General Care Discussion :: soft shell?

[rufus.the.dufus73]

are the shell area torward their tale suppose to be softer than the rest of their shells?
if not..
how can i fix it?

[Starchick]

How old is your turtle? Do you have a light to provide UVB rays? Without UVB they can develop metabolic bone syndrome, which is very serious. Someone more knowledgeable than I can elaborate, but we need to know more about your turtle and your setup.

[missibsu]

If you have a hatchling, the shell will be softer and more pliable. If your turt is older, it shouldn't be so soft. Make sure that your turtle is getting a good supply of calcium and like starchick mentioned, UVB light.

[SpotsMama]

You should provide calcium either via a calcium supplement (there are guildelines on this in the nuitrition section of this site) or with a cuttlebone, pieces of which should be left in the tank for the turtle to snack on.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Agreed with what was already said here.

[rufus.the.dufus73]

i'm not really sure how old they are
cuz the guy i got it from didn't know anything about it either

[pumpkinsherbet]

how big are they?

[rufus.the.dufus73]

they're about 1 1/2 inches big

[pumpkinsherbet]

i worried about soft spots on my little ones' shell when i first got them. someone told me for turts that size it's normal. http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ght=#64871

but i will still have to agree with the folks that say make sure they get their uvb light (helps them produce vitamin d3 for calcium absorption) and calcium supplements. i grind up a little bit of cuttlebone in their tank everyday, and leave a few big pieces for them to snack on.

[rufus.the.dufus73]

is it ok if i put it under a normal lamp unitl i get the light?

[pumpkinsherbet]

as long as they have heat to thermoregulate was the advice that i got. from experience i'd say a regular uva basking bulb (approx $6-9 at the petstore) will get more of a responce. i had a uva bulb, but accidentally spilled water on it and it busted.

scary stuff, the pop was loud, too. i used a regular incandescent bulb, but there was a noticeable decline in their activity and they went back to the burrowing. the next day i bought another uva bulb and they got right back up.

that happened less than five minutes after i switched out the bulbs, i am not exaggerating.

one of the texts i read said it's best not to handle a turtle too much... 15 minutes a day is less stressful than one hour in one day. so if you can get them a little sunlight so they can get some uvb that will be good. make sure the weather is warm, though. min. 70 degrees, sunny, no drafts. that was what i was told.

oh and just as an fyi - i would highly recommend keeping gravel OUT of their tank. that setup was when i first got them and lasted only three days. i only used gravel b/c i didn't know better.

[marisa]

The marginal scutes above the tail are often more pliable in hatchlings (which it sounds like yours are). If this is what you mean by a softer shell, with a proper diet (sufficient calcium) and basking under proper lighting, she shell should eventually get harder. Hatchlings' shells harden at about a year.