General Care Discussion :: new turtle owner

[smellslikehives]

Ok, so i have adopted a RES, from a co-workers cousin, and by all acounts she is ten years old, and has always been kept in a small tank, without a landing pad, or a UV light. So now i have had "Mertle" for less than a day, and she is really enjoying the basking area. After a few hours under the light, her shell has started to shed, also it looks like more than one layer is peeling off in cartain places. Is this normal?
I placed one of those calcium cubes in the tank 24 hours before she arrived, as a turtle person said it would be a good idea as "Mertle" has only ever eaten pellets (no Calcium in diet).
So really my question is... is it at all possible that "Mertle" has never shed before? Since she was always sitting in 5 inches of water?
What else can we do to make her happy?

[jenaero]

Anything is possible.. My res had the right environment and didnt shed for 3 years..Part of that was because they were being overfed by someone else in the house without my knowledge.

My advice is to correct the diet, add more calcium, make sure the uvb is on and make a vet appointment for a check-up just to be safe.

Also, if you have other turtles, keep this one separate for the time being.

[SpotsMama]

My goodness, Mertle is lucky to have a new home. Could you show us some photos? It would help us a great deal to see her shell and skin. Take the photos from several angle, include some pics of her plastron (bottom of her shell), and make sure her shell is completely dry when the photos are taken. Get the photos as focused as possible.

How long is she (straight shell length)?

Has she ever laid eggs that you know of?

Rather than the calcium cube, why don't you get her some cuttlebone. I think the calcium cube just makes the water harder. Cuttlebone is cheaper, is an excellent source of calcium, and most turtles love to eat it. It also keeps their "beaks" trim.

Setting her up with a good habitat - space, lots of clean water, good lighting, good basking where she gets to dry out (top and bottom), good diet - will make her happy. Also, turtles are active and will get bored if their environments are too sterile. Include some river rocks and/or plastic plants and/or some decorations in her tank to give her something to fool around with. Turtles seem to like waterfalls or bubblers too, though a big turtle will probably tear up a bubbler.

On water depth, turtles live naturally in large ponds and lakes and love to swim and dive. If your girl hasn't ever experienced deep water, though, she'll need some time to adjust. Try increasing the water depth a little at a time until it's as deep as you can get it in her tank....BUT not so deep that she can climb out and escape. Turtles are great climbers - if she can get her front feet on the edge of the tank, trust me she'll be gone.

[smellslikehives]

okay i'll try, but she is quite big and her claws are very long, her shell legnth is just above 25 cm. or 9in. Im going to give her more time to adjust before i start to handle her. maybe sunday or monday ill get some pictures for you. She came from a 25 gal. tank. and i have her in a 90 gal.
i have kept the water level at about20 cm. with plans to raise the water level after the first tank cleaning, which will probably happen on monday.
She was quite dirty when i got her and she would not let me clean her,
so the tank is starting to get cloudy... Are their other mediums i can put in my filter besides the charcol that it came with?

[Rosepruner]

Yeah, there are several types of filters you can get. Since you're using a 90 Gal it would be recomended to get a filter that can filter up to 120 Gal. Go check out a local pet store and see what they have to offer. Also if you look around on this message baord, there are a couple of people who have included instructions on how to make your own filters. I right now am running an "aquaclear" filter that's a 3 stage filter for instance. There's also canister filters.

[ESG4Life]

okay i'll try, but she is quite big and her claws are very long, her shell legnth is just above 25 cm. or 9in.

"She" sounds like a "he".................

[SpotsMama]

ESG4Life has a good point - "she" may be a guy.

I'm afraid she's never going to be happy for you to clean her up. You'll learn to pick her (or him) up by the sides of her shell, using both hands, with the grip far enough back that she can't twist her head around and take a bite out of you. She'll stuggle a lot and scratch with her claws. Sometimes it's helpful to use a dish towel when holding her so her claws don't get you too bad. With practice you'll learn to hold her safely. Also, as she gets to know you she'll be less frightened when you pick her up but she'll never like it - turtles just don't.

You can clean her in the kitchen sink using tepid (never hot or cold) water and a very soft toothbrush or wet paper towel. I wash Spot from time to time with Hibiclense, an antiseptic hand wash for people from places like Walgreens. It's a soap, so it will make her slippery, so hold her very low in the sink in case she gets away from you. Don't get any on her head or eyes and be sure to rinse thoroughly.

[marisa]

After you've done a bit of cleaning, can you post a pic of the shell dry showing the areas that are peeling unevenly?

[TurtleLover_S&B]

It could be that "she" might not have shed before.You definately need to offer cuttlebone and veggies!I agree with marisa,please post pics after you clean "her" shell.Make sure if you use some sort of cleaning soap,make sure to clean it off really good and don't get it near "her" head.

[Bascomb]

Smell-hives -- There are some rules of the road, so to speak. Your water temp should be around 75 to 76 degrees for a 9 inche turtle. Your basking temp should be 90 to 91 degrees with uvb lighting. Make sure you uvb is not too strong or your turtle will have eye problems. When you buy a filter pump make sure you think in terms of gallons per hour and not the size of your tank. Most pet shops don't have a clue. Your tank is marginal in size if you are getting a 90 gallon tank. You filter pump should pump at least 5 times the water you have in the tank. Clean water is a must with all the scutes coming off. Your turtle sounds like it may be a male with the long claws. A photo would help with the under side of the tale exposed. No turtle likes to be cleaned off, but you have to do it from time to time. Use warm water with a strong solution of table salt and brush HIM off with a soft tooth brush. Let him dry off then rinse him off. You will not want to over feed him. Feed him every other day. OOPs that is enough for now. b.