General Care Discussion :: Hatchling not sunning, shell rot?

[machina]

I just recently got 2 baby red eared sliders within the past month. After learning how much care they needed I got them a good hatchling sized tank, a good filter, some dried meal worms for food, and a place to sun and a good sized lamp to sun under.

Well, one of the turtles loves to sun. I see him on the rock at least 4-5 times a day, legs extended and probably asleep since he is motionless and 'wakes up' and jumps into the water when he notices me.

The other turtle however, does not sun. I never see him on the rock sunning, and as a result when I picked him up recently, I noticed some white spots on his shell. Everything I have read indicates shell rot. He still has a healthy appetite, moreso than my other turtle, but since I know they don't contain a lot of calcium and sunning helps them produce calcium for their shells, I'm worried. I've even gone as far as putting a small clear cup and sticking him under the light until his shell is dry until I get a chance to get some sulfate for the water and some calcium for him.

They are small, probably only 2.5 to 3 inches across, and I am sure they are red eared sliders.

Also, around the ring where the hexogonel part of his shell meets the ring around the outside is turning a little white.

Should I be worried? Any care tips?

[jenaero]

To start, read thru the 'what to feed' list in the Feeding/Nutrition section. Dried mealworms are pretty much useless. They need a proper diet with calcium. The list will give you a good idea of what you'll need.

What are the water and basking temps? Is there a uvb lamp?

Putting him in a cup under the lamp is not a good idea as he'll have no escape from the heat and can easily overheat and die.

The spots may not be rot. Do you have any photos you could post? Are the spots soft? Is there a smell to them?

[machina]

Fair enough. It's a step up from what the owner told me when I bought them, which was "Change the water once a week, no filter, and feed them pellets".

I have thermometers for both. The water is usually in the high 70's (It gets cooler in the morning as I turn the light off at night) and the lamp gets it up into the high 80's and low 90's. Yes, it is UVB.

I just got some cuttlebone. Do I just shave some off in the water?

I only had him in the cup for about 10 minutes, I didn't forget him, my GF would kill me

Pics will be up in a second. I borrowed my roommates 12megapixel rebel

[machina]

He's a little scared since I set him on the counter.

Here's another side, I highlighted the spots.



Thanks for the help. I'm sure Donnie will appreciate it.

[steve]

That could be the start of a fungal or bacterial infection. I would keep a close eye on the other turtle to make sure that it doesn't spread since these situations tend to be infectious.

You might want to try another basking area and offer more privacy. They often have their own specific preferences.

[machina]

That could be the start of a fungal or bacterial infection. I would keep a close eye on the other turtle to make sure that it doesn't spread since these situations tend to be infectious.

You might want to try another basking area and offer more privacy. They often have their own specific preferences.

Yea I'm getting some more stuff for them soon. Just got a new 20gal thats long and only about a foot and a half deep, so there is plenty of swimming room. Going to get some gravel, already stuck a few mugs in there as hidey holes. They are definitely going to have some more option than their old tank

It seems though, that the donnie is pretty submissive, especially since Darko is now maybe a quarter in or so bigger than him. Maybe he's intimidated?

I checked him again, and the spots aren't soft or mushy, they almost feel like a nail clipping, and 2 of the spots seem like I could pick it off (don'r worry I won't )

Thanks for the help

[marisa]

Cute turtle. I'd skip the gravel and put some smooth river rocks in---you don't need a lot of them.

Just wondering---if the other turtle appears to be dominant, is this one being allowed to bask? Is there any bullying that you've noticed? Can both of them fit on the basking area easily?

The spots look like they could be the result of not basking. What brand of UVB light are you using? I'm also wondering about that darkish area in the second pic in the circled area on the left. Has the shell chipped off there?