What do you do if your red eared slider turtle has a soft shell?

Answer 1

1. A baby turtle has a softish shell- a little flexible top to bottom and side to side- but still firm and springy.

2. If the shell is more limp, or more like leather than plastic, it is a concern.

3. Softshell is treated mostly by diet. The right diet is well-balanced and contains natural calcium. Good quality turtle pellets and not too many veggies are a good start. UVB lighting is also important- without UVB, turtles cannot produce enough vitamin D3 which is needed to use calcium right.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com

Answer 2

How big is this turtle? If it's a hatchling the shell takes a while before it gets hard. But be sure to give a good varied diet with some high calcium foods. Feed gutloaded crickets & superworms, and be sure you have a good uvb lamp as well as a hot basking spot. Put a cuttlebone, from bird dept. in pet shop, in the tank for the turtle to munch on. That will also provide a little extra calcium.
Julie
Director, Turtle Rescue of Long Island

Answer 3

feed it more calcium- that is a deficiency caused from a poor diet. Feed it food with calcium dust on it (you can get at any reptile store, repi-cal and herp-tivite are the best kind).

Also feed a variety of food- add some small minnows to the diet, various other foods, etc.

Answer 4

GIVE HIM MORE CALCIUM OR ELSE YOUR TURTLE WILL DIE!!!!!!