Urgent Care :: shell discoloration

[ericv847]

I have 2 baby res a male and a female
the male is about a inch
and the female is 2 inches
both are in a 20 gallon tank
the female has a little bit of shell discoloration while the male has his whole shell,
the male use to be light greenish now its turning pale green
i had them both for about a month and both were fine
please help

[shedreamsinred]

Pictures would help a lot.

[marisa]

What is their set-up like---UVB and heat lights? Basking area? Water filter? etc.?

Can you post pics of their shells dry?

[ericv847]

What is the water temperature?78 degrees
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 15gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? yes Tetra Whisper 20i and Zoo Med Turtle Clean Filter 318

What is the basking temperature? around 86 degrees
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Lounge Lily Basking Platforms not sure i think it plasture

Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? a couple moments ago fed them pellet dipped in tuna juices

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 20 gallons
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no very quite

Have you read the Basic Care section? i skimmed it not really spent that much time on it like an hour or two
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes I'm still unsure whether this is skin discoloration or something else

[marisa]

What is the name of the UVB light you're using?

[ericv847]

compact top: Exo Terra Compact Fluorescent Terrarium Canopy
bulb: Exo Terra Repti Glo 5.0 Compact Tropical Terrarium Lamp

[steve]

From the pic, it looks like he's growing too quickly, so you must throttle down the pellets and re-examine what their diet is like.

[marisa]

The way the edges of those scutes look like they're lifting, if he doesn't keep growing so fast he'll shed them. How many pellets do you give at a feeding (should be only a head-sized amount). If he'll eat pellets, cut out the tuna juice. He also should be getting some plant matter to nibble on.

[ericv847]

thank you for your post
i feed him about one pellet a day
i only gave tuna juice pellets(for the first time) Wednesday
what are some plant matter types i can get that are beneficial

[steve]

I don't think a single pellet would cause that. Is it possible someone else might be feeding them? Are you giving them anything else that has large amounts of protein? The plant section: http://www.redearslider.com/plants.html

[ericv847]

that is a possibility
i usually leave for a day or two every week to live with my father
and my mom usually feeds them
there is also countless time where my nieces stay for periods of about a week

excess protein: no not really because I'm unsure what to feed them


I'm really feel unsure what exactly is going wrong but I really hope this forum helps me

[steve]

Well, the advice I like to give out to those who might have to deal with others sneaking extra food or treats is to use a pill box, and pre-sort the food out. That way they can participate in the care of your turtle and do no harm

[Ranger The Red Ear Slider]

Try to hide the food or lock it up in a cabinet thats what Im going to have to do if my little sister keeps feeding my RES.....

[marisa]

Try a few dandelion greens and/or pieces of red leaf lettuce. Anacharis (an aquatic plant sold in aquarium shops or in the fish section of petstores) is good if it's sold in your state (in some it's illegal). You can keep a few strands in the tank and your turtle can nibble on it.

[ericv847]

i got a confession from my mother
she told me she fed them 2 pellets each because they were begging for more food

How long would it take to slow down the rapid growth?