General Care Discussion :: soft?....normal?,,,,should i worrie

[Dee_Dee]

hi guys so ok gino and gomes are doing great but ihave a question since they art still only a few months no more id say than 3 should their shells be hard as a rock already ?...because gomes : the bigger one his shell is a lil soft around the edges i mean like not mushy it it is a lil soft....and like when i first got him he had black around his green looked lke pencil lined but now they are bug is that good?....im a lil worried ...they are eating..wardley retile premiunm stick i break them up and then place them into tuna water for about a minut everytime i feed them or they refuse the food....they have their uva 5.0 and their uvb thier water is at normal range and their basking as wel they bask and they eat so im not sure if i should be worriing or i should give them a lil time to grow and see wut happends .....H.E.L.P

xo.. Dee

[Tenodera]

Normally, younger turtles have more "flexible shells" than adult turtles. It'll harder later in life.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Small turtles are born with softer shells & they harden over time. Make sure you provide a good source of calcium like cuttlebone. Make sure you peel the hard backing off the cuttlebone before you break off a chunk to toss in his water. Most turts like to nibble on it thru the day, so just leave it in there for a few days at a time.

Make sure the water is at 80 degrees (measure with a thermometer, don't just assume that the temp is correct). Do you have a water heater to keep the water at a constant temp 24 hours a day?

Also, some turtles don't like certain pellets. Mine won't eat Wardley's but loves Reptomin or Mazuri. You can try other pellets and see if they will eat those instead. Allow the pellets to be in the water for at least 1/2 hour before you remove uneated food.

[SpotsMama]

Sounds like they are doing well. Their shells may not completely harden for a year.

Industrial girl has a good suggestion - try them on some other brands of pellets. My Spot won't eat zoo med or monster but loves reptomin and mazuri. Actually, reptomin and mazuri are more nuitritionally complete than Wardley, so they'd be getting health food and not even know it!