General Care Discussion :: Is My Turtle Sick? Please Look At Photo.

[KingTurtle]

Hi I have a 3 or 4 month old res. I have had him for about 5 weeks. His first owner did not give him a filter, uvb or basking light and hardly changed the water. The water would become dirty with poo and food. I have been keeping the water clean and feeding him outside the tank. I have setup a basking bulb, uvb bulb and dock. He has some white lines on the underbelly of the shell please look let me know if this is normal or something bad.

He has been basking and I'm not sure how to recognize lopsided swimming. I know lopsided swimming is bad. Sometimes his swimming looks graceful to be other times he looks like a spaz. Maybe that's just because he's little

Thanks
Mark

[KingTurtle]

Another Pic

[michaelg]

I could be wrong, but it looks to me like he/she might be growing too quickly. If you look at the top of the shell, does he have thick black lines between the scutes (what looks like scales)? If so, then you are or the previous owner was over feeding the turtle. If those white lines are soft, then it is definitely a problem.

-Michael

[KingTurtle]

Thanks Michael

Here is a photo of the top of the shell. There are thick black lines. I feed him zoo med hatching formula pellets in a separate bowl once per day. I also feed red and green leaf organic lettuce once a week. I feed a tiny feeder fish once and some plain white chicken breast a couple times.

Is this a good brand of pellets?

How long does it usually take for the black lines to g away if I lesson the amount of food?

The bottom of the shell doesn't feel as hard as the top. Should the bottom feel just as hard as the top? I read there is a procedure for rubbing off the soft areas and then treating it. Or would letting it bask fix the problem?

[steve]

Definitely looks like fast growth. I would skip the fish and chicken. The black areas indicate the most growth, which should blend in once with normal amounts of protein. How many pellets was he getting?

[KingTurtle]

Thanks Steve. I was putting in a small scoop estimating about the size of the head and neck. I would keep him in the bowl for about 45 mins. He wouldn't usually eat in front of me so I would leave him long enough then poo in the bowl. There would always be pellets leftover. I have also been putting in bits of turtle bone. I'm not sure if that counts as food. Do you think I should stick with just pellets once per day and veggies once a week?

Any take on the white lines? Is a trip to the vet needed?

[CactusJohn5]

Its a tough call, it looks to be quick growth, which isn't too bad if you change now. The shell to me doesn't look to show the signs of severe overfeeding, but i don't know a lot about hatchling. Feeding daily is okay, but it shouldn't be anymore than 6 pellets. Also lettuce can be a daily feeding item as it is almost impossible to over feed lettuce.

[KingTurtle]

Thanks John. Six pellets. I will keep that in mind. Lettuce can't be overdone calorie wise which makes sense. I only gave lettuce once a week because I read hatching diet should be mostly protein. More veggies when the turtle is older.

[steve]

If you have roommates or family members around, they might be sneaking him food. If you keep pellets sorted in a pill box, then you can monitor his intake more strictly.

[PridgNYC]

A scoop of pellets (to fill his head and neck) is too much. The general rule is enough to fill his head (not neck too). I have never fed a hatchling, but mine only gets that much every couple of days. It's better to allow them slow growth than make them grow too fast.

[KingTurtle]

Thanks steve and pridg. I will make sure no one feeds him other than feeding time. I am uncertain on such a small turtle where is head ends and the neck begins. I have cut back on food the last few days.

John said not to feed more than six pellets a day. Six pellets seems so small since these are the very small sized hatching pellets. Of course he is also small. I don't want to starve him. I will keep in mind about slow growth being better.

Does anyone else have a take on the white lines and light brown spots under the shell? The undersell doesn't seem as hard as the top. I'm wondering if I need a turtle vet to treat white areas. Or just let him bask more.

[steve]

It's mostly from his growth, though you want to make sure his water is in great shape too.