Urgent Care :: My baby may be sick hes pink

[Baseballchik138]

Im not exactly sure what's wrong with him but a while back I noticed he was turning pink. His skin is a neon pink and he's not acting any differently. The other turtles in the tank are also pink but they aren't as bright. Anyone know what may be wrong with my turtle?

[Hoooneylynn]

Please answer these questions:

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

What is the water temperature?
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?

Also, do you have pictures? It would be helpful... just make sure to list the diet, it might need to be taken to a vet, it may be Septicemia, which is blood poisoning, or it may be due to the diet, so please post some pics.

[Baseballchik138]

He's about 2 inches long
ive had him for about a year

the water temperature is 70 degrees

theres about 2 and a hald inches of water
i am using water conditioner
they do ahve a filter

the basking bulb is 5o watts
they have easy access to a baskign platform

i feed it ReptoMin
tonight at about 9

Lives ina 20 gallon tank
Tank is not near a window
There is not a lot foa ctivity in the room


he's acting pretty normal

[xsavingsaturdayx]

First of all 70 degrees is wayyy off,the water temp should be exactly 78 degrees.Are you useing a water heater? And two and a half inches of water is too low,red ear sliders love to swim try filling up the water as much as you can without giving him a way to escape,also are you feeding him anything else besides reptomin,they should have a big variety of food.But honestly you should take him to the vet,especially if all the other turtles have "pink skin" its obviously either something to do with theyre diet or the water or maybe even an infection .

[Hoooneylynn]

how many turtles do you have? and how big are they? 20 gallon tank is not big enough. You need 10 gallons per inch per turtle. 70 degress is way too cold, it should be 75-78 degrees. do you have uvb lighting? 50 watts may not be hot enough, since there is only two inches of water, the bulb cannot be close enough. You should fill it up a bit, but not to where they can get out. what is the temp of the basking platform? read the nutrition section, they should have other food beside reptomin. is the skin pink, or the shell or both? I would definetly recommend taking them to the vet immediately. Sometimes shrimp causes a pink tinge, but if you are only feeding them reptomin, you should be concerned, it might be blood poisoning.

[Baseballchik138]

theres three of them, and the smallest one has it the worst. the temperature changes throughout the day, which i just hate but i cant seem to control it. i think there may be more than 2 and a half inches of water though becuase i have one turtle whos 4 1/2 inches long and she's pretty big.

[flutterby]

You should fill the tank up with as much water as possible. You should also get a water heater (the type you would put in a fish tank) to help regulate the temperature. What is your basking temp?

[Hoooneylynn]

thats not enough water for the 4.5 inch turtle, let alone 3 turts. The 4.5 inch should be in about a 50 gallon tank by himself. You should have about an 80-100 gallon tank... You should look into upgrading SOON, or give two turts to someone who can provide the proper setup. Do you know how big your turts will get? If you keep them all into adult hood, you will need about a 360 gallon tank

[industrial_girl_2000]

Im not exactly sure what's wrong with him but a while back I noticed he was turning pink. His skin is a neon pink and he's not acting any differently. The other turtles in the tank are also pink but they aren't as bright. Anyone know what may be wrong with my turtle?

Do you have pictures? Pink/reddish skin isn't necessarily a cause for concern if the pink coloring appears when they aren't moving for a while (basking for a few hours or sleeping in one spot). Pink color should disappear when they start swimming again or moving. A turtle's circulation isn't the greatest, so when they sit in one spot for a long time, the blood pools up under their skin & makes their skin pink/red. That's why when they start moving, it disappears & their skin turns yellow/white again.

If the red skin is there all the time (never goes away at all), then you may have to take your kid to the vet. Keep us posted.

[marisa]

What is their diet like?

[Hoooneylynn]

she feeds them just reptomin

[industrial_girl_2000]

she feeds them just reptomin

From experience, that wouldn't necessarily turn the skin pink. Sheba ate it for years without any skin issues. But everyone here is right, a more varied diet is better for the turtles.

I would be concerned if the redness didn't go away. I agree with what people said here.....fill up the tank & get a submersible glass-tube heater to keep the water at a nice 76-78 degree temp. If they have more water, they will swim more, which will help any blood circulation issues. Report back after you have done these things!

[Hoooneylynn]

She needs a much bigger tank. Those turts are cramped

[marisa]

Some foods can tinge the skin pink, but Reptomin isn't one of them.

[Baseballchik138]

well the vet I went to a while back told me they were fine in the tank they were in, he said add more water which ive done and the pink hasnt gone away but they seem happier. my turtles havent grown since last time i went so the tank would be fine. theyve been in a bigger one before and they just huddle together to one side. so 20 gallons is fine.