General Care Discussion :: Baby turtle basking/shedding a lot

[Erroneous]

I have a baby yellow belly slider (same species, different sub species as RES) that I got about 3 weeks ago. At first he developed an eye problem where his eyes got real puffy, lost his appetite and basked all day. I had a turtle before with the same problems that we took back to the pet store since they said a lot of that batch had similar problems. We started using eye drops as soon as we noticed the problem.

After a few days we bleached and rinsed the tank. The next day we used a q-tip to apply the eye drops and pus came out. The day after that, he ate like mad and we continued q-tipping/eye drops for around a week.

Since then he seems to be shedding a lot, but it is sometimes fairly large chunks of skin that even still have dark coloring to it. He also rarely swims, though I have caught him a few times. Normally every time I place him in water he just heads for his basking rocks. I've also never seen him go underwater. He is in a 10 gallon tank, we use the water you get from a grocery store when you refill containers, water temp 80-82, 3% UVB bulb, and the basking area is about 88, but the thermometer I used isn't for air. We're moving him into a 55 gallon tank as soon as I get my filter for it. Any ideas as to what may be happening or if this is even nothing to be worried about?

[Muirner]

pictures are worth 1000 words. That'd be a start. i'll leave it to the turtle guru's to help from here

[steve]

If there are drastic changes, you really need to take him to a good herp vet.

[marisa]

His eye has cleared up and he's now eating and acting normal? If this is the case, and it's the not basking and shedding you're worried about, lower the water temp a bit to around 78-79F, both to make a greater contrast between the water and basking area temp and to see if that helps with the shedding. You could also raise the basking area temp a degree or two.

If the shedding doesn't slow down or stop, it possibly could be a fungus.

[Erroneous]

I just moved him into his new tank yesterday and got a thermometer to measure the temp of the basking area. It is 94 F, while the water was 82 F. I'm not sure if he is still shedding but he does still have this one large piece of skin coming off his neck (about square and half the length of his neck not including his head). It has been there for about a week but it sticks to his head when he isn't in the water. Unfortunately I cannot provide a picture (though I have them) because I can't find the cable for my camera. I'll try lowering the water temp to about 76 as well. His appetite has lowered slightly though in the last week. When he was first getting better he could eat 7-8 pellets a day, now he averages 1-3. Of course he is only about 1.5 inches and I haven't had him long enough to determine what a "normal" amount would be. I'll call the local herp vet and see about how much it would cost to have him look at him/her. Just got an XP3 and a new tank, plus Christmas so I am running a bit low on cash.

[grey goose]

His inability to submerge is a concern to me....although if he is eating and active, that may clear up also. I'd watch him closely for a few more days. He may have had a "bug" and is just now recovering. I say keep the temp at 79-80F, then drop to 76 as he improves. Good luck.

[Erroneous]

I did notice that he yawns a lot mainly after taking a swim. It will only be for a few seconds, but happens every time he swims.

[grey goose]

Yawning is normal. Excessive yawning or what seems to be gasping or holding their mouth open to breathe is not. Also when yawning, any clicking, popping or wheezing sounds is a sure sign of trouble (RI). Get him to the vet ASAP.....Respiratory Infection is by far the biggest killer of baby turts.

[Erroneous]

Well good news. He did go underwater today, and seems to do so easily. Guess he is just recovering still. He's been eating more lately, so that might be it. I forgot to mention that we had traveled for Christmas and brought him with us. BTW, has anyone ever used one of those automatic mechanical fish feeders with turtle pellets before?

[industrial_girl_2000]

Well good news. He did go underwater today, and seems to do so easily. Guess he is just recovering still. He's been eating more lately, so that might be it. I forgot to mention that we had traveled for Christmas and brought him with us. BTW, has anyone ever used one of those automatic mechanical fish feeders with turtle pellets before?

Never tried the auto feeders. When I have traveled, I had someone come in to feed Sheba. I made up small bags/containers of pre-measured food amounts so that the "turtle-sitter" didn't have to measure anything out. It was "1 bag per day" on the care sheet I provided & I would specify which days the person had to come in to feed my turtle. I sent a copy of the care sheet to the turtle sitter via email, and also printed out a copy which was attached to the turtle's aquarium with tape. She only needs to be fed once every 2 days, so that's why a daily feeder wouldn't work for her.

[Erroneous]

ah. Since I have a baby it would need to be once a day. Maybe I could open one up and set up a switch to change it between 2x, 1x, every other day, and every 3 days. I'm a very amateur electrician, but if it is how I think it is, I'd just need some resistors. Anywho, the only problem is that you can't do it in a seperate container and you can't see any problems they might have. I live in a dorm, so finding anyone nearby that stays here during the times I'd be unavailable is rather difficult.

[mkoby]

Scripta Elegans is using one now. She is on vacation for 10 days. You could probably ask her how it went when she gets back.