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Hi. I'm sorry I haven't introduced myself somewhere first but my son (who's 9) is begging me to find out the answer to some of his questions.

We had 2 sliders originally. We lost one due to a cracked shell. We aren't really sure what happened but my son was pretty upset about it, understandably. We now have 1, Hawk is his name.

A little background first. I have NO experience with these turtles. A friend gave them to me for him and told me they were easy to take care of and needed little attention. Something I am finding out to be a bit on the false side.

So needless to say Hawk does not have a filtration system. His set up is something like this:

2.5 gallon tank with about 6 inches of water and a pile of rocks to climb to bake in the lamp that we put on for him during the day. My son feeds him pellets during the day and the shrimps maybe once a week. He changes his water 1x a week.

Hawk has never been a big eater but now he seems to eat VERY little. He swims a bit but will spend most of his time baking in the lamp. However he definatly doesn't seem nearly as happy as he was when we first got him, which was during the summer.

The other MAJOR issue is that his shell is getting soft and we don't know what to do.

I am sorry if this sounds like we have no clue but I really don't! I can't find GOOD information to go on and really would appreciate any and all advice I can get.

I don't want anything to happen to Hawk.

Thank you in advance for your replies.

Well, first give him some cuttlebone - that contains calcuim and should help his shell (oh, and can you take him to the vet?). The obvious things are that his tank is way too small - not sure how big he is but 10 gal per inch of shell is recommended with good filtration. Also, do you have a UV lamp? He needs UV rays to get vit. D which is what he needs to process the calcium. Lack of Calcium can make the shell weak.

I am new here too so I am sure others will have more/better advice but I figured you wanted an answer fast.

One more thing. If you don't have a UV lamp in the short term you can take him outside in the sunshine to get the UV rays - just don't keep him in a glass tank outside or he will get too hot - not sure where you are or the temps outside - just keep an eye on him so that he doesn't over heat or under heat while you do this.

Read all the stickys of this website - they are super helpful

Okay, where to start. 2.5 gallons is too small for ANY turtle, even a hatchling. You need to upgrade the tank and get a filtration system so you don't have to do so much work! I'd recommend (without knowing age or size of your turtle) a 55 gallon tank with a canister filter. Check Craigslist or your local newspaper because spring cleaning time is here and many people will get rid of large tanks and often filters for very little money.

You need to have a controlled water setting, i.e. water heater. Don't rely on the environment. Often, if the water starts to get a bit chilly, the turtle will stop eating, but the water most likely won't get cold enough to induce hibernation, and the turtle will starve to death. Water heaters are CHEAP. Go to the pet store and buy one asap. For a 55 gallon tank, you probably need a 200-300 watt one.

Another reason for loss of appetite is poor lighting. Your turtle needs 12 hours of "daylight" each day, which consists of a basking lamp (regular incandescent works) and UVB bulb. If the turtle is in a 2.5 gallon tank, there isn't room for both of these. Without the UVB bulb, the turtle cannot change his calcium into vitamin D and will become deficient. Without proper basking, the turtle can't metabolize his food.

Cuttlebone will help with the soft shell, but he needs that UVB light. Once again, I don't know age, but he should be fed a "head-sized" portion of food per day if he's younger than a year old, every other day if older. You need to get him on veggies as soon as possible, romaine and red/green leaf lettuces are good, so are carrots. (It's a good lesson to teach your son too, eat your veggies!) Shrimp should be given no more often than once a month, they are a high protein treat that can result in a fat turtle who will die.

That's a lot to take in, explore this board and website and learn more about the proper habitat and nutrition. Welcome to the board!

Here's an example of my tank:

You can see that the turtle appears "small" to the tank's overall size. This is a 40 gallon breeder, my turtle is still under 4". You want to give the turtle a spacious area to swim and live in. (Your son will also appreciate the larger tank because he can put some fun stuff inside as decorations.)

OH WOW! Thank you SO SO much!

Ok we were planning on going to Petco anyway and now I have a whole lot to take in!

So much for an inexpensive pet!

Wow.

I believe Hawk is about 1-2 years old.

Ok. I will keep my eye out for the 55 gal tank. I do have a 10 in the basement.

My girlfriend must not know what she was talking about. She had told me that he only needed a little tank and was EASY maintance!

Poor little guy!

Here's some info on a basic setup to supplement the good advice already provided:

http://www.redearslider.com/startup.html

Also, to underscore what was said above, your turtle's soft shell is caused by a combination of too little calcium in his diet plus lack of good UVB light (or natural sunlight). Turtles need a lot of calcium to keep their shell and bones healthy but they can't process it without exposure to UVB light (which causes their bodies to produce vitamin D3 which is required for the metabolism of calcium). The lack of calcium/UVB light results in soft shell and a condition called metabolic bone disease, which ultimately is fatal.

Another urgent piece is temperature. A young turtle needs water temp of around 78 to stay healthy. That's easy to do with a good water heater, which you should be able to find at the pet store.

Then, all the other items already mentioned plus what's on the link I provided are also essential. Diet is another very important matter. Read up on this site on Nuitrition, then if you have questions let us know.

A good setup for a turtle is more trouble than a setup for a gold fish - no doubt about it - but one you've created the setup, then day to day care is simple. It is so worth it because turtles are wonderful creatures - responsive and active and full of personality. Turtles, however, are "look don't touch" pets where children are concerned, for a variety of reasons.

Good luck. You'll probably have more questions as you proceed, so ask away.

Transgirle--Spots Ma Mod is correct. Size tank should be 10 gallons per inch or larger. The water temp should be 80 to 81 while he is recovering. The basking light should be at 90 to 91 degrees with a uvb light. Filter pump should pump at least 5 times the water volume in the tank. I would suggest that you use a canister filter with the proper gph. My suggestion for food would be Reptomine with a supplement of calcium. The carapace health is directly attributed to proper basking, diet and calcium. Lastly, while he is recovering keep the water very clean.

Aside from everything else, your turtle really needs a good UVB light in addition to the light he has for heat. In addition to the cuttlebone, I'd also get him a good non-phosphorus calcium supplement (this means not Reptocal) and either moisten his pellets, coat them with the powder and let them dry so the powder adheres to them. or, if he'll eat from your hand, moisten the pellets, dip them in some of the supplement and handfeed him.