Urgent Care :: Turtle shell is soft near tail... is this normal?

[smagster]

How big is your turtle? The shell is 2"
How long have you had it? 4 months (it's 6 months old)

What is the water temperature? I had it at 80*-85* for about a month (before that it was 78*-80* then I raised it because it was an adolescent), but I realized that it was very wrong to have it in the 85*'s so I've dropped it down to 78* today

Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 20 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes, a hang-on filter

What is the basking temperature? I'm not sure, but I'm going to get a thermometer
Is there a basking light? yes, a Halogen light bulb with heat and UVA/UVB
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? ZooMed Turtle Dock
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? lettuce and ZooMed young turtle pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? this morning (its a pig)

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 20 gallons
Is the tank near a window? yes, but there are curtains
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

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



The turtle's shell is hard, except for the scutes on the outer shell near the tail, which are flexible. Is this normal?

Also, what age is a "hatchling" considered? Is my turtle, which is 6 months old and still growing, considered an adult, a hatchling, or something else?

[Caphits]

How old is your UVB?

[smagster]

About 4 months. I should change it then?

I'm suspecting that the shell softness, if not normal, is due to the recent high temperature of the water and possibly the light. He/She does bask up there quite often though.

[Caphits]

nah, its fine for a few more months.

[zoologist]

It is not normal for your turtles shell to be soft near the tail.

my turtle had the same problem but i got it to go away by doing this:

go to walgreens and buy the baby vitamin "poly vi sol" its about $10 for the little bottle of liquid and i think peter the rabbit is on the package.

soak your turtle in a small amount of warm water (enough to cover his shell) with two droppers full of the poly vi sol. do this twice a day until the problem is resolved. you can also apply it directly to the shell and dry dock your turtle for the night. i found this worked a little bit better for me.

at any rate the problem cleared up after a couple of weeks for me good luck!

[Kemul]

Aren't young turtles supposed to have softer shell? The shell hardens as a turtle
gets older, the part near the tail being the last to harden. I'd say your turtle is
fine if that soft part isn't overly soft.

I always think that turtles below one year old is a hatchling. If we can't determine
the exact age, the common size for a healthy one-year-old is 4". Please correct
me if I'm wrong.

[megcornell]

Younger turtles have "softer" shells than adults. It's perfectly normal for the edges of the shell to be a little flexible, but it shouldn't actually be "soft" to the touch. You've got the proper light and as of your post temperature conditions so I'm thinking the shell is just a little flexible which is fine.

Do you have any cuttlebone in the tank? It's a great source of calcium for turtles of any age.

Finally, I'd still consider your turtle a hatchling as well. I considered mine adults once they hit 4" and were sexually maturing.

[smagster]

Thanks for the response.

The edges of the shell is flexible, not soft. Excuse the mis-wording.

I have cuttlebone in the tank broken off in little pieces. I also have two apple snails and it's also good for their shells, too. I put in a couple pieces for my turtle to eat and others to dissolve into the water for my snails because my turtle eats anything it can so I want at least a little left over.

By the way, I know on the website it says that RES love food, but I swear mine is completely ravenous all the time. It associates my finger with food, so it will try to swim straight up out of the water in order to get to it and subsequently causes huge waves and it's definitely a sight to see, and it also follows my finger everywhere. Is this a problem? I'm feeding it a head-full once a day.

[bigG]

I have actually placed a whole piece of cuttlebone in the tank. My female RES loves to take bites when she needs the extra minerals and calcium. The bits and pieces of cuttlebone make a mess but the filter cleans a good portion of it and the bimonthly water exchange removes the remaining cuttlebone.
My female is definitely an eater and will usually follow my finger if especially hungry. She will rush over from her basking area or from the bottom of the tank if she sees the turtle food canister.
In fact, she is peering over the top of the tank looking at me right now while I type this entry.

[Sassamo]

I don't know about the shell issuse, but turtles are pigs, they will eat what ever they can get. That is why we have too limit what we feed them.
And are those snails in with the turtle? If they are don't get too attached to them they will become a snack one day. Sass loves her escargo

[smagster]

Ha, the snails are just a little smaller than the turtle, so they're safe for now. Though, I have noticed that there are a few chips in the shells of the snails, haha.