekly, and will ultimately end up taking him sometime next year. After scouring the boards on here, I think I've figured out a plan of attack, but have reached the point where any input would be greatly appreciated.
So obviously step one is identifying whether he's a Painted or a RES. I was so overwhelmed by everything else that I forgot to check last weekend. However, I think he's an Eastern Painted, and I did get pics, so maybe you can help with that a bit! If not, I'll check for the red stripe behind the eyes when I visit on Sunday.
Existing Setup:-20 gallon aquarium
-Submersible Fluval filter (that's failing miserably)
-ZooMed dock
-Basking lamp
-Reptomin pellets
-Turtle shaped calcium mineral block (I'm told this is given weekly)
Additions for this weekend:
-Red Leaf Lettuce, Green Leaf Lettuce, and Dandelion Greens
-Switching pellets to every other day (He's definitely overweight)
-Fluval 406 / Media Setup: Tray 1 (Bottom): Bio Foam, Tray 2: Polyester Batting, Tray 3: Carbon, Tray 4 (Top): Bio Media
-Mercury Vapor Bulb and the appropriate lamp
-Water testing
-A few large river rocks for entertainment
Additions in 2 weeks:-IR thermometer
-Submersible Water heater
-Possible Air Stone
Longer Term:-Separate Aquatic Garden with a different plant given weekly
-Upgrade to 50-60 gallon aquarium
-New dock
My questions:1. Is this a Painted turtle or a RES?
2. If it's a Painted, is there a good source for dietary info, or is it the same as the RES diet?
3. The prominent "cracks" on his plastron seriously concern me... should they? None of them were soft, and I don't know enough about turtles to know whether they were healed or a current issue.
4. If I should be concerned, will the previously mentioned novel of changes help the situation, or should I get him into a vet?
Thank you in advance for any insight!!! It, and the time you took to read this lengthy post are greatly appreciated!
Pics:Note: Plastron color is light yellow, not pink. Bad lighting.
https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4ViWmpEiHmYVnJid3RLMXdialEhttps://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4ViWmpEiHmYU3ZMWVJPVjB0WjAhttps://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4ViWmpEiHmYd0VMdFZEMWMxbHMhttps://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4ViWmpEiHmYMXJWaVY2Wnp1Wlkhttps://drive.google.com/open?id=0B4ViWmpEiHmYN0p4eGE3VUdnWTQ