General Care Discussion :: baby RES shell.. what's normal?

[dmblover14]

I have a small RES that is new to me and I've had for about 2 weeks now. I've noticed that when I pick him up, he shell feels slimy, and there even is some brownish residue on him. Could this just be dirt collecting or does this sound like the beginning of soft shell? Please let me know if this is normal!

[TheComputerGremlin]

Could you answer some important questions like:

What size is he?
What size tank do you have him in and how many gallons of water is in there?
Do you have a filter?
Are there any rocks, gravel, or sand in the bottom of the tank?
Do you feed him in his tank?
Do you have a basking light and a UVB bulb?

Thanks!

[dmblover14]

He is about 1 and 1/2 to 2 inches long. I just moved him into a 10 gallon tank with about 3 to 4 gallons of water in it. I don't have a filter, but I do change his water every 2 -3 days. There is no gravel or sand in the bottom of his tank. There is one large rock fixture for him to bask on, and above it hangs a UVB light. I do feed him in his tank one to two pellets a day.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Hmm, so I'm thinking first, the tank is too small. Only a little, but 10 gallons per inch shell length would mean he needs a 20 gallon tank mostly filled. So 3-4 gallons won't cut it to keep the waste products at bay. Also, the lack of filter isn't helping. Water changes should help, but I found that when I didn't have a filter, I couldn't change the water fast enough before it was nasty and smelly again.

You have a UVB bulb (hopefully an Exo Terra ReptiGlo 5.0 or similar compact fluorescent?) but no basking bulb? They need the heat to get out and get dried off. If he cannot get totally dry, fungus or algae or diseases can get in.

1-2 pellets of Reptomin may be a little too little, give his head a good look over and think how many pellets would fit inside his head if it were hollow.

I think you should look into a larger tank, a good filter, and a better basking area. That should start to remedy the situation. Baby turtles' shells are a little more pliable than adult turtles, but it shouldn't be very soft. The brown residue sounds like waste. Can you try this experiment and report back? Take your turtle out of his tank and over to the sink and run some clean, ~75 degree water over him. Give his shell a gentle scrub with your fingers and see if the brown stuff comes off and if his shell still feels slimy afterwards. You can also try a super soft tooth brush. I'm thinking what you feel is just waste and algae buildup on his shell and it should go away after a gentle bath.

[dmblover14]

The gentle bath helped. He didn't feel slimy anymore.

Ideally, I would like to purchase a bigger tank for him, but I suppose an inexpensive filter would do the trick for now. Any suggestions on a good one?

And I do have a UVA bulb for him, I mistook it for the UVB bulb I was considering buying.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Coming up soon should be PetCo's dollar per gallon sale which is good up to 55 gallons. 55 gallons for $55 is a steal, so you could look into that. Also Craigslist and local ads are good too. You could buy up to a 100 gallon tank and be set for life. Ideally you don't want to have to upgrade often.

I believe they make cheaper, smaller canister filters for smaller tanks. An external filter will help you maximize the swimming space, and a canister filter will provide the best filtration. If you found a 55 gallon tank, a Rena XP3 or XP4 or Fluval FX5 would work well, though the Rena XP3 may not make the upgrade to a 100 gallon tank as well. If you have a male, though, you could probably get by with a 75 gallon tank for life, and the XP3 may work on that. That's a lot of info, I know.

Personally, when I found out that my 1.5" turtle needed a lot more space, I bought him a 40 gallon breeder tank, built a basking area out of plexiglass and PVC pipe, and set him up on a desk we weren't using. He (or she) is about 4" now, but he's going to have to suffer until we move in 9 months. He'll only be a little too big for it by then. I have a Rena XP3 at the moment and I wouldn't trade it for the world. My water is crystal clear, for 6 months now! So if money is no problem, I would look into at least a 55 gallon tank and a Rena filter. But if you have to wait, there are many smaller filters that will at least help you out.

[danny123]

once i put too much water conditioner in my 5 gallon tank for feeder fish and it made the tank slimy. maybe you're using too much??

[steve]

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