General Care Discussion :: new to turtle care...

[clpalmer57]

I'm new to turtles & I have some ? I have 3 quarter size red ear sliders that were given to me by a friend with 4 small kids. I think they're in a good setup. Water 78 - 80 , 20 gal high , fluval 3 filter ( up to 40 gal). I'm not sure about lighting, I have a basking lite & a platform that floats. I've chosen to feed them outside their tank and they seem to be doing well. I'm sure I'm overfeeding. I use bloodworms & mysis shrimp as well as veg cubes. All are frozen but thawed first. One questionable item in the tank is a floating peice of wood that has been well seasoned for an aquarium. This is their fav spot.
My smallest turtle is the one that concerns me. He would sleep all the time . When I feed them I coax him into waking. I want to give him every opportunity to eat. His eyes have no discharge but the eyelids seem puffy maybe? I think they may be hard for him to open. He rubs at them sometimes. Is this normal? I'm doing a lot of reading & I've gained a bit of turtle smarts but there's a lot I need to learn.I need the advice of seasoned turtle keepers.

[megcornell]

Welcome to the site.
It does sound like you're off to a good start with the set up. Just keep in mind that your three turtles all will grow to four inches in a year, so a larger set up/set ups are pretty near in your future.

As for the diet, I'd recommend you switch to pellets for the protein before they get hooked on their current diet. Feeding too much shrimp will cause stress on their organs and can cause their shells to pyramid or get uneven. I don't like feeding bloodworms at all, because I've seen too many packages of bad ones that leave sick fish behind after eating.

As for the smallest guy's eyes. Do you have a UVB light yet? That can affect turtle's eyes, but I think I'd expect all three to be affected. It could be a sign of a vitamin deficiency- is he eating as much as the others? It may benefit him to be left in the tank to eat alone while the other two eat in the separate bowl. The eyes could also be an early sign of a more serious illness like a respiratory infection, so you'll need to watch him for other symptoms like lethargy (which I think you already are seeing), lack of appetite, open mouthed gaping, and uneven swimming. Advanced cases have mucus coming out of their mouths.
For the time being though, you should look into applying cod liver oil OR the zoo med turtle eye drops, as it might just be a matter of sore eyes.

I'd also look into checking the water quality. With three turtles the ammonia levels might be pretty high and that could irritate the eyes. Petsmart does free water testing so you can bring a sample in and see without buying the whole test kit. I'd imagine other petstores may do the same.

Good luck with your new turtles!

[clpalmer57]

I am already seeing lethargy and my baby hardly eats at all. I'll pick up an amonia test kit so I can better keep an eye on things and eye drops. I do feed pellets. I get the water in the feeder tub at a good temp, throw in 10 pellets to soften a bit and then add turtles. I kind of add shrimp & worms as a treat.I never thought to feed my weaker guy separate, thanks. I'll be more carful with their diet.
I think the lite I'm using as a basking lite is uvb. I was told to get an infra-red lite for overnite. I also have a calcium ?. Is calcium something they get from the lite? Or is the lite (uvb) needed to help them absorb calcium and vitamin d. I have a chalky turtle in the tank and I thought it was a calcium suppliment. You are the first source that has given me intelligent feed back. Thank you again. cindy

[megcornell]

The UVB helps them produce vitamin D3 which in turn is what allows them to metabolize calcium from their diet. So the light doesn't give them the calcium, but it does help them use it. A great source of calcium is cuttlebone. You can pick it up in the bird section of pet stores. Just peel the hard backing off and put it in the tank and the turtles will eat it when they need it. I give my turtles small chunks every week instead of placing the whole cuttlebone in the tank. You can get rid of the calcium turtle, the sulfa they have in them isn't good to expose the turtles to all the time, it can build up resistances which will be an issue if they ever need sulfa based drugs.

You will need a separate heat (UVA) bulb though. A standard house hold bulb will work fine. For your size tank, I'd imagine a 60 watt would be perfect. Keep the UVA and UVB bulbs on during the day, and keep a dark tank at night. So long as you have a water heater you don't need a red light at night. In fact if you don't have one, you'll need a heater as they keep the water constant which is very important for hatchlings and adults alike. I'd see if you can return the red light and use the credit towards a heater if you don't have one. They (heaters) aren't too expensive, but it's important to buy a good one. I like the stealth heaters because they are so accurate and durable.

See if the eye drops and separate feeding encourage the smallest one to look and act healthier. If not, he may be ill and in need of a vet visit. Hatchlings are so delicate and more often that not people buy them when they are already ill because the vendors who sell them just don't keep them in good conditions at all. If he is sick, you'll want to separate him from the other two in the hopes that they don't get ill as well. It will also be less stressful for him to recover if the other two aren't around to bother him.

