why does my baby red eared slider seem to be floating lopsided?

Question

it doesn't float level anymore. When it tries to swim to the bottom the back end seems to keep it from going down .

Answer 1

Your turtle has a respiratory infection. The lung on the side that is lower is filled with water which is creating this. You need to get it to a vet immediately as these are deadly. This is possibly the early stages of pneumonia as listing (floating sideways) is a sign of pneumonia. Raise the temps in the tank by 5 degreese and consult your vet.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

This is a common symptom of pneumonia. Pneumonia can be a real problem to treat- you can do most of the work at home, and a vet may be able to help, but the outcome is often sad.

That said, here is the deal. This is like a cold or flu in humans. It is caused by a combination of germs and reduced immune system (usually due to stress, bad housing, and/or bad diet.)

We need to fix the stressors- good housing, big tank, warm clean water, etc. You can learn about this at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com or http://www.redearslider.com

Next, we need to offer a place for healing. Boost temps up about 5 degrees F. Add a UVB lamp if you don't have one already. Make sure the water is clean and that there is not a lot of stress going on- handling, noises, flashing lights, etc.

Now, as for treating the infections- it takes some pretty strong drugs to fight pneumonia in turtles. You can try a vet, or if you'd rather do what you can at home, try a 'turtle sulfa dip' product per directions (but not a 'sulfa block' for the water.

You should see some improvement in about a week, but it may take a while before the turtle is really well.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
why does my baby red eared slider seem to be floating lopsided?
it doesn't float level anymore. When it tries to swim to the bottom the back end seems to keep it from going down .

Answer 5

Your turtle may either have a gas problem (which should have cleared up in a day or so) most likely from its diet, it might have too much air underneath its shell (which u might want to get checked out at a vet's office), or it may have a cold/pneumonia which u want to get checked out right away.

Answer 6

2

Answer 7

like both, fruits: berries, oranges, pears, peaches, dragonfruit, pomegranate.... Vegetables: CUCUMBERS, bok choy, green beans, broccoli,.... I actually guess the two are great.

Answer 8

well it might be normal, or he might be sick. as long as your taking proper care of him... lights, food, tank size, water... you shouldnt have much to worry about. heres a bunch of info..

What Should I Feed My Turtle?


First, know what species you are feeding. Diet and every other facet of care is determined by the natural habitat of the turtle. For instance, River Cooters eat a diet primarily composed of plants, while Map Turtles prefer meat. American Box Turtles are omnivores who eat a little bit of everything. The Malayan Box Turtle should eat plenty of plants with just a little bit of animal matter, but the Chinese 3-Striped Box Turtle eats meats almost exclusively. The red-eared slider starts out life eating mostly bugs, worms and other meats, but becomes more omnivorous as it matures. (Please note: The information on this page does not apply to tortoises, which often have highly specialized diets. For tortoise diet information visit the Tortoise Trust Website and this article on Tortoise Foods.)

Reproducing the natural diet as much as is possible will make your turtle happier and healthier. In the wild, turtles choose from among a variety of foods that are in season and available. Variety is one key to a good diet for your turtle. Calcium is the other important key.

You can read about the complicated relationships between calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D3 and other elements at several websites. The point to remember is that phosphorus is in most of the foods that turtles eat. It is the calcium side of the ratio that demands attention. Providing calcium separately allows the turtle to decide when it needs more calcium. Cuttlebone, plaster block, boiled and crushed eggshells, and crushed oystershell can all provide calcium on demand. Just providing a good source of calcium is not enough, however. Dietary calcium is not properly utilized in the absence of vitamin D3. Turtles can manufacture D3 if provided access to UV-B rays from direct sunlight or a good reptile light (e.g. Reptisun or Reptile D-Light.) Or D3 can be provided in the diet through supplements like Rep-Cal. A few foods block the absorption of calcium because of their high oxalic acid content. Spinach should be avoided for this reason. A turtle fed spinach regularly can become calcium deficient even if a good source of calcium is provided. Chard and rhubarb also contain rather high levels of oxalic acid and should be used sparingly, if at all. (Rhubarb leaves are so high in oxalic acid that they are a deadly poison.)

High levels of protein put an abnormal stress on the kidneys, and has been implicated in shell deformities such as pyramiding. It's best to avoid excessive use of meats intended for human consumption and other high protein food sources such as cat food or dog food. When used sparingly as part of a varied diet, no harm is likely to result, but high protein meats should not be used as a staple.

Other questionably foods:

1.) Members of the brassica family (Cabbage, brussel sprouts, broccoli, bok-choi, and kohlrabi) can be problematic if overused, because excessive amounts of these plants contribute to kidney disease and goiter. Turnips, soybeans, radishes, rapeseed, and mustard also contain goitrogens. These should not play a large role in the diet. However, the addition of cuttlebone and/or kelp to the diet may reverse the goitrogenic effect of the brassicas.

2.) High purine foods, which include peas, beans, mushrooms, shellfish, beef, and organ meats, should be used sparingly because they can contribute to gout if overused.

3.) Head lettuce and celery are "empty" foods in that they provide very little useful nutrition or fiber. Some tortoises apparently become fond of lettuce to the exclusion of other foods. In my experience, all the turtles I've known preferred other foods over lettuce, but there are many people out there who feed lettuce almost exclusively. This is a recipe for a long miserable death. However, there may be some benefits in occasional feeding of lettuce. There is some evidence that it contains antiseptic properties. Additionally, celery or lettuce can be used to entertain a turtle that is already well fed. When a turtle begs for food after already eating some slugs, a big leaf of dandelion, some cantaloupe and a chunk of cuttle bone, it will do no harm to toss him a lettuce leaf or a bit of celery.

