General Care Discussion :: fading spots

[princesstee76]

I have two small RES that I just got...one seems to grow at a much faster rate than the other one and her spots are fading. Her outer rim of the shell is also turning a light yellow color are all these changes normal with growth?

[xsavingsaturdayx]

How big is your turtle?
How long have you had it?

What is the water temperature?
Are you using a water heater?
How much water is in there?
Are you using a water conditioner?
Are you using any filtration?

What is the basking temperature?
Is there a basking light?
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?
What kind is it or what is it made out of?
Is there a UVB light?

What have you been trying to feed it?
When was the last time your turtle ate?

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
Is the tank near a window?
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?

Have you read the Basic Care section?
Have you searched the forums for similar situations?

[princesstee76]

I got the turtles in december from petland. I got them as a gift with a zilla turtle kit 30 gallon tank with a basking platform, whisper micro filter, uvb/uva coil lamp, heat lamp, the water temp is kept at 76. The smaller turtle is probably 3 inches and the larger one 5 inches

[xsavingsaturdayx]

That tank is too small for both of those turtles,so is that filter.I would look into getting them something bigger asap.

And about the growth thing,do you feed them in a seperate container or in the same tank? Its possible that one of them is hogging all the food.If thats the case,start feeding them seperately.Also,what are you feeding them?

[princesstee76]

I am feeding them pellets and occasional turtle treats (freezer dried shrimp)

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Start feeding them veggies like green leaf lettuce and carrots,shrimp treats are OK as a very rare treat.How much shrimp do you feed them and how often?

[princesstee76]

I feed them shrimp maybe a few pieces twice a week...they love it but i dont want to overdo it

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Hmmm,well the spots (your talking about the black spots on the plastron "bottom of the shell") right?,if so they tend to fade a little as they grow.Im not sure about the yellow though.

[steve]

Can you post a picture?

[marisa]

When you say spots, do you mean on the plastron? If so, does it look like they're becoming "unfocused," and aren't as distinct as they once were? This will happen if your turtle is growing rather fast (which, from what you say, sounds like your turtle is). The outer rim of the shell will also start to have a yellow edge as the scutes underneath grow and "push" the older ones toward the edge of the shell.

The changes sound consistent with growth, particularly faster growth. How much has the turtle grown since December? What are you feeding them? How much and how often?

If the one turtle is growing that much more than the other one and you feed them together, you might want to feed them separately so the smaller one gets his share of the food.