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Hello! I am new to these forums in general so if I have posted this to the wrong place I apologize. Recently I have been taking more care of my sisters turtle since she neglects it most of the time(I feed, make sure waters fine, etc) and I realized I dont really know what denotes a healthy turtle! I am a pretty anxious person and want to make sure this turtle is getting his proper care so I took a few pictures to share with you guys.

He is pretty active, eats every other day(he does miss the floating pellets by miliimeters but eventually gets them) I used a probe to make sure his basking temp is perfect and water is always around 76-77F.

I mostly just want to make sure im doing everything right for the big guy. Thanks!

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/752014418530926614/839653906829017138/20210505_170134.jpg
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/752014418530926614/839653907444924446/20210505_170154.jpg

BONUS: He doesnt eat live fish anymore so these 3 feeders got HUGE off his food haha
https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/752014418530926614/839653908283654154/20210505_170359.jpg

Hi Makasae! It looks and sounds like you're doing pretty good. Does he also have a UVB light? I'd also try some veggies, as he might want something to nibble on during the day.

steve wrote:Hi Makasae! It looks and sounds like you're doing pretty good. Does he also have a UVB light? I'd also try some veggies, as he might want something to nibble on during the day.

Hi Steve!

Thanks for your reply! im glad to hear he is doing well!

I totes forgot to add he has both a heat lamp and a UVB light, and yes! We occasionally put a big lettuce leaf in to nibble on, should I still give pellets when we put one in?

I was a little worried because I heard of shell curling and I thought his shell might be starting to curl around his back legs, but I guess thats normal.

Just double checking but the basking temp is around 85-90 last I checked, that should be good right?

Thanks again for helping out!

You can give a smaller amount of pellets, but it's not necessary. The shell looks relatively good, and at his size/age, shell deformities related to growth are probably not a risk.

The basking temps are fine, as long as he is basking. To be honest, my RES like it a little warmer but they have room on their platform to move around if they feel its too warm.

steve wrote:You can give a smaller amount of pellets, but it's not necessary. The shell looks relatively good, and at his size/age, shell deformities related to growth are probably not a risk.

The basking temps are fine, as long as he is basking. To be honest, my RES like it a little warmer but they have room on their platform to move around if they feel its too warm.

Hey sorry for the late reply! one of our kitties got sick so its been a little rough.

Thanks for your input! I def feel better about his health, I love seeing him swim around his huge tank hehe.

One more question! I notice when he is basking with his limbs extended he has "bags" that kinda look like fat where his limbs go back into, im guessin thats normal for a decade old turtle?

Somewhat normal, depending on how it looks like.

just like small bags, they dont hang over the bottom of his shell at all and I only see them when he is basking

Do you have any pictures of it?

Hi
I am new to the forum and had a question to ask about my baby res turtle. she is less than 6 months old acc to the shell size(2.5 inches) .i noticed that she(apparently) is usually sitting vertically in corner of the tank, and she stays at one place for most of the day...just goes out to breathe...is it normal for res to do that...or should i take some action

She could be stressed, which is not healthy. She might be there vertically because there is no place for her to bask safely/comfortably. A picture of the setup would be helpful.

Oh...actually there isnt much space for basking in the setup. I keep her in sunlight in a little tub with some water ,to let her bask

You really need to make an appropriate setup otherwise she will not thrive in these conditions. Please go read the Basic Care Sections.