General Care Discussion :: Normal Shell Hardness in a Hatchling?

[unclejoe]

First of all, I am guessing Philbert is a (Midland Painted) Hatchling he is only an 1.5" big at most. Today I had him out of the water and dried off his shell and I noticed that the scutes at his tail as well as the couple around his head, are softer and move. Is this something I need to be concerned about? Is he starting to get soft shell?

The reason I wiped him down is cause just today I noticed a bunch of faint white markings all over his carapace. I wanted to see what they looked like dry. Since this is our first turtle I have no idea why he has these markings. Is this possibly a sign of an impending shed? When I wiped him dry,, there was a bit of residue not much but a bit, kind of like the skin we rub off when we have a shower..

Please let me know if these are signs of something we should be worried about..

Thank you

[steve]

It should be slightly pliable but I would expect it to harden quickly. White markings are either calcium/mineral deposits or fungus. Fungus is problematic for a lot of captive RES.

[unclejoe]

Pics of Phil's Shell

this is what it looks like wet



These next two are dry,, one taken tonight,, one earlier in the sun.. Is this fungus? I just started noticing it today..






More Pics of him in the tank:









I went out and bought some calcium powder just in case. Should I give it to him, and if so how often?

This pic just cause I thought it was cute.. Looks like he is suspended in mid air. Parachuting with out the Chute.. haha




Oh btw, when we adopted him he had the missing shell section. I don't know if he was born that way or damaged before we got him. Will it grow back??

[unclejoe]

I noticed right now trying to get a good picture of him in the tank that he has this whiteish gray film on his skin too, is it mineral build up then? I thought our water was pretty soft.. never seen any build up on the tank or in our tub..

He is very active and he eats like a Bear.. So he doesn't appear ill in any other sense..

Thanx again for any advice

[steve]

I doesn't look like fungus and you don't normally see any mineral buildup unless they're very dry from basking. As for his injury, it's best to make sure it's completely healed. It won't fully grow back but if it's healed, should not cause any problems. I think on some cases, the marginal scute might be a bit pointy at the end and act like a hook but that should not be hard to deal with.

[unclejoe]

Its Very healed up.. its smooth.. I kind of wonder if he came out of the egg this way.. Is it possible he was born this way? We just figure it gives him character.

Also, should I give him extra calcium since parts of the edge of his shell are pliable? I never noticed this in hard shell turtles in the wild, only in the soft shells their shells over their tail area was very pliable.. Or is it normal for a turtle of this size to have some pliable areas.. the sides of his shell are very hard.. its just the front by the head and the part hanging over his tail area that appear soft and pliable..

[Kansasslider]

When I got my Diamondbacks they were the size of a thumbnail and their shells were so soft I thought I would damage them. It took some time to get hard. I did coat their pellets in calcium powder and still do.

[unclejoe]

Do you always coat them or only every other day? Is there no chance of over doing the calcium? The powder I bought is 36% calcium.

[Kansasslider]

I feed every other day. Pellets are coated with Repti Calcium with D3. Calcium supplements should contian Vitamin D3. I'm not aware that they can have too much calcium in their diet.

[unclejoe]

I bought Flukers calcium I think it has d3 in it.. I also read that feeding live fish really helps with getting calcium the natural way.. Is it true that goldfish are not a good choice?

[Kansasslider]

Yes you want to avoid goldfish. You can get rosy red's at petco or petsmart. Red leaf lettuce also has a good amount of calcium. I also feed large frozen krill as a treat. Not sure about the amount of calcium they have.

[unclejoe]

I have read that Krill and shrimp have good amounts of calcium and the food I bought has both in it.. He has pellets in one section, shrimp in another and the Krill in the third section. I put leaf lettuce in his tank daily but right now he ain't interested in it.. I have also given him one earthworm I found out side after a rain. good to know about Rosy reds.. I don't know what they are but I will look em up.. also I bet tadpoles would be something he would eat.. That is what he would find in the wild.. but unfortunately no ponds anywhere around here to find any..

Can you explain why goldfish are so bad? I trust you, but I am a person who likes to know why..lol

[Kansasslider]

I think they are bad because their fatty. My turtles love crayfish but I learned that you shouldn't feed them because they carry parasites. Rosy reds are small red minnows.

[Kansasslider]

Maybe I should rethink rosy reds.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/th ... ers.34624/

[Kansasslider]

I own several cats and my vet has told me the only safe raw fish to feed them is saltwater fish. Freshwater raw fish can also carry parasites.