[clpalmer57]

Thanks for all your help. It's been a few days now. I don't have an amonia problem. I have been using the eye drops for 3 days now. Tonka is my small guy and I am feeding him separately. I don't see him eating but he's acting better. He can't seem to swim to the bottom like the other 2 res. Am I nutty? As I get to know them better I believe they are stressed when they see me. I don't handle them a lot but I talk to them and I feed them in a separate container, in a quiet corner.
About the lighting ...uvb- sunlite, used because they need vitamin D so their bodies can use calcium. uva- regular household bulb, used for heat. I think I have that down. I kept the infra red lite for night because I'm afraid in the winter it will be too cold at night.I do have a heater in the water @78 - 80. Their platform is almost 10 degrees warmer with the uvb bulb on during the day.
My little Tonka still concerns me but I am seeing some improvement. Any suggestions on how to encourage him to eat, or should I just be more patient? Cindy

[steve]

I would keep him separate for now, not just during feeding. Live prey (guppies, minnows, earthworms) might work quickly. Hold the fish by their tail and let your turtle eat it that way.

Here are some more ideas: www.redearslider.com/entice_eating.html

[marisa]

If the little one still appears lethargic, or he isn't eating well, you might want to give him his own set-up with the temps a bit warmer (water 81-82F, basking area temp about 10 degrees higher). An inability to submerge can mean several things, often a lung problem (respiratory infection). Added warmth would help boost his immune system to help him fight infection.

[clpalmer57]

I'm still a little confused on the lighting .I have a uvb bulb 5.0 and I hang it about 12 in from the platform. I use it during sunlight hours and probably turn it off at 8 o'clock pm.At night they prefer to be out of the water on the platform. I put a thermometer on the platform and it was too cool. So at night I put an infra red light there and I can now maintain a steady temp of 90 degrees . Is this ok? What do I need a uva for? I understand that I need to maintain a constant temp. I understand that I need a uvb for vitamin D to enable them to use calcium for their bones and shells. Also my baby seems to be a little better. I read some posts and bought some pedialyte.

[untsmurf]

UVA provides warmth and UVB helps the turtles process certain vitamins. I've never thought of heating up the basking area at night, but I don't think it would be necessary. If your lighting is correct, your basking area will be warm from having the lights on all day.

[steve]

re: previous condition... Has he been eating? Has he been separated?

[megcornell]

The UVA light is for daytime basking. It heats up the basking area so the turtles are enticed to come out and absorb some UVB and to dry off their shells.

It's not necessary to heat up the basking area at night. Most turtles choose to sleep in the warm water. Occasionally mine will sleep on their docks, but that's only during warm summer nights. The ambient air temperature is fine for the basking area for night, provided your house isn't freakishly cold.

The steady temperature applies more to the water itself. You want to keep the water at a relatively steady 78-80 for baby turtles.

[clpalmer57]

My house probably is freakishly cold! That made me laugh, I could live in a refridgerator. Since the turts are here, I make sure all the windows are closed this end of the house @ nite. The room they are in - I don't open the windows at all.
I had no choice but to heat the basking platform at nite.One nite I put a thermometer on the platform and it read 60 degrees. My baby is sick, if he's cold he won't get better. But good news... He is separate now. I do not see him eat, ever , but he is improving. I read someone else's problem and it was suggested to soak the turt in 50/50 water and pedialyte and it has made him stronger, less lethargic and he responds to my voice now.I do this twice a day and I feed him after the soak. His tank has higher temps for right now. The platform is almost 95 and the water is almost 85.
The hardest part about keeping these little guys is all the misinformation that " experts " give you. If not for this website, I would not know what to do. Thanks again cindy

[clpalmer57]

yahoo!!! I watched my baby turtle eat for the first time since we've known each other!!!

[clpalmer57]

Hi, I've got another ? I've been trying to read other posts to get some answers but I'm just not sure. One of my guys has some stuff around his neck and on his feet that looks like dead skin. Do they get fungal infections of the skin? From what I'm reading this is normal shedding. My water temp is 78 - 80 and the basking temp is 85 - 90. He basks and hardly ever swims so I feed him in a separate dish mainly so I can see what he's eating. If he's just shedding that's cool...I learn more about these beautiful guy's everyday. Their tank sits in my office so when I'm on the computer they can watch me.

[untsmurf]

Yes they do shed their skin. They also shed the scutes on their shell.