4.) Canned and other processed foods often are very high in salt and other preservatives. The effects of these things are not fully known, but they would not be part of a natural diet. It would be prudent to limit their use.

It all comes down to variety. If you feed just cantaloupe and crickets, there will be problems down the line. There's nothing wrong with those foods. They're simply insufficient. If you feed a wide variety of foods, the occasional use of cabbage, cooked beef heart or lettuce will not cause problems. Further, feeding some foods that are low calcium foods, or high in oxalates, will matter not at all if a separate source of calcium (cuttlebones/ plasterblocks/ eggshells/ crushed oystershell) is always available. This is more in keeping with the way turtles feed in the wild anyway. While some keepers carefully consider the phosphorus:calcium ratio, turtles don't waste a precious second pondering the chemical analysis of their food. If it's tasty and it's there, they'll eat it! Later, they'll munch some carrion bones or birds' eggshells and get caught up on calcium. Turtles fed a wide variety of foods are happier and less likely to develop food fetishes.
what should I feed my turtle what's the best food for turtles I don't know what to feed my turtle.


Try *Many* of These Foods for Omnivorous Turtles

greens:

aquatic plants, collards, turnip greens, red and green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, dandelion, chickweed, plantain weed, carrot tops, red lettuce, endive, fig leaves, grape leaves, sow thistle
(avoid overuse of spinach)

veggies:

squashes, peas in the pod, okra, grated or sliced carrots, sweet potatoes
occasional use--green beans, wax beans, corn

fruits:

figs, grapes, blue berries, cantaloupe, blackberries, tomato, banana, strawberry, apple, citrus fruits, mango, kiwi-- all fruits are fine for occasional use

flowers:

geraniums (Pelargonium species), Chinese Lantern (Abutilon hybridum not Physalis sp.), nasturtium, borage, hyssop, carnations, daylilies, petunia, pansies, chives, dandelion, rose and rose hips

meats:

silkworms, earthworms, crickets, snails, shrimp, slugs, waxworms, mealworms, zoophobas, pinky mice (live or pre-killed).
okay on rare occasion--cat or dog food, cooked chicken or turkey, boiled eggs, lean beef, cooked fish.
(hamburger and other fatty red meats should be avoided, and never use raw meats because of contamination dangers)

prepared turtle foods:

Commercial foods can be used as part of the diet--
Tetra's Reptomin, Wardley's Reptile T.E.N., Turtle Brittle, Purina AquaMax

supplements:

Reptile Tri-Cal or Rep-Cal are the best calcium/D3 supplements by far. A jar of Rep-Cal is rather expensive, but lasts a very long time. Tri-Cal even comes in a handy shaker bottle. Use once a week. Vitamin supplements may also be used.
(Don't use any calcium supplement that has phosphorous in it.)

Aquatic turtles are delightful popular pets. Unfortunately, their popularity doesn't mean they are easy to care for. Aquatic turtles require much more care than many people realize and are one of the most labour intensive of all reptiles to maintain.
Housing

Requirements vary according to the size of the turtle and the number being kept. A variety of enclosures can be utilized from glass aquaria, plastic containers, stock watering tanks and pond liners to elaborate outdoor ponds. Outdoor enclosures should have some shade available. Never place an aquarium in direct sun, it could easily overheat. A rule of thumb for minimum cage size is that the combined surface area of all residents' carapaces (upper shells) should not exceed 25% of the cage's floor surface area. Floor surface area does not include any inaccessible areas that the turtle cannot rest on. With the exception of large outdoor ponds keep in mind one rule: the simpler the setup, the easier it is to clean. Avoid gravel or sand substrates because they make cleaning much more difficult. If more elaborate enclosures are set up with substrates they should have filtration, bottom drainage and low stocking densities.

Water Quality

Clean water is crucial to good health and the best way to assure this is through frequent water changes. Partial water changes are not acceptable. Several factors determine how often the water should be cleaned. Smaller volumes require more frequent water changes. For instances, for 3 or less 4 inch turtles, a 10 gallon aquarium would need to be changes 2 to 3 times per week and a 50 gallon tank would need to be changed once a week. Thus, the larger the volume, the less frequently it needs to be changed. Obviously, stocking density will dramatically affect this. The more turtles in the tank, the more frequently the water must be changed even with very large volumes. Feeding frequency also affects water quality. The more often one feeds, the more often one cleans. Some foods foul the water quickly. If turtles are fed in their enclosure the water should be changed within 12 hours of feeding. The water can be kept cleaner by feeding in a separate container. Initially some turtles are reluctant to feed in the separate container but can be acclimated to this over time. For smaller setups (10 gallon aquariums or less) one can carry the whole setup to a sink or bathtub for rinsing. For larger setups one must drain the water. Portable submersible pumps are ideal. If a floor drain is present, a drain can be installed in the bottom of the cage, attach a hose and drain the cage by gravity.

It is important to scrub and rinse the cage well to remove residual bacterial growth on all sides. Abrupt changes in water temperature can kill turtles so make sure the water temperature after cleaning is similar to what it was prior to cleaning. Dechlorination of water is not recommended. Young turtles and those not accustomed to chlorinated water squint their eyes at first but quickly adapt. Water should be at least as deep as the width of the widest turtle's shell so that if overturned the turtle can right itself and avoid drowning.

