General Care Discussion :: All Better!

[TNTurtles]

Just wanted to update everyone on my 2 turtles! I had a vet visit today and it was to check to see how the sick turtle was. She(i just found out he is a she ) is all better now! I was worried about my other turtle b/c he wasnt' opening his eyes but the vet gave him a Vit. A shot and some stronger eye medicine. I'm so happy I'll have 2 health turtles soon enough!

Something weird that I was told was to lower the water in my tank. I have a 10 gallon tank for 2, 1" turtles. I had the water about 3/4 full and temps and everything right. When the vet asked me about the level of water i told her how i had it. She said that was too much water for hatchling and it should be only about 2 times their carapace length. Now i had heard that that was the minimum amount but i didn't think having more would hurt them. She said sometimes that can cause the turtles to become sick or something. Weird, huh? So i guess im back to the loud filter...

[cam722]

Hmm odd that the vet said to lower the water. We do recommend that if you put hatchlings in deeper water that you have things in there for them to rest on but I never had a problem with mine when they were hatchlings swimming in deep water.

[fishandcandy]

As long as they have things to rest on and the temps are all good, I wouldn't worry aoout lowering the water. 3/4 of a 10 gallon isn't really that deep anyway.
More water = cleaner water = healthier turtles.

[steve]

If the turtles are having difficulty swimming, then I would consider lowering the water levels. The main concern is if they flip over and cannot right themselves, therefore creating a drowning situation.

[marisa]

I'm tending to agree with the vet on this one. I know people always say to raise the water level as high as you can without making it so high that the turtle can escape. I usually respond to this question by giving the minimum amount and saying more is better. But, every really small hatchling (and I mean really small) I've had has seemed more comfortable with water levels that aren't as high as one can possibly make them, even with plants to rest on. Assuming the container itself is large enough and the water level is sufficient to allow the turtle to right itself, I don't think a few inches more of vertical swimming space for a really small turtle is going to make that much difference. As noted, though, less water means more frequent cleaning/water changes. What's your turtle's shell length?

TNT--do you have an Aquaclear filter? If you do, try siliconing some plexiglass to the lip of it to lessen the noise...

[jenaero]

Just wanted to add that I don't think even a vet can tell the sex of a 1" turtle. I could be wrong but I find it hard to believe.