Urgent Care :: RES Shell Problems

[jenyip33]

How big is your turtle? Haven't really measured him
How long have you had it? 1.5 years

What is the water temperature? 78 F
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? Half Tank
Are you using a water conditioner? No
Are you using any filtration? Had it, but broken and not replaced yet

What is the basking temperature? 80
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? Floating Docks
Is there a UVB light? No

What have you been trying to feed it? Bak Choy, Romane Lettuce, Pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? Today

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gallon
Is the tank near a window? Close, like 1.5 meters away
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Sometimes

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? His shell is white when it's dried, and also in water, you cant' see the normal colour of a shell

Pictures:
Here is a link to it. I don't know how to let Flickr get me a img link, so yeah. Please help ... Really sad when I look at my turtle.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34281612@N05/

[steve]

Is DSCN2225 the most recent photo? When were DSCN2222, DSCN2162, DSCN2223 and DSCN2206 taken?

[jenyip33]

dscn 2139-2167 is like 3 weeks old.
The other ones are 2 days ago

[steve]

Most of it looks like they are getting ready to shed (yea!), so you don't need to do anything for that. Some of the white areas do look like it could be something -- are they spreading out? Do the edges look like little white dots?

[jenyip33]

Edges as in the edge of the turtle? and i think they are spreading out a little bit. DSCN2140 has a clear picture of it. And on the top of the shell, the pattern is like smugged, like i can't see a clear pattern. That's the sign of them shedding, right?

[steve]

The edge of the white stuff. It does look like there is a bit of shedding though the white stuff does look like fungus. Hopefully the shedding will take care of it, how often does your turtle bask?

[jenyip33]

I don't really know, cause i turn the light on at night. and i dont' know if he basks while he sleeps

[steve]

The basking temps should be roughly 10F warmer. Looking over the info you provided, I think you need to make some adjustments with the habitat and diet. The fungus is a dreaded but somewhat common problem.

[jenyip33]

Should I feed him with only veggies?? also, when do you think it will shed? cause i'm very worried about the fungus. Also, can you tell from the pictures if it's a he or a she?

[steve]

You need a more balanced diet and better setup (filtration, lighting, volume, etc). Shedding will come when it's ready, no need to rush it (and don't force it because you might damage the new scute underneath). Once it does, you'd get a better idea of the fungus situation.

[jenyip33]

Ok, thx. Balanced diet as in some pellets and some veggies? is it ok to feed him 2 times a day or maybe at least once a day??

[octpusgirl8]

Read over the nutrtition page on the main site. You should be feeding pellets every other day, an amount about the size of his head, and veggies everyday.

[jenyip33]

Anyone recommend me a good and cheap filter? I've improvied the food, but now I think i need to look into the water quality

[Caphits]

Go grab one from walmart. They have a cheap 10 dollar model that will do well enough. Also, you need some uvb. Another thing, turtles need sleep, and some sort of day night period. Turn off that light at night, they can see enough in the dark.

[SpotsMama]

On the filter, you really have two options. Frequent water changes (meaning as much as 100% changes twice a week) or get a good quality (costs more) filter and you and your turtle will live better.

At 10 gallons, your tank is probably close to the end of its useful life. There are two reasons to go for a large tank: (1) your turtle will be happier since he/she is an aquatic type that is active and loves to swim and dive and needs the space to thrive and (2) it's much easier to keep a big tank clean whereas it's almost impossible at some point to keep conditions hygenic in a small tank with a large turtle.

Think about upgrading to a 40 or 50 gallon tank. If a glass aquarium of that size isn't in your budgetary future right now, think about using a rubber stock tank or rubbermaid tub (reinforced). For a filter, think about a good canister like an XP3. It will make life so much easier and will last for years. Not cheap at over $100 but one of these days that's where you're going to wind up anyway...so why not now?