Filtration can decrease the frequency of water changes but not eliminate them. Keep in mind that even if the water looks clean it can still have a lot of harmful material in it. The best filters for turtles are external filters, either canister or power lifting hanging types. The charcoal and filter material/bags must be changes frequently. The canister types are far more effective but also more expensive. Under gravel filters are not recommended. Keep in mind that filtration can decrease the times interval between water changes but must not completely replace them.

Temperature and Light Requirements

As well as being clean, the water must be warm: 24-29 C (75-82 F) is recommended for most species. Submersible aquarium heaters are required and the temperature monitored with liquid crystal display thermometers outside the tank. Don't use one inside the tank.

A dry "haul-out " area should be present so that turtles can crawl out of the water, dry off and bask. Basking is a means of behavioral thermoregulation whereby turtles can achieve their preferred optimum body temperature. Basking areas can be as simple as a flat rock resting on a submerged brick or elaborate platforms can be built with access via a plastic ramp. The basking area should be large enough for all turtles to completely emerge from the water and secure enough that it won't topple and trap a turtle under water. Provide a screen over top to prevent escape.

The enclosure should have a "thermal gradient". This allows the turtle to thermoregulate and maintain its preferred temperature throughout the day. Ambient air temperature of 24-29 C (75-82 F) is adequate for most species. An incandescent 50-150 watt light bulb with a reflector (e.g. a reading lamp) directed towards the basking area will create a hot spot for basking. Alternatively one can keep the room temperature within this range. Ultraviolet lights are assumed important for basking species for vitamin D synthesis. UV lights may not be needed if mice are provided in the diet (mice are a natural source of vitamin D). A fluorescent black light and a Vita-lite, Chroma 50 or Colortone 50 2 feet or less from the basking area with no glass or plastic between the light and animal will provide full spectrum light.

Click Here for more information on UltraViolet Light for Reptiles
Diet and Nutrition

A balanced diet is very important for good health. A wide variety of foods should be fed. Fish (goldfish, guppies, trout, bait minnows, smelt) are all suitable. Whole fish are better than gutted fish and can be fed chopped or whole. Most suppliers of feeder fish minimize their feeding to insure good water quality in overcrowded setups. Ideally, fish should be well fed prior to being fed to turtles. Freezing for more than 3 days may eliminate transfer of parasites. Goldfish can be frozen in water in ice cube trays to reduce freezer burn. Individual ice cubes containing a dozen or so goldfish can be thawed as needed. Wild caught sticklebacks and mosquito fish should not be fed because they are natural vectors for several serious parasites. Avoid large quantities of oil laden species such as mackerel, and to a lesser extent smelt and goldfish. If fed in moderation as part of a balanced diet, frozen fish should not cause any problems. Fish should not make up the majority of aquatic turtles' diets.

Chopped or whole baby or chopped, whole, skinned, adult mice are eaten readily by many species. Baby mice (pinkies) should not be fed exclusively. Older mice are an excellent source of calcium for shell growth. Mouse liver is also a good source of vitamin A. Chopped, whole, skinned adult mice are one item that can and should be fed in large quantities.

Commercial diets such as Trout (or Reptile) Chow, Reptomin Floating Food Sticks, Tender Vittles or Happy Cat semi-moist cat foods, Gaines Burgers semi-moist dog food are all fine in small amounts. Commercial diets should be soaked until soft before offering them to the turtle. Patience and persistence is required with commercial diets because acceptance can take several weeks. Other commercially available turtle diets can also be fed in moderation. Check the ingredients - desiccated insects are nutritionally inadequate and should not be fed.

A variety of insects (crickets, wax worms, mealworms, flies, moths, etc.) in moderation are also good but realize insects are calcium deficient. Most aquatic turtles feed underwater. Therefore dusting the insects with calcium will do little to enrich their calcium content. Feeding calcium rich diets to insects for several days will boost their calcium content.

Earthworms and night crawlers are widely available and nutritious; small turtles often need them chopped. Lean raw beef, liver, gizzards or chicken can occasionally be fed but are severely calcium deficient unless bone is present. Liver is a rich source of vitamin A. Hamburger is not recommended because it is calcium deficient and the high fat content will leave a greasy film on the surface of the water. Crayfish can injure turtles and transmit disease and should not be fed.

To summarize, UV lights, proper temperature, and a wide variety of foods are important to ensure proper growth. Dietary changes are important but acceptance can take weeks. Don't be discouraged if new foods are tasted and spit out initially - keep trying.

Many sliders and pond turtles become more herbivorous as they reach mature size and grow less rapidly. Dark leafy vegetables such as kale, romaine lettuce, Swiss chard, watercress, endive, bok choy, escarole, spinach and duckweed and fruits such as apples, oranges, carrot, grapes, melons and bananas are taken by some turtles.

For larger collections, recipes for prepared rations are available.
Common Health Problems

The most common problems seen with aquatic turtles are the result of poor husbandry.

Skin infections and shell abscesses are usually due to poor water quality and no dry haul out area.

Pneumonia can result from cool environmental temperature, poor water quality and vitamin A deficiency (as well as many other causes). Turtles with pneumonia will float unevenly and breath with their mouths open. Often a click or squeak is present.

Several common problems are associated with inadequate nutrition. Vitamin A deficiencies and eye infections can cause swollen, red eyes.

Calcium and vitamin D deficiencies can cause stunted growth and a soft, deformed shell with upturned edges.

Parasites are not uncommon and fecal examinations are recommended.

Dogs like to chew on turtles. The enclosure should be secured to prevent this.


