Turtle Help?

Question

I have a turtle that i found so me and my family "adopted it" and its in its tank but we noticed that it has a slimy coating coming off its skin and we can see it in the water. I dont know if the turtle is sick or what. Please Help.

Answer 1

First of all-DON'T scrub it..it hurts!

Turtles are not social creatures so one to a tank is fine. They need ten gallons per inch of shell so start with at least 20 gallons, a great filter, a heater, a dock, and two clamp lamps with a heat bulb and a UVB bulb positioned a foot away from the basking area. Don't be afraid to fill the tank up as turtles are excellent swimmers .

Don't use gravel; it will dirty up the tank faster and anything small your turtle will eat and die.

Turtles need to be fed once a day. Every other day the number of pellets that would fit in their head if it was hollow and every day in between a piece of fresh romaine lettuce and the occasional piece of carrot-scoop out leftovers. Avoid shrimp, fish, meat, bugs, and fruit.

Offer cuttlebone/turtle bone and remove the backing with a knife (the side you cannot stick your fingernail in)..stick in a veggie clip (looks like a clownfish).

Put the turtle back-adopt one from organizations like www.turtlehomes.org...

If the skin is whispy and white that means it is shedding and is normal. However, excessive shedding is due to warm temperatures. 78 F is good for water with 90 F basking. Be sure to get the proper set up-it is expensive, but shop around and order online-it's completely necessary!

Good luck.

Answer 2

1. Let's be honest- you did not 'adopt it', you kidnapped it. Wild turtles make terrible pets. Please consider letting it go soon.

2. If you decide to keep it, figure out what kind it is- that makes a HUGE difference. If you are trying to keep a box turtle in water, for example, it will die. The World of Turtles gallery at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com can help with identification.

3. If it is a pond turtle, like a Painted Turtle, etc., then it is either covered with algae or fungi, or stressing out badly from captivity.

4. For treatment, try this:
- Warm the water up a bit- 80-85F. Keep it sparklingly clean.
- Gently scrub the slime off the shell only with a soft brush (old toothbrush), warm water and some salt sprinkled on the shell if needed.
- Follow the care advice at a good site, like Austins's above or http://www.redearslider.com
- If the material grows back, try a product like Turtle Sulfa Dip per directions.

Answer 3

What you're describing is the skin shedding. It takes a month or so for a complete shedding of the skin. If it is taking months and months, it could be indicating poor water quality and/or overfeeding.

Make sure you have a basking area with a 60-100w bulb on it, making the basking temp around 90-95F. You can adjust the basking temp by moving the lamp closer or further.

A filter is great for you b/c it saves you from cleaning the tank every few days. UV lighting is great as well, but you can also provide UV light by bringing it outside once a week for 30 minutes for some natural UV which is MUCH stronger than anything out on the market.

Feed a variety of foods and do not overfeed. Feeding pellets and proteined foods everyday will cause growth defects, specifically lumpy shell (pyramiding).

Do check out ATP's caresheet for a RES (red ear slider):
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm

This is the most common pond turtle, which I assume you have. Good luck.

Answer 4

It could be from a lot of different things--what is the set up the turtle is in? They take an awful lot of work and need very special care. Please see www.austinsturtlepage.com for complete care info. Basics are a 10 gallon sized tank for each 1 inch of shell length, a basking area to climb out of the water on, a basking lamp, thermometer to monitor basking temp (digital thermometer a must), a water heater, a water thermometer, a powerful water filter, a UVB bulb which must be within 12 inches of the basking area and changed every 6 months, and change the water very very very often. Feed a variety of foods in a separate tank to help keep things clean. Do not use plants or gravel in the tank. Gravel will cause fatal impactions.

Answer 5

As far as scrubbing the turtle shell.....Aw yes you can with a soft toothbrush to take off hard water stains etc...Mind you dont go to hard.......

I have suckers in the tank too and they do a fine job cleaning the turtles shell!!

Answer 6

you might want to wash it and use a brush to scrub the shell and skin. is it an aquatic turtle, like a red eared slider or a land turtle, like a box turtle?

http://www.turtlesale.com/home.html this is a good website and they will answer questions too.

Answer 7

yes i know a little bit about turtles because i have one, and .....if you dont take it to the vet.......theres a 98% chance its gonna die. and yes its sick, so take it to the vet