Urgent Care :: help my friends res has a weird shell

[djaaconn]

my sister inlaws res is a year old and has a weird shaped shell it dippes real deep in the top front its been that way for a while but they wont do anything about it cuz theya re afraid he will die but he cant get his neck out althe way he gets his head out and very little of his neck and he cant get his head all the way in if anyone know what i cant tell her let me know i just wish she would take it to a vet

[jenaero]

the best thing to do is get that turtle to a vet. Sounds like your friend doesn't know how to take care of it...and doesn't want to bother. Poor thing.

[djaaconn]

i wish they would take it to the vet they dont i told them the need a basking lamp and uv light but all they have is a fish tank light and over feed the poor things im so upset about this but what can one do the just bought 4 babies 2 its frustrating

[jenaero]

there's really not much you can do if she doesn't care about the turtle. Some people shouldn't be allowed to have pets. It happens a lot tho.

[IshMaster]

If your sister in-law doesn't mind paying and you have some spare time one day you could take it to a vet for her. Thats is if you live near her...

[marisa]

How old/big is the turtle? What is the tank set-up like? What is the turtle being fed?

[djaaconn]

he is 1 year he is 4 or 5 inches and is fed auquatic turtle food from zoo meds and she has him in a 40 gallon tank with a floting dock and a fish light witch i have told her that is not enough

[marisa]

He needs a UVB light--a fish light isn't the same. Does the turtle bask? (What is the temp of the basking area?) Could you post a pic of the turtle?

[djaaconn]

i dont have pic i will try to get one in a few days but i did tell her to get the uvb and a heat lamp he does get on his dock and sit but i dont think they are going to get the other stuff who knows

[STRAYKINGFISHER]

Well, I hope they come around and buy the turtle what it needs

[diyabolo]

If you're willing to put up $30, maybe you could just go pick up one of these (http://www.petsmart.com/global/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT%3C%3Eprd_id=845524441780660&FOLDER%3C%3Efolder_id=2534374302030094&ASSORTMENT%3C%3East_id=2534374302023694&bmUID=1121522031321) and a clamp lamp? If you think she'd be responsible enough to at least plug it in, of course.

[STRAYKINGFISHER]

That is the kind that I use for my turtles, I will have to get another before the year is over, I think they are supposed to be good for a year, maybe a little more.

[TexasJagsFan]

That is the kind that I use for my turtles, I will have to get another before the year is over, I think they are supposed to be good for a year, maybe a little more.

They had that one at Petco for 25 bucks. I told my mom that I didn't think that was the right bulb, so she bought the one for $40 instead. Opps.

[cam722]

SFK, I just got one of those yesterday do you use another bulb with it for heat?? Mine doesn't seem to keep the basking area warm enough on its own. Maybe I read it wrong that it was suppose to do both?

[marisa]

Since this is the ESU Super UVB Coil Flourescent light, you will need a heat source (a regular lightbulb is fine). That bulb comes in two strengths--3% UVB output and 7% UVB output. If you're using the 3% UVB output bulb, I'd change it every 6 months rather than a year, since 3% is really the minimum acceptable amount of UVB and the bulb is emitting so little to begin with (think of what it's emitting after 6 months). You can get the bulb much cheaper by ordering it on-line.