Urgent Care :: Baby Turtle Shedding/Sleeping

[mpittm7]

I have had two baby RES for about a month now. Before I got them I did alot of research to give them what they needed. One of them is doing great, swimming around and basking with his head stuck out high soaking up the heat. But my other baby isn't doing as well.
1) He basks alot and when he does he normally sleeps with his head down.
2) He is constently shedding now for about two weeks, even his skin by his throat
3) Once he basks, his eyes become shut until he goes into the water, then he is fine. I have been putting ZooMed Turtle Drops into his eyes, but it realy hasn't done any good.

He isnt swimming lopsided or anything like that. Can anyone please help??

One last question. My basking clamp lamp is clamped onto the side of the tank. I have a 50 watt bulb in, and its about 12 inches from the basking site. Is this too hot/cold or just right for my turtles?


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How big is your turtle? About an inch
How long have you had it? One month

What is the water temperature? 79.5 during the day, 75 at night
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? about 18 gallons in a 29 gallon tank
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes, ReptiSafe
Are you using any filtration? Yes

What is the basking temperature? I dont know
Is there a basking light? Yes, 50 watt
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Turtle Dock
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Mostly ReptoMin sticks, occasionally crickets or shrimp. Annacharis plant in there as well.
When was the last time your turtle ate? Eats regularly everyday

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 29 gallon
Is the tank near a window? Not really
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?

[Raphulk]

hmm it looks like youve done well with giving your turtles adequate living essentials.

is it possible for you to provide pictures of your possibly sick turtle?
it sounds like his eyes might be vitamin A defficient.
do they look puffy at all?
is he lethargic (slow moving, not eating)?

is the water clean?


did you happen to get your turtle from a non pet store? because in most cases, small turtles under 4 inches, in your case 1 inch, are sold by places that use them for food, or other things. in those cases they have the turtles by large numbers and do not care for them individually like the people here.

its possible that one of the 2 turtles you got was already ill when you bought it.

[mpittm7]

I bought them both from a pet store. It is quite possible that he was sick when I got him, he was fine until about a week and a half after I bought him.

I do about 30% water changes every two weeks or so. And the filter goes constantly. The water looks damn clean to me.

He eats everytime i put food in the water. But the get him into the water I have to like bump the tank, to get him to notice and wake up.

Pic is on the way.

[Raphulk]

i think the picture will provide a good idea of what may be wrong.

if your turtle may indeed be sick, you should separate the healthy one from the sick one. this will prevent possible spread of infection to the water and possibly the healthy turtle.

[octpusgirl8]

What kind of UVB light do you have? Too strong or too close and they can cause eye irritation. As for the basking temp, use your water thermometer to measure it. It should be at least 10 degrees warmer than the water, but not over 95 degrees or so. It is a possibility that one (or even both) was a little sick when you got them, it's pretty common for hatchlings to come home sick. If you see any other symptoms of a respiratory infection, like lopsided floating, inability to submerge, or yawning/wheezing, get them both to a vet ASAP.

[mpittm7]

How often are they supposed to shed?

And could it be from growing to fast, maybe from overfeeding. I feed them everyday, when I give them sticks is put in about 10-12 sticks and they eat them all up in about five minutes.

[Raphulk]

that is more than enough food for your baby turtles, in fact too much.

you should reduce their pellet intake from 10 - 12 to however many you could fit in their head if it were hollowed out which would be im guess 4 or 5 depending on how large your pellets are.

[octpusgirl8]

They shed skin all the time, but things like fast growth and high water temperature can cause excessive shedding (i'm assuming you're talking about sking and not scutes). The rule of thumb for feeding baby turtles is to give each the amount of pellets that would equal head size every day, as well as fresh greens and veggies every day.

[mpittm7]

How do I post a picture? I am new to the site. Sorry if the answer is somewhere else on the site.

[octpusgirl8]

There's a sticky at the top of the photo gallery section that explains how. It's easy, you have to register for a photo sharing site like photobucket and upload them there, then you'll get an image code to put in your post to make the photo show up.

[mpittm7]

[Raphulk]

it looks a lot like how my neighbors turtle did when he first got it. he got his from a place where they sell them as food, and it was sick when he got it.

but im not sure if thats it or if your UVB light is too close to him.

you should go to the general care section, click lighting, and read up on the top about reptisun UVB and see if your turtle meets the description of the animals whose eyes were irritated by the UVB rays.

if that doesnt seem like thats the problem, then its possible your turtle has an eye infection.

does he constantly rub his eyes when he is basking? like they are itchy or have something on it?

[mpittm7]

Im pretty sure that he is not getting UVB burned. I am using ReptiSun 5.0 Flourecent... its about 12 inches away.

He rubbs his left eye alot when it is closed up on him.

[Raphulk]

im going to PM you

[mpittm7]

so your thinking, eye infection with some normal shedding?