General Care Discussion :: My turtle smells

[knjmyers]

Not really sure what the deal is. My RES seems to smell more and worse than usual. I'm just wondering if anyone has any info on what to do for a smelly turtle. I clean the cage every two weeks, and I brush his shell with a soft tootbrush every so often. Not sure what the deal is. I also noticed he's not eating as much the past few days. Is this a bad thing?

Jay

[marisa]

Your turtle shouldn't really smell. How often do you clean the tank? Do you have gravel in it?

[jeggy]

ask him to put on deoderant. or some colonge/perfume. hehehe

[steve]

Cage as in tank? How much water is in there, are you using a filter (if so, what kind) and do feed them inside the tank or a separate container?

[knjmyers]

By cage I do mean tank. It's a 20 gallon with about 15 to 17 gallons of water. I do feed him in the tank.
I do have a filter and it is changed every three to four weeks, however I clean the gravel and change the water every two weeks or more often.

[marisa]

I think the gravel is a big part of the problem--I once used it and it developed a really funky smell (it's a poop/debris trap). Even when cleaning it, the smell returns awfully quickly, especially once there is a smell.

Even more important than the smell (which is making more work for you and not exactly making your turtle a pet you'd want to be around), having gravel in the tank creates a big temptation for turtles to eat it. Eating it brings on the very real risk of impaction, which will require medical care. It would be better to take out the gravel and either use some smooth river rocks (larger than the head so they can't be eaten) or have a bare bottom with a background under the tank for effect.

Feeding in the tank will lower the water quality more quickly than feeding in a separate container of water (and feeding in the tank with the gravel....).

What brand of filter are you using--what size tank is it supposed to be for? Turtles are messier than fish (which is what the majority of filters are made for) so you need to go with a more powerful filter for turtles (depending on the filter about 3X the size of the tank it's rated for).