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my turtle sounds like shes hissing at me has a deformed shell its bumpt and has like a pinkish belly...what should i do...please help

I'm new to this so I wont attempt to offer any help but I can say that pictures will help if you can get any posted.

If you could answer these questions that would be a big help.

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

What is the water temperature?
Did you use a thermometer?
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?

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?




The open mouth gaping sounds like a strong indication of a respiratory infection. Answer the questions and post pictures if you can and hopefully people can help you out.

How big is your turtle? 3.5 inches
How long have you had it? a year

What is the water temperature? 76
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? just enough to go a little above the top of her shelll
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? idk how to let her bask because when i did there was soo much algae it got outta control
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? pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? twice a day

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? like 10 gallons
Is the tank near a window? nope
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? not really

Have you read the Basic Care section? ya
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? no

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? not really




The open mouth gaping sounds like a strong indication of a respiratory infection. Answer the questions and post pictures if you can and hopefully people can help you out.

Well for starters, your tank is inadequate which you may have already read on the site.
Red ear sliders are aquatic turtles, so they need a lot of space to swim. Shallow water not only prevents them from swimming but it gets dirty very fast and it changes temperature quickly, both of which lead to ill turtles.
You'll need to improve your set up as soon as you can. If I understood your post correctly you have no basking area at all? Is the turtle just in water 24/7? If so, that needs to be remedied ASAP. Turtles need to dry off their entire shell daily to ensure proper growth and health. It's fine if the basking dock gets algae, it's normal with the exposure to light.

The deformed shell is likely from her (or his) inadequate diet. Turtles need a balanced diet of not only pellets but vegetables as well. Take a look at the nutrition section to see what you should be feeding your turtle. A diet high in protein like what you've been feeding will lead to the pyramiding you're seeing. While it can't be reversed, further damage can be prevented which is very important.

If you could better describe the symptoms you've seen or post pictures, that would be helpful. I'd be willing to bet though that your turtle has a respiratory infection. If that's the case, the only course of treatment is a trip to the vet's where you can get either oral or injectable antibiotics. RI's are very serious and the sooner you start treatment and improve the tank, the better your turtle's chances of survival.

i dint really have any money and i cant get a bigger tank or basking area or the RI fixed...will these problems kill my turtle??

From what I have read if it is indeed a RI then it can be fatal...

lets hope it's not that

if you dont treat it chances are it will be fatal.

Cain, what I'm not understanding is why your turtle doesn't have a basking area. That is a very fundamental need of a water turtle.
You need to get him one, regardless of the algae. It's inhumane to keep him in water 24/7.

And yes, RI is fatal if left untreated. Seeing the condition of the tank and that you're already seeing open mouth gasping he needs to see a vet as soon as possible.

you dont need money for a basking area if you have some supplies at home, i built my basking area with stuff i found around my house and didnt spend a penny

yup!.. same goes to me. I built my own turtle basking area too..

also you can use rubbermaid containers for tanks. i'm using a 45 gallon rubbermaid for rolo right now and it only cost me 15 dollars. As mentioned before algae will happen but if you keep the tank away from windows it slows the growth. you can also get some snails to take care of it ( though i hear they may dirty the tank faster) also it is dangerous to keep the water level that low becasue she could flip over, not be able to right herself and drown.

so u can get a plastic see through rubbermaid container like in the shape of a tank or like a trash can

Well, see-through isn't necessary. The biggest rubbermaid container you can get (usually 40-50 gallons) will work. If your turtle is dead, you won't be able to watch it anyways, so right now, worry about getting the turtle healthy before working on seeing your turtle through the plastic. Remember, though, that rubbermaid containers are only used as temporary housing, so you need to check daily for leaks or wearing of the plastic, and replace the container as needed. Look on Craigslist and the various freecycle listings, and I bet you can find a low-cost aquarium. Many of us on the board have gotten our tanks that way.

The basking area, you can buy these floating ones at the pet stores. They work well. Otherwise, you can construct one yourself. You just need a flat surface that can be completely dry. Rocks aren't recommended, as they can topple onto the turtle and kill it. Plastic containers work fine, though.

You also need a basking bulb and a UVB bulb to go along with your basking area. If you cannot afford the UVB bulb and fixture, you need to take your turtle outside to bask for 15 minutes each day. That opens a whole new set of concerns, so we recommend the bulb.

RIs are fatal about 90% of the time if not seen by a vet. However, you can try changing a few aspects of the turtle's tank and see if he improves.