Melissa Kaplan's
Herp Care Collection
Last updated April 19, 2007
Red-Eared Sliders

Trachemys scripta, T. s. elegans

©1994 Melissa Kaplan



Natural History
Yellow-eared and Red-eared Sliders (Trachemys [Chrysemys] scripta; T. s. elegans,) are found throughout the United States east of the Rockies. They are the sliders is the one most often sold in pet stores here in the U.S. and abroad. These fresh water turtles spend much of their time in the warm waters of their native habitat. While they are strong underwater swimmers, these sliders spend much of the warmer hours of the day hauled out on logs or rocks (or, when very small, on marsh weeds and other aquatic plants) basking in the sun. All of the sliders are omnivores, eating both animal protein and vegetable/plant matter. Younger turtles need up to 40% of their food from protein sources; adult turtles feed more heavily on vegetation. In the wild they begin by eating tiny fish and amphibian larva, water snails and a variety of plants growing in the water and on land.

It is illegal in the U.S. for pet stores to sell any turtle that is less than four inches (10.6 cm) in length (this is problematic for those few turtle species whose full adult size is 4" or less!). The ones sold legally must be at least four inches long from the neck end of the carapace (top shell) to the tail end of the carapace. If male, it will be somewhere between 2-4 years old and already sexually mature. Wild females reach maturity later, between 5-7 years, and will then be over 5 inches (12.7 cm) in length; in captivity, females may reach maturity at about 3 1/2 years. You will be able to tell male from females: males are smaller than females in overall body size but have longer tails.

As with all wild-caught reptiles, the animals found in pet stores have been under stress for some time. As a result, they are most likely suffering from protozoan and bacterial infections, including Salmonella which is easily transmitted to young children. Additionally, they are usually emaciated and dehydrated due to long periods of time without food or water or being held in areas too cold to stimulate the appetite; many of these turtles will not eat when they are stressed or frightened, and cannot eat when they are too cold. As soon as you can after you take your turtle home, scoop up a fresh fecal sample and take it and your turtle to a reptile veterinarian. While the feces is being tested, the vet will check out your turtle for signs of nutritional deficiencies, topical bacterial or fungal infections, beak overgrowth, respiratory and eye infections - all very common in wild-caught animals (and in captive turtles who have not been provided with the proper environment or diet). Make sure your turtle is given all the medication prescribed by the vet. If you have trouble administering it yourself, take your turtle back to the vet to have it done. If maintained at the proper temperatures, fed a healthy varied diet and kept in a stress-free active environment, your turtle may outlive you: some individuals have lived more than 100 years.



Creating the Proper Habitat
All sliders need both a warm, dry area and a large pool of warm water. In the wild, they chose water that warms up quickly in the sun each day. You will need to provide a warm enclosure with both heated water and a warm place for your turtle to climb out and dry off. The water must be kept clean; rotting bits of food mixed with feces will combine to make an unhealthful habitat and a sick turtle. Turtles are messy eaters and defecate in their water, so cleaning will be an almost daily routine.

Tank
For the smallest turtles, start with at least a 30-50 gallon (113-189 liter) glass aquarium (see Water before you rush out and buy that 30 gallon aquarium you saw on sale!) . If you are not interested in actually being able to watch your turtle swimming around under water, you can use a suitably large opaque plastic container such as a large plastic storage box bottom, concrete mixing bin or deep kitty litter pan. You can use clean aquarium rock and gravel to build a slope up from the wet end (the pool) to the dry end (the land). You can silicone together pieces of Plexiglas to make a moveable platform onto which your turtle can crawl onto to rest. Floating or anchored cork rafts or logs are another alternative. Rough rocks must not be used as they can scratch turtle shells which allows bacterial and fungal infections to get started and penetrate into the turtle's body.

Note: one of the biggest mistakes aquatic turtle keepers make is not providing a body of water that deep, long and wide enough for their turtle. The minimum size required for a 4" turtle will not work for a 6" or 8" (15 or 20 cm) aquatic turtle, and certainly not for a full grown one. Since turtles will grow relatively quickly when they are cared for properly, you should start off with an enclosure size big enough for your turtle to comfortably grow into for at least 1-2 years. That will give you some time to think out, plan, and build the turtle's next, much larger, enclosure.

Think two turtles are better than one? Assuming they are compatible, it can be nice for your turtles to have one another for company. But two turtles require an even larger enclosure than a single turtle. So, unless you are prepared to keep and service giant enclosures for turtles who can easily reach the size of dinner plates, rethink getting two...or even one.

Water
The water must be at least 1.5 to 2 times your turtle's total length (called carapace length, or CL) in depth, with several extra inches of air space between the surface of the water to the top edge of the tank to prevent escapes. The tank length needs to be at least 4-5 times the CL, and the front-to-back width should be at least 2-3 times the CL. So, for a turtle who is 4" CL, your enclosure water area must be at minimum 6-8 inches (15-20 cm) deep, 16-20 inches (40-51 cm) in length, and 8-12 inches (20-31 cm) in width. As you can see, if you are going to have a land area at one end as well as sufficient water area, you need something much larger than a 10-20 gallon (38-76 liter) tank. See Reptile Housing: Size, Dimension, and Lifestyle for the dimensions of standard aquaria and other enclosures.

Keep in mind that if your turtle is not yet full grown (hint: if he is not yet as large as a dinner plate, he is not full grown), you not only need to provide room in the tank (water and land) for him the size he is now, you need to provide additional room to allow for future growth.

