Urgent Care :: Is my turtle growing right?

[turtlebung]

His shell doesn't look normal to me. I'm really worried and don't really know whats wrong.

HELP!!

[sull324]

You aren't the first one posting an picture like this,some RES have an different pattern and aren't symmetric .If your turtle show no sign of sickness then it is fine,but it will keep that unique shell pattern forever.

[turtlebung]

It's not the pattern I'm worried about, it's how it's growing. The big gaps in between the green shell parts. Is that supposed to happen?

[seano997]

I could be mistaken, but it looks like your turtle is growing too fast. How much do you feed it and how often? Also what do you feed it?

Could you fill this out also? It might help in determining what might be going on.

How big is your turtle?
How long have you had it?

What is the water temperature?
Did you use a thermometer?
Are you using a water heater?
How much water is in there?
Are you using a water conditioner?
Are you using any filtration?

What is the basking temperature?
Is there a basking light?
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?
What kind is it or what is it made out of?
Is there a UVB light?

What have you been trying to feed it?
When was the last time your turtle ate?

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
Is the tank near a window?
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?

[marisa]

It looks like very fast growth, the old scutes haven't shed.

[turtlebung]

I could be mistaken, but it looks like your turtle is growing too fast. How much do you feed it and how often? Also what do you feed it?

Could you fill this out also? It might help in determining what might be going on.

How big is your turtle?
How long have you had it?

What is the water temperature?
Did you use a thermometer?
Are you using a water heater?
How much water is in there?
Are you using a water conditioner?
Are you using any filtration?

What is the basking temperature?
Is there a basking light?
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?
What kind is it or what is it made out of?
Is there a UVB light?

What have you been trying to feed it?
When was the last time your turtle ate?

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
Is the tank near a window?
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?

Well to me it looked like it was pyramiding. Both of my turtles kind of do, although I might be mistaken. So I stopped feeding them as often and began monitoring their eating habits more closely. I fed them pellets for a while when they were younger, then went to pellets and shrimp + krill, now I'm just at pellets again.

How big is your turtle?
1 1/2
How long have you had it?
almost a year

What is the water temperature?
around 73
Did you use a thermometer?
yes
Are you using a water heater?
no
How much water is in there?
about 3 inches
Are you using a water conditioner?
yes
Are you using any filtration?
yes

What is the basking temperature?
no sure 80-90 I assume
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?
it's a slanted rock
Is there a UVB light?
yes

What have you been trying to feed it?
pellets just switched to 35% protein

When was the last time your turtle ate?
around noon

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
18 inches by 10 1/2
Is the tank near a window?
yes
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?
no

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

[Kemul]

Growing too fast and needing a good shed. Probably caused by the shrimp and
krill diet. You're doing the right thing feeding only pellets, but you also need to
limit the amount of pellets as well. At that size, feed only as much pellets that can
fit inside their head excluding neck daily.

Also, the amount of water in your tank is too small for a turtle, let alone two. I'd
suggest getting a bigger tank and put as much water in it as you think safe. Also,
use good filtration system and proper basking area.

[turtlebung]

Really? A bigger tank? Niether of them are even 2 inches long though.

[Kemul]

Using the measurements you gave, 18" x 10.5" x 3" (for water) = 567 cubic inches
of water. That equals to 2.45 gallons of water.

Now, according to the recommended rule of 10 gallons per inch, you'd need at
least 20 gallons of water in a tank to accommodate the two turtles.

If you can afford to upgrade the tank size or fill more water to the tank, it'd be
better. More swimming room for the RES is good.

[turtlebung]

Alright. That sounds legitimate. Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.