Urgent Care :: Help, please

[blkdaemon]

Hi everyone, my family has had turtles for years. After the death of our last turtle (a ripe age of 21) we got a hatchling. I've never had a hatchling before so I'm worried about some changes in him that i've never seen in a turtle before.

How big is your turtle? 4"
How long have you had it? 8 days

What is the water temperature? room temp.
Are you using a water heater? no
How much water is in there? 5 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? i dont know?
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? is sculptured stone
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? commercial pellets and mealworms
When was the last time your turtle ate? this morning

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gallon tank
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? His shell seems to have paled. When we got him his shell was a deep hunter green and now it seems to have faded to a camoflauge green. This is what worries me the most. Are turtles supposed to fade their shell or is it just him getting older?

He's as active as he ever was before, swims, basks, eats, etc all like normal. (or as normal as I can tell having only had him for about a week). He is also shedding skin, but I've seen that in other turtles so that didn't as much worry me.

Thanks for your input!
Raphael and I appreciate it!

[jenaero]

First off, if your turt is already 4in, it's not a hatchling. Secondly, you'll need to get a couple of thermometers. One for the water, one for the basking area. Knowing and controlling the temps is crucial. Next, you'll need a larger tank. 10gal per inch of turtle is the general rule (as you've probably already read in the general care section).

Shell color generally darkens with age but I've never seen a difference in such a short time. I think if you take care of the basics (larger tank, warm basking area) you should be fine.

[industrial_girl_2000]

I agree with Janaero here. The shell doesn't chg color overnight. While the hatchlings are very green, the adults are typically brown (but you had a 21-yr old so I'm sure you have experience with the brown shell already).

Can you provide us with a picture?

[blkdaemon]

Thanks for the input.

Whats the cut-off size for a hatchling? like I said, I've never had one this small.

Also how important is having a heater to a young turtle? None of our adult turtles ever had heaters.

[cam722]

Thanks for the input.

Whats the cut-off size for a hatchling? like I said, I've never had one this small.

Also how important is having a heater to a young turtle? None of our adult turtles ever had heaters.

A hatchling is under a year old. It's not a size thing, it's age. Hatchling denotes that it just hatched... and surely a 4" turtle didn't just hatch

I also agree with the others in that you need to get a much larger setup. You say there is only 5 gallons of water, that's definitely not enough for an aquatic turtle.. the more water the better and healthier they are.

[marisa]

Hatchling = up to a year of age. A captive turtle could conceivably be 4" at less than a year (still technically be a hatchling), but this would most likely be due to overfeeding/too much protein and would not be good. Do you know what he was being fed before you got him?

Is the fading uniform all over the shell, or is it in spots/areas? I'm assuming you know about turtles shedding scutes. They can look lighter as air gets trapped under them as they begin to lift. Is this a possibility?

Do you have hard water? If so mineral deposits could make the shell look lighter. (If you haven't had this problem with your other turtles, this probably isn't what's causing the lightening.

If he's eating well and acting normally, plus is shedding skin, I'm wondering if he's not going to shed. (If you had adult/full grown turtles, their growth would be minimal, and shedding would not be often.)

A pic of the shell dry would be helpful.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

A ten gallon tank is no where near enough room for he or she to swim in,you need atleast a 40 gallon tank for your turtle.You also need to know the temperature of the water because cold water is very bad for turtles,we ( as in humans) cant just tell if the water is ok just by touching it.So definitley get a water heater and a thermometer,thermometers are realy cheap about a dollar and change at your local pet shop and a water heater will cost you about 20 bucks or maybe more.But something that you will have to keep in mind is that when you do upgrade to a bigger tank go for the biggest you can afford because once your turtle reaches 5 inches he or she will need 50 gallons max and etc,same goes for filters,water heaters etc.

[marisa]

As for the heater, where are you located and what is the consistent water temp in the set-up he's in or will be in?

[xsavingsaturdayx]

As for the heater, where are you located and what is the consistent water temp in the set-up he's in or will be in?

marisa,i dont think he has a thermometer yet because in the thing he filled it.He just said that the water is room temp.

[turtledudee]

also, the sculptured stone, what material is it? dyes or even toxins could've washed off and it might be the cause.

[marisa]

If the water is room temp, he should know what the temp of the room is...My question was asked so he would find out and post it.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

If the water is room temp, he should know what the temp of the room is...My question was asked so he would find out and post it.

Oh ok im sorry,

[marisa]

No need to feel that way. You made the necessary change and that's good.

[xsavingsaturdayx]

No need to feel that way. You made the necessary change and that's good.

Haha ok,cool

[industrial_girl_2000]

Also how important is having a heater to a young turtle? None of our adult turtles ever had heaters.

Heaters are VERY important for a young turtle since they should be kept at a slightly warmer temp than the adults (78-80 degrees). The adults are typically around 76 degree water.

Don't delay getting a heater for the water & a thermometer. The stick-on therms are very cheap (less than $2), and a submersible heater is only around $20. I also have a laboratory thermometer from my college chemistry days which I use to check the basking area temp. RI is *easily* prevented by ensuring that the water temp is good.

Even if your house is warm in the winter, don't assume the water temp is good. I lost my first 2 turts to RI 18 yrs ago because the water was too cold & I knew nothing back then about proper water temperature. Those were some very sad times for my family as we had to watch a little turtle with a collapsed lung die slowly over the course of a month. I hope that by telling my story, this kind of thing never happens to anyone else.