Water Filter
Proper water filtering systems are necessary to keep the water fairly fresh between your weekly changes. If you have a powerful filter system and you feed your turtle in another tank, you may be able to get away with replacing 25-50% of the water each week for two or three weeks, emptying and cleaning out the tank thoroughly every third or fourth week. Remember to replace the water with warm water. Talk to your aquarium shop about the following types of filters that are suitable for Red-Eared Sliders: canister, undergravel, sponge, and power filters. You will also need some type of automated siphon for the partial changes of water between the overall heavy-duty changes and cleaning.

Water Heater
The water temperature must be maintained between 75-86 degrees F (23.8-30 C). If you buy a submersible pre-calibrated heater, test it first and make sure the water is the proper temperature before you put your turtle in the water. Too cold and it won't eat; too hot and you'll cook it. Buy good quality an aquarium thermometer and monitor the temperature regularly.

Area Heating
If the room the turtle is being kept in is always over 75 F (23.8 C), then you will only need to heat up a basking area, rather than heating up the room, too. Using an incandescent light or spot light, allow the area closest to the light to reach 85-88 F (29.4-31 C).

Make sure there is absolutely no way for the light to fall into the water or for the turtle to come into direct contact with the light bulb. Be aware that the light will heat up the water to a certain degree so be sure to monitor the water temperature.

Young sliders, and any sick turtle, should be kept warmer (water temperatures between 82-85 F) than the average healthy adult. Sustained low temperatures (between 65-72 F [18.3-22.2 C]) will cause turtles to stop feeding and respiratory infections may result.

If the room is not warm enough to provide the turtle with the proper air temperature gradient, you will need to supplement the heat, providing another source of heat which may be used day and night in addition to the basking light. One alternative is to use a ceramic heat elements (CHE). CHEs screw into regular incandescent sockets and come in a variety of watts, and last a very long time. Safety warning: you must install CHEs into porcelain light sockets. These devices throw enough heat upwards to melt plastic sockets.

Note: Don't guess at the water or air temperatures. Reptile species have very specific temperature ranges during the day and during the night. If your guess is off, that will make the difference between a reptile that thrives, and one who merely survives - or dies. Use thermometers.

Special Lighting
On sunny days when the outside temperatures are warm, feel free to put your turtle outside for a while for some sunshine. Either move your turtle tank outside (so long as it is not a glass enclosure, which can overheat to the point of causing fatal hyperthermia), or set up a secure outdoor enclosure for your turtle to sun and soak in, or set up an indoor enclosure complete with a UVB-supplemented basking and a swimming area. The latter will be required if you cannot regularly get your turtle outside or otherwise safely exposed to sunlight (not filtered through plastic or glass), or live where the amount of natural UVB is not sufficient year round to enable your turtle to make the amount of pre-vitamin D it needs to ensure adequate calcium metabolism.

Keep in mind that, in the wild, when turtles get too hot when basking in the sun or upper layers of sun-heated water, they simply dive into deeper, cooler, water or move into a cool pocket of wet bankside overhung with plants providing shade. So, while it is great to give your turtle some direct sunlight, you must guard against it getting too hot, which can result in fatal hyperthermia. If you cannot provide a suitably cooler retreat area your turtle can go to when it gets too warm, and you can't keep a direct eye on your turtle to watch for signs of overheating, don't put it outside. Enclosures are like automobiles: the temperatures inside reach 20-30 degrees hotter than the outside air temperature, making the inside potentially lethal on mildly warm days.

Exposure to a ultraviolet B (UVB)-producing fluorescent light, such as a Vita-Lite®, is recommended by some turtle experts, and is considered mandatory by others. UVB exposure is an essential part of the calcium metabolization process, and calcium deficiencies are very common in captive turtles. Many herpetoculturists use UVB-producing fluorescents because of their importance in calcium metabolization but also because the UVA they produce may have subtle psychological benefits such as improved appetite, since many reptiles see into the ultraviolet range.

Electric Shock Hazard
As with tropical fish, there is a danger of electrical shock--to you and to the turtle--when using electric filters, water heaters and lamps in and around the tank of water. All electrical cords should be connected to a ground-fault interrupter which shuts off the current if anything happens. Buy one at your local hardware store. Do not use bulbs with higher wattage than your light fixture is rated for (in other words: no 100 watt bulbs in 60 watt fixtures). Turtles will investigate and knock things about. You must secure your water heater behind an immovable wall or partition to turtle-proof it.



Feeding Your Turtle
To ensure proper nutrition, strong growth and a healthy long-lived turtle, feed a varied diet to both adults and juveniles. Just remember that adults eat less animal protein and more vegetable matter. Juveniles must be fed every day; adults can be fed once every two to three days. Do not feed more than they can eat; the excess food will go to waste and foul the water. Feed a combination of the following foods:

Commercial diets (No more than 25% of total diet)
Trout Chow, commercial floating fish, reptile or turtle food (pellets, sticks or tablets). The pellets and sticks have the advantage of being formulated specifically for reptiles and don't decompose in the water as fast as other foods.

Animal Protein (No more than 25% of total diet)
Live feeder fish--do not feed defrosted frozen fish; they are deficient in thiamin and excess consumption will cause a thiamin deficiency in your turtle. Earthworms--buy them from a reptile or aquarium store; do not feed the ones from your yard as they may contain bacteria, parasites and pesticides against which your turtle has no immunity. Finely chopped raw lean beef, beef heart and cooked chicken are okay for treats, but are not appropriate as a major part of a balanced diet for whole prey eaters. Raw chicken and beef is too often riddled with Salmonella, E. coli and other food-borne organisms. High quality dog kibble can be offered occasionally as treats, too; like muscle meat, dog and cat foods are not appropriate when used as a significant portion of a turtle's diet.

