Urgent Care :: Suprise New Owner! Shell Condition Advice

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Post Posted: Sun Nov 22, 2020 2:07 pm   Suprise New Owner! Shell Condition Advice

I live in the UK where RES are an invasive species. My dad rescued a large female slider from his garden and has kept her for a few years but he recently passed unexpectedly. Due to laws surrounding RES I decided to take her in to prevent euthanasia as she cannot be rehomed. because my Dad passed suddenly I never got a chance to find out how to care for her from him and instead have been doing extensive research online but the thing which worries me is her shell it seems damaged with possibly some shell rot?? (there is also damage underneath but I will need to get help of someone to hold her so I can take Photos) I have attached photos of her shell and tank, sorry about my camera quality.

Please give me any help and advice for this and also for a new Terrapin owner, I don't have experience but I am willing to learn and give her the best life I can

How big is your turtle? shell = 19cm long 18cm wide
How long have you had it? about a month
What is the water temperature? 22*c
Did you use a thermometer? yes a digital one and the heater has one
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 150L of water in a 180L tank

Are you using a water conditioner? yes its a type of pondsafe
Are you using any filtration? yes an external filter with 3 chambers which circulates 1000L an hour

What is the basking temperature? 20*c
Is there a basking light? Yes, its a swap splash resistance bulb, 75w
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? There is a platform and she can climb on but due to her weight water floods it a bit, currently waiting on the postal system so i can rectify this issue and create an easy access and dry basking area

What kind is it or what is it made out of? its a large floating platform which is suckered to the bottom of her tank, its made from an aquarium safe plastic
Is there a UVB light? the bulb is UVB

What have you been trying to feed it? She has an adult terrapin pellet mix and the occasional live crickets as a treat, she isn't keen on vegetables but i am going to keep trying different recommended veggies
When was the last time your turtle ate? she eats every other day and always seems hungry

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? the tank is 180L and is 1m long and 40cm wide
Is the tank near a window? yes, shes in the conservatory
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? theres a bit of activity but she is mostly left alone unless being fed, she seems confident and is happy to bask and nap out fo the water even when we are in the conservatory with her

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes and i am planning to make a few adjustments
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? as far as i can tell she is active and eating but I have never owned a reptile before
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JennyRed
 
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Post Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 2:13 pm   Re: Suprise New Owner! Shell Condition Advice

Welcome to the forum! The shell looks OK, probably another shed would make it look much better. If you are concerned about the white spot, it looks like something was leftover from a previous shed... hard to be certain from a picture. Is it firm like the rest of the shell?

You can use suction cups or the aquarium glass cleaners (that uses magnets) to prop up the platform. You can also try veggies everyday, she'll eventually take to it.

Sorry to hear about your dad, seems like he took good care of her.
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steve
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Post Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 4:01 pm   Re: Suprise New Owner! Shell Condition Advice

Thanks for your help, is there anything I should be doing to help/encourage her shedding? The white spots are firm and there are a couple of them on her back.
JennyRed
 
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Post Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2020 9:12 pm   Re: Suprise New Owner! Shell Condition Advice

It does look like she had a rough time shedding as some areas look a bit scarred. More shedding will make things look a lot better. It's important that she can completely dry off (including the bottom of her shell). How often is she basking? What kind of UVB light does she have, and how old is it? And what kind of basking lamp?

There are anecdotal suggestions that wheat-germ pellets (koi food), and blue berries help with shedding too.
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steve
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Post Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2020 6:08 pm   Re: Suprise New Owner! Shell Condition Advice

She has a 75w exo terra swamp bulb and its brand new, the lamp is just a standard wide dish one from online which clips to the edge of her tank. I have fixed her platform so now she can completely dry off (even underneath). She sends most of her time in the water but her water heater broke so for a few days she went without one whilst we waited for the post, when the water was cold (it got down to 17*c) she then spent almost all day out on her platform and under her lamp. Would it be a good idea to keep her water a bit cooler (I'm thinking 20*c) to encourage her to bask more? or should I just leave her be and trust she will shed in her own time. One thing I have noticed which worries me is that I can see some green algae growing just under the edges of the scrapes of her shell where it seems a bit flaky, is this okay?
JennyRed
 
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Post Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2020 11:48 pm   Re: Suprise New Owner! Shell Condition Advice

Steve,

Don't those temps seem a bit cold? From what I understand, the water temp of 22 C (71 F) s/b more like 24 C (75 F) and the basking temp of 20 C (68 F) s/b closer to 32 - 34 C (90-94 F). You certainly know much more than I, but that did jump out at me from JennyRed's post.
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Longhorn
 
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Post Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2020 2:19 am   Re: Suprise New Owner! Shell Condition Advice

@Longhorn - You're right, I must have missed it. 22C is a bit cool, but still within a safe range. The basking temp does sound very off, as the "75w exo terra swamp bulb" looks to be a halogen spot lamp.


@JennyRed - What is the distance of the bulb to the basking area? If you are using a thermometer with a wired probe, keep in mind that many of those are not accurate. A traditional aquarium thermometer or even better... a temperature gun will give you the most accurate readings. The bulb you mentioned is not a UVB.. the package must say it produces UVB, not just "full spectrum".

Green algae is easy to clean, usually a toothbrush is enough to get most of it off. You might want to make regular cleanings/inspections of the shell until you are certain there are no other issues.
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steve
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Post Posted: Wed Nov 25, 2020 12:27 pm   Re: Suprise New Owner! Shell Condition Advice

the bulb is about 10-15cm away from her platform (that is its lowest setting) and I Didn't realise it wasn't UVB as it is advertised as a terrapin bulb and I liked that fact that is shatter resistant around water as other bulbs can explode, is this something that I should be worried about or is it not that big of a problem. Do you have any recommendations for a Bulb which would work better? I have a digital thermometer with a wire probe and an aquarium temperature strip attached to her tank at opposite ends, both of which show the water at 22*c. The heater was set to 24*c but I don't think it was a good size for my tank so it probably wasn't heating evenly, since that heater broke I have brought a new one better suited to my tank which does heat all the water to 24*c.
JennyRed
 
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Post Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2020 3:35 am   Re: Suprise New Owner! Shell Condition Advice

It still sounds too close if the bulb description is accurate. A halogen "spot" lamp gets very hot (it focuses the heat). whereas a "flood" bulb would be more spread out. You can get a fluorescent UVB light (either tube shaped that needs a special fixture or compact version that fits a standard light socket) but you still need a basking heat lamp. If you want a single bulb to provide heat and UVB, you need what is called a "self-ballasted mercury vapor bulb". PowerSun and Reptile UV are the main brands for those.
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steve
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Post Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2020 2:00 pm   Re: Suprise New Owner! Shell Condition Advice

Thanks for all the info, I will definitely look into better lighting for her and next time make sure to read the packet thoroughly! Your help and advice has been amazing I am so glad I can begin to give her the life she deserves. On the plus side I brought her some blueberries and iceberg lettuce and they're the first vegetables or fruit I have managed to get her to eat! Hopefully I can now cut down on her pellets (they are definitely adult ones) and start expanding her access to fruits and veggies.
JennyRed
 
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Post Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2020 2:16 pm   Re: Suprise New Owner! Shell Condition Advice

Great to hear about her progress. They usually have less of an appetite during the winter season, so she might refuse it later on. Also red leaf lettuce has a lot more nutrition than iceberg if you are going to use it regularly. Another question some ask is what is too much, and usually just observe the poop... if it's very loose then cut back on it.
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