General Care Discussion :: Help i just bought 2 more RES's

[kayla_2305]

well i had 2 RES's but one of them died when he got stuck behind the filter and drowned well then last saturday i went and bought 2 more turtles and i redid my turtle aquaruim so they couldnt get stuck so now i have 3 RES's when i went to the petshop to get the 2 more one of the turts that the guy gave me had a really soft shell and it had white spots and i told him i didnt want that one then he took it back and got me another one and it had a bad eye finally i got 2 healthy ones,i think. well i have the 2 new ones in a seperate tank in a different room and everything that u r supposed to do but on one of my turtles its skin is kinda shedding or something i dont really know what is wring with it can anybody help PLEASE it is about the size of a quarter and i have them in a lagoon type thing with a basking spot and everything it has a heater and a light and everything they need PLEASE HELP also i the one that i have had for a while i noticed that its shell was like fading and turning colors kinda like a gray brown color please help me with this thanks

[marisa]

Can you see this shedding when the turtle is dry and out of the water? If so, it's possible that the turtle has a fungus. Can you post a picture of the turtle dry to show exactly what you're talking about?

If the new turtles came from the same tank as the ones that were ill, there's a pretty good chance they may have something as well, and you should keep them away from the other turtle for several months, at least. A lagoon is not a good home for them, though; they need their own tank. Do they have correct lighting? What are the basking area and water temps in the container they're in? It would be good to read some of the basic info on the site and check to see that what you have in your set-ups is everything they need.

For your turtle with the changing shell colors---does he have a UVB light as well as a heat light to bask under?

What do you feed your turtles, how much and how often?

[steve]

Hi Kayla and welcome to the forum. If you are keeping them in a "lagoon", then you are not keeping them in a healthy set-up. Here are some links about them:

http://www.google.com/search?q=+turtle+%22death+bowl%22

These are too small to have an appropriate water heater. What are the water temperatures? The petstore is selling them illegally, you should not do any business with them.

[missibsu]

Just to add to the comments above. The best way to start improving the health of your turtles is to upgrade their set ups. Minimum rule is 10 gallons of water per inch of shell. And keep in mind that they are going to grow. With proper lighting and enough water, I think you will see their health improve.

[kayla_2305]

thanks for all the replies the turtle 's skin isnt really like shedding it is more like peeling off and it looks really gross i have another aquarium but i dont have a light for it i am gonna change them and put them in it instead i dont know about the light but i will look oh yeah i was also looking at the turtle shell, the one that is ''shedding'' and around the edges of its shell it is really brown i dont know if this is from the shedding or what i think that it may have a fungus when it is dry it looks all brown and stuff really nasty

[Andrew7769]

maybe that stuff is algae?

[kayla_2305]

no it aint algae

[kayla_2305]

it is his skin!!! it is peeling off!!

[kayla_2305]

i feed my turtles once a day and i feed them some turtle food that i bought from the pet store and i feed them about half of a teaspoon the turtle that has the fading shell it is in an aquaruim like a fish aquarium and i am pretty sure that it is a UVB light but i will check to make sure and let u know squirt,the turtle, has a basking rock and the water temperature ranges from 78-82 degrees she also has a log thing to hide under

[steve]

Skin shedding would be a thin, wispy and translucent. It would also be easily visible in/underwater. Do you have a picture of this? If it looks different than what I described, it could be a fungal or bacterial infection. In that case, I'll get him to see a herp vet ASAP.

[marisa]

That picture of the problem area would be nice...

Kayla, what does new skin under the skin that's peeling look like? Does it look healthy or does it look raw and red?

How often do you change the water in the container they're in? What is the temp of the water?

[kayla_2305]

i change the water about every other day and i dont know what the temperature is exactly hey i was just wondering what is the difference between a UVB light and a UVA light?

[kayla_2305]

the new skin looks really heathly after it peels off the skin is thin but it aint transculecent it is kinda brown but that may be because the water is kinda dirty

[missibsu]

It is important to have the correct water temp. Water that is too warm can lead to excessive shedding.

There is a difference between UVB and UVA. Both are needed for proper health. UVB acts like the sun rays, UVA just provides the heat. There are combination bulbs that provide both, but most require you to have two different bulbs.

[marisa]

UVB rays are metabolized into Vit D3, which helps in calcium absorption. UVA rays serve other functions, including fostering psychological well-being. Heat is heat, and different from rays produced by the sun/a light.