Plant Matter (50% or more of total diet)
Offer leaves of dark leafy greens such as collard, mustard and dandelion greens. Offer shredded carrots (and carrot tops), squash and green beans. Thawed frozen mixed vegetables may be used occasionally, but care should be taken as some frozen green vegetables develop thiaminase which destroys that all-important B vitamin. Fruit can be offered raw; shred hard fruits like apples and melons, chopping soft fruits such as berries. To help keep their beak in trim, let them gnaw on pieces of cantaloupe with the (well washed) rind still attached. Check out the edible aquatic plants sold at aquarium stores, too. You can drop these into their enclosure for them to free feed upon.

Vitamin Supplements should be added twice a week. Use a good reptile or turtle multivitamin. Turtles must also be supplied with additional calcium; they often enjoy taking bites out of calcium blocks and gnawing on cuttlebone, so always have some available to them.



Health
Watch your turtle for any signs of illness: cloudy, closed or swollen eyes; swollen cheeks; open mouth breathing; bubbly mucous around the nose or mouth; runny stools; loss of appetite; listlessness; spots appearing on plastron (bottom shell), carapace or body; soft shell or excessive shedding.

Newly acquired turtles are under a lot of stress and may be riddled with bacterial or parasitic infections that may be passed along to you or your kids. One of the reasons for it being illegal to sell turtles under 4" in the U.S. is that, once the law was passed, it greatly reduced the number of hospitalizations and deaths of children whose parents did not realize that most turtles carry Salmonellae, which is irregularly passed through their feces into their water, and onto their shells and skin. Read up on proper precautions to take to prevent infection of children and immunocompromised adults.

Always take a sick turtle to a reptile veterinarian. Reptile vets are an important part of keeping healthy reptiles healthy, and helping sick ones attain health. Many people don't want to spend more for a vet visit than they paid for the animal. A good rule of thumb for all animals, especially 'cheap' ones, is: if you can't afford the vet, you can't afford the pet.

Make sure to have your children checked out by their pediatrician if they begin to exhibit any signs of illness (nausea, stomach aches, vomiting, diarrhea).

Handwashing Hint: One way to get your children to make sure they are vigorously rubbing their hands with soap (including between their fingers and under and around their fingernails) is to have them sing the Happy Birthday song two times in a row. Depending on how often they wash their hands, you might eventually want to encourage them to sing softly, or sing it in their heads. Decrease the risk of infection by using a liquid soap in pump bottle instead of a bar of soap, and disposable paper towels for drying the hands and turning off the water faucet.



Acclimation And Handling
After bringing home and placing your turtle in its already-established tank, let it get used to its new surroundings for several days. It may spend the first couple of days closed tight in its shell, or may quickly withdraw when it sees you looming overhead or approaching the enclosure.

During this time, put fresh food out every day and make sure the water stays warm and clean. After a while, the healthier turtle will begin to explore its surroundings, and may begin to watch the goings-on around it. When you pick up the turtle, support its body with both hands. Turtles feel more secure when they can feel something beneath their feet; "swimming" in air is stressful to them. Let them feel your hands or fingers beneath their feet, not just their plastron (bottom shell). A two-handed carry will also help ensure that they will not suffer a potentially crippling--or fatal--fall.

When your children's hands are big enough, teach them the proper way to hold and carry the turtle and how to properly wash their hands after handling the turtle. If they have been playing with any other animals before they go to handle the turtle, they should wash their hands before handling the turtles, as well as afterwards.

Generally speaking, turtles are not appropriate pets for young children. The higher risk of infection aside, the care and feeding is more complicated than is generally thought, and the daily maintenance of the enclosure, enclosure apparatus and feeding soon gets boring for most kids. (Some adults, too, are dismayed to find that they can't just stick the turtle in a box or tank of water or let them loose in their yard, tossing lettuce to it once in a while.) When obtained for a child, the parent must acknowledge and accept their primary responsibility for the care of the turtle and routinely check it regularly for any signs or symptoms of illness.

Scientists believe that many cold-blooded animals, especially turtles and tortoises, can live almost forever as they show no signs of aging as they get older. They die from being successfully attacked by one of their few natural predators, from the poisoning, intolerably alteration or destruction of their natural habitat, and from improper care in captivity.



In Closing...
This article should be enough to help you decide whether a slider or other aquatic turtle is the right pet for you. For more information on care, more creative captive environments, breeding and other behaviors, be sure to check out the chelonian sites linked to my main Chelonians page and join a turtle-related e-mail list or two.

Feeding
(Red-Eared Sliders)
Variety of diet


It is very important to vary the diet of the turtle to assure its overall health. Do not feed it just one sort of food! You can feed her a variety of life foods (crickets, earthworms, aquatic snails, mosquito fish), fruits and vegetables, one commercial food, and vitamin supplements.

How often to feed


Your turtle will always be begging for food. Red-Eared sliders have a voracious appetite. Most turtle keepers feed their turtles one good size meal every two days. How much is a good size meal? until your turtle stops eating. Other keepers feed them twice a week. I personally prefer to feed them one small meal everyday. If your turtle is fat (skin overlaps on its legs when she tucks them in), you might want to examine what you are feeding it (if it has too much of a fat content) or you might start feeding it less often.

