General Care Discussion :: Soft shells

[yuii]

currently, im taking care of 3 baby turtles, im just wondering if its normal for them to have soft-ish shells, around the tail area. is it because theyre not getting enough light/calcium? cuz im new to caring for turtles, ive been browsing many sites and all of them mention a soft shell disease and that makes me worried >.< i also have a white turtle-shaped water neutralizer thing in the water to try to stop the shell softing, but it doesnt seem to be working.

also, the smallest turtle out of the three always seem to be hiding inside its shell in a corner, is it just shy because its new to the tank, or is there a problem?

[sonyj]

How big are the turtles (shell length from tip to tip not including curve)? Hatchlings will have softer shells (pliable but not "mushy" soft) that harden as they grow if they are in the correct environment. What is the set-up like?

[Giddy]

I have two small ones, just about 1 3/8" inch and it is normal for the shell to give in places, but it should not be mushy. I hear those tabs for the water do not do much. Make sure the turtle has a healthy diet, I was told reptomin baby, some cuttle pieces and a lil dark greens. But your turtles do need the heat/uva/uvb bulbs and the warm basking area.

WHat is the heat in the tank?

[marisa]

The shells of hatchlings harden up after about a year, and the scutes near the tail often have a little movement to them until then.

The white turtle neutralizer won't do anything for the hardness of the shell. In fact, the form of calcium in it is not readily utilized by turtles. Try tiny pieces of cuttlebone or moisten the pellets, coat them with a powdered calcium supplement (that contains no phosphorus, RepCal is good), let them dry and give them to your turtles. Reptomin Baby contains a bit more calcium than regular Reptomin.

How new is the turtle to the tank? What's the water temp and basking area temp?