General Care Discussion :: HELP PLEASE EAR ABCESS

[megcornell]

Large eyes are normal, they look big especially on hatchlings. I'm glad to hear the swelling is going down in your turtle's ears. So long as you keep him clean while they heal you should be fine. Are you following the vet instructions spotsmama posted? I think that sounds like the best plan, so that he doesn't get reinfected. That's so wonderful that you've taken such good care of him, you're a great turtle owner to make his health a priority, he's lucky.

[red ear turlte fan 25]

is a 3 inch turtle still considered a hatchling? becasue his eyes are very big when he closes them but when he doesnt they look fine and thank u for the compliment i will keep on taking care of him. and i did follow spots mamas intrutions and can it be thth my turtle cheeks are swoolen and if it is how long does it take before it unswells

[red ear turlte fan 25]

hi again my turtle tony cheeks are a lot better but one of his cheeks still hasnt changed so im bringing him to the vet monday i still have my garantee and does anyone no if it is normal for my turtle to still have a soft shell hes had it since i got him its not that soft but my friends turtles shell is as hard as a rock but it is about 5 inches i have calcium blocks which i change frequently and and am going to buy a uva,uvb light monday should his shell get harder?

[SpotsMama]

On the shell, is it mostly softer towards his tail? It's normal for a little turtle's shell to be somewhat flexible, especially towards his tail. It should gradually harden until by a year, it should be all hard. At 3", I suppose your turtle's shell could still be somewhat flexible towards the back.

The calcium blocks that you buy aren't that good. Instead, put pieces of cuttlebone in the tank for your turtle to snack on. You get cuttlebones in the bird section of the pet store. Turtles eat them. They are quite inexpensive and very good for the turtles.

The cuttlebone (along with other food) will provide calcium but your turtle won't be able to absorb it unless he gets enough UVB light. That's why it's so important for turtles to have good UVB basking lights. The UVB causes his body to manufacture vitamin D, which in turn enables the turtle to utilize the calcium in his diet. Calcium, of course, is the chief component of his shell and bones so it's vital that he get plenty of it.