Commercial foods


There is a wide variety of commercial foods for turtles. You can feed her with commercial foods but you must vary the diet. Do not feed her ONLY commercial foods. Check the nutritional contents of the food. It should have less than 35% protein and the best commercial foods for the turtle are those that have both calcium and vitamin A. I personally like Tropical Magic from L&M Farms, but there are other good ones like Reptomin.

Vitamin supplements


You can give her some vitamin supplements twice a week. In most pet shops you can find a variety of powder or liquid vitamins specially made for reptiles. Make sure it has vitamin A, this is essential for they eye health of the sliders.

Fruits and vegetables


Most pet shops will tell you that sliders are carnivorous animals. Yes, they prefer to eat insects than plants, but that doesn't mean that they do not need to eat some veggies! They don't get enough vitamin A from just insects or commercial foods. You need to give it veggies with high vitamin A content (like carrots). Some turtles will also accept: lettuce, tomatoes, papaya, cantaloupe or bananas. Do not give her spinach or collard greens since they might cause her some digestive complications. If your turtle totally refuses to touch fruits and vegetables then you have two options: you have to absolutely give her vitamin supplements with high vitamin A content, or force your turtle to eat vegetables!

Aquatic plants


Some turtles will eat aquatic plants, then if you want to decorate your tank with them, make sure that those plants are not poisonous! Among the plants that the turtles will eat we find: water hyacinth, water lilies, elodia, duckweed. Feeding your turtles with aquatic plants is an excellent idea because they have a high content of vitamin A and also provide cover to your turtle.

Crickets


Crickets are an excellent food for turtles. They are a complete meal and it is so much fun to watch the chase! Most reptile stores carry crickets and they are relatively inexpensive. They can also be bought at bate shops. You can also try to raise the crickets yourself!

Earthworms


These are also very good for the turtle and very easy to raise. The only problem is... if your turtle is a baby, you might have to chop them up before feeding them to the turtle!

Aquatic snails


Nice natural meal that functions both as a meal and as a filter helper! The snails will eat some of the food your turtle doesn't eat! You don't need a big filtered tank to raise them!

Raw meat, fish or
chicken

Your turtle adores them... but they are not good for the turtle. Raw meat has too much fat and will cause obesity in the turtle. Besides, it doesn't provide the turtle with the nutrients it needs so much. Raw chicken.... beware of salmonella! you can give her occasionally a piece of COOKED chicken (with no spices at all). About fish, I would suggest feeding it with mosquito fish or guppies. You can occasionally give her other types of fish but try to avoid sea fish. You should totally avoid giving your turtle fish that has been previously frozen. This fish will inhibit the absorption of certain nutrients and might cause her long term problems.

Cuttle bones


They are just excellent! They are a good source of calcium to the turtle and at the same time it helps it sharpen its beak! Cuttle bones can be attached to the aquarium or just be left floating to let the turtle chase them! You can buy them at most pet shops since they are the same used by birds.

Your turtle refuses to eat

If your turtle refuses to eat an item that she previously enjoyed eating, don't worry. Sliders are finicky eaters and sometimes just want something different. Sometimes the problem is that you gave her something that she liked better and then she holds on until you give her again what she liked. If she refuses to eat one item, offer her different items. As far as she is eating 'something' there is no health problem to worry about. Suspect sickness only when she refuses to eat ALL food items that you have offered.

Red Eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans) Hatchling Care
by Gloria Anaité Paiz
They Have Just Been Born:

When they have just been born, they still have their egg tooth in their mouths and the yolk sac hanging out of their bellies. The egg tooth is what enabled them to open the eggshell, it will fall out on its own. The yolk sac is what fed them while they were incubating. DO NOT try to remove this sac, trying to remove it can kill the baby turtle. It is better to wait till it is absorbed on its own. Once it is absorbed, you will notice a split in the plastron. This will heal by itself too, you don't need to treat it.

Housing:

Set them on a 20 gallon tank per dozen turtles . Provide them with a dry land area and a shallow water area. Newborns need to master the art of floating and staying underwater for long periods of time. Don't assume that they will survive only with water. Newborn Red-Ear sliders can actually drown if you neglect them a dry land area. The water should be not too deep. As with adult sliders, newborns need to have their full spectrum light. So don't forget to include that in the tank. The full spectrum light will help the newborn shells to harden. Keep the water neatly clean. If you don't have a filter change the water every two days. This is very important since baby sliders are more prone to getting eye infections (that can leave them blind for life or even kill them) than adult sliders.

Feeding:

Once they are set up in their tank start feeding them. It is important to get them to eat. Start by offering them one by one all items on the proper slider diet (earthworms, crickets, sweet water shrimp, aquatic snails, water hyacinths, fruits, one commercial food). Note: You might have to 'chop' all of the food you offer since they are small babies. This includes chopping earthworms, meal worms, crickets. I know, this sounds disgusting but believe me, you will get used to after a while and it won't bother you anymore.

A Baby That Refuses to Eat:

If you have already tried all items of a proper Red-Ear slider diet, and the hatchling still refuses to eat, try offering a small piece of lean beef or ham. This is just for the purpose of turning on his appetite, once he starts eating you can try again to give him the items of a proper diet. If a week has gone by and the hatchling still refuses to it, you will have to force him to eat. Make a solution of beef blood and turtle vitamins and using a drop dispenser get the drops in between his lips.

How to Prevent Most Common Diseases in Slider Hatchlings:

Keep the water neatly clean, provide him with a full spectrum light, keep him warm (about 80 degrees), and add vitamin supplements to his diet. Make sure the supplements are high in vitamin A and calcium.

