Urgent Care :: Soft shell with bloody veins

[Elliott's Owner]

HELP!

My poor turtle Elliott has been really lazy lately.
She loves to sit under the water fall but always sits in the same spot. I think she has done it too much and has affected her shell. It's not yellow in color and very soft. This morning I looked at it and it's now starting to curl up and has lots of red underneth. It looks like it might be blood but I think it's internal.

What can I do to fix it?

[cam722]

Is there any way you can post a picture so we can see it so we can help you better?

[jenaero]

In addition to a photo, can you answer these question?

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2142

The more information we have, the better equipped we will be to help.

[Elliott's Owner]

I am at work right now but I can try and get one tonight when I get home to post.

[Elliott's Owner]

How big is your turtle? about 2-3 inches in diameter
How long have you had it? almost a year

What is the water temperature? not sure exactly at the moment
Are you using a water heater? no
How much water is in there? a little over half the tank maybe 2/3 full
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? Not sure, we use a basic household light
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? slate i think, it's the rocks that came with it from the pet store
Is there a UVB light? not quite sure if it's UVB or not.

What have you been trying to feed it? she will eat - dried krill and everyonce in a while a carrott
When was the last time your turtle ate? this morning

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gallon
Is the tank near a window? no
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? she's become lazy

[cam722]

One thing you really need to be aware of with turtles is the water and basking temperature. They are very important to good health. If you are using a regular household bulb for the basking area, then your turtle isn't getting the necessary UVB light that it needs for a healthy shell. Without UVB, they can't fully metabolize the calcium in their diet.

Do you feed her anything other than what you mentioned? Any sort of Turtle sticks, like Reptomin? Carrots if feed in large quantities can discolor the turtles skin/shell .. I believe I read that on here, but if I'm wrong someone will correct me..

Once you post pictures we can give a more accurate answer.

[Elliott's Owner]

ok, we will check that. We have tried giving her other things to eat but she won't eat it. She's very pickey.
I will try to find and get some reptomin tonight and see if she will eat that.

[Elliott's Owner]

What should the light temp be?

[jenaero]

Water should be 78-80. Basking temp 10 degrees higher. This is all in the basic care section

[Elliott's Owner]

We were thinking of getting her a companion but don't want to get one in case she is sick. Do you think that the light and temp could be the main reason for the sofening?

[jenaero]

I would say lack of UVB would be the likely suspect. Please revamp your setup asap.

[da sAUCE!]

NO NO NO PLZ, don't do that. don't get her a companion. don't. thanks. then softening could be because it isn't getting enough/any calcium. ANd in addition to calcium it needs UVB light (from a special bulb) to make use of the calcium.

[Elliott's Owner]

ok, thank you. I'll try and post a picture tonight.

[Elliott's Owner]

Why shouldn't we get another one?

[jenaero]

Because she's having a hard enough time on her own. She could get the new turtle sick and then you'd really have a problem. Also, when getting a new turtle, there is a recommended quarantine period before introducing them into the same habitat. You'd have to have 2 full setups for at least 90 days. Even if they were both healthy, there's no guarantee that they'll get along.