Eye Infections:

The most common problem in slider hatchlings are eye infections. These infections develop due to dirty water and lack of vitamin A. The treatment is easy: Change the water more often (get a filter if you can), add higher doses of vitamin A to her diet. Ask your pharmacist to prepare you a solution of 97% distilled water and 3% boric acid. Clean the turtles eyes with this solution twice a day. If the eyes are totally closed, try to open them so that the solution gets inside. Raise temperature at 85 degrees F. If the infection is severe take the turtle to a vet since she will need to be injected with vitamin A.

Colds:

If you notice your turtle has a runny nose, or is breathing with her mouth open, she might have a cold. Avoid breezes and cold drafts of air. Raise temperature at about 85 degrees and add extra vitamins to her regular food. If she doesn't seem to get better in a couple of days or you notice that she is swimming lopsided, take her immediately to a veterinarian! she might have developed pneumonia which can be fatal. She will need to be treated with antibiotics.

Information provided by Reslider's Swamp

Metabolic Bone Disease in Reptiles
From Lianne McLeod,
Your Guide to Exotic Pets.
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A Common, Serious, and Preventable Disease in Pet Reptiles

Metabolic bone disease (MBD) is a well recognized and all too common disease of reptiles. Other terms which may be used include fibrous osteodystrophy, osteomalacia, secondary nutritional hyperparathyroidism, osteoporosis, and rickets. There is no single cause and the disease is not as simple a calcium deficiency. However, the primary problem is a disruption of calcium metabolism which causes a host of related problems. MBD is almost always a result of poor husbandry, but generally preventable by providing a proper environment and diet. This is not always easy or inexpensive, but is vital to the health of pet reptiles.

Discussions of this disease often involve iguanas. Because iguanas are very popular and are susceptible to MBD due to their specific diet/light/environment needs, there are a large number of cases seen in iguanas.

Causes

MBD is complex disease. In it's simplest terms, MBD results from an improper calcium to phophorus ratio in the body. Normally this ratio should be around 2:1 calcium:phosphorus (in the range of 1:1 to 2:1). When the calcium level is relatively low the body tries to compensate by taking calcium from wherever it can, for example the bones. This leads to a softening of the bones, making them susceptible to fractures and also leading to a deposition of fibrous tissue as the body tries to strengthen the bone in an absence of available calcium. Calcium also impacts a number of other physiological systems including muscle contraction (including the heart) and blood clotting. The 2:1 ratio of calcium to phosphorus that is ideal in the diet, but calcium metabolism is not that simple. Vitamin D (especially D3) is also vital to calcium metabolism, and because some reptiles do not absorb vitamin D that well (much like humans) they need ultraviolet light exposure to manufacture their own vitamin D.

A full discussion of calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D metabolism is beyond the scope of this article, but the basic factors that can skew the calcium:phosphorus ratio include:

* too little calcium or too much phosphorus (i.e. improper ratio) in the diet
* presence of substances in the diet that impair the absorption of calcium (e.g. oxalates)
* a deficiency of vitamin D
* lack of exposure to UVA and UVB (necessary for the reptile to produce it's own vitamin D)
* inadequate protein
* kidney or liver disease (which impair conversion of vitamin D to it's active from), small intestinal disease (disrupts absorption), and disease of the thyroid or parathyroid glands (produce hormones which affect calcium metabolism). These are minor contributors - most cases are nutritionally based.
* cool temperatures impair digestion and therefore calcium absorption

If you want to learn more about metabolism and the interactions of calcium phosphorus, vitamin D and how they act together, try Melissa Kaplan's "Calcium Metabolism and Metabolic Bone Disease."

Signs and Symptoms:

Vary depending on the severity and length of time over which the condition has developed. Due to the importance of calcium in bone formation and muscle function, most of the signs and symptoms are related to bone and muscle effects. These include:

* bowed, or swollen legs, or bumps on the long bones of the legs
* arched spine or bumps along bones of spine
* softening and swelling of the jaw (bilateral) - sometimes called "rubber jaw"
* receded lower jaw
* in turtles, softening of the carapace or plastron (the shell)
* tremors
* jerky movements-twitching in the muscles of the legs and toes
* lameness
* anorexia
* constipation
* fractures of the bones due to bone weakness
* lethargy
* weakness and even partial paralysis (sometimes unable to lift body off ground)

The disease is distinctive enough that diagnosis is usually made based on the symptoms, physical exam, and discussion of husbandry. Radiographs (X-rays) may be taken to confirm the diagnosis and monitor treatment. Treatment depends on the severity of the disease. For very mild cases a switch to a balanced diet and proper husbandry may be enough, but many cases require intensive calcium and vitamin supplementation under a veterinarian's care.

Prevention

Proper husbandry is more than just the right diet. The following are important in both prevention and treatment:

* diet balanced in calcium and phosphorus, protein, energy and other nutrients
* exposure to UVA/UVB for diurnal reptiles - need fluorescent bulbs that are rated to provide UVA and UVB (see "Reptile Heat and Light")
* proper heat gradients (day and night)
* proper light/dark cycles
* adequate enclosure/room to exercise

MBD Resources

* Calcium Metabolism and Metabolic Bone Disease by Melissa Kaplan
* Metabolic Bone Disease - Identification and Treatment by Melissa Kaplan
* Metabolic Bone Disease by Tricia Power
* Metabolic Bone Disease by The Winter Park Veterinary Clinic

Suggested Reading

Reptile Light and HeatIguana Resources