General Care Discussion :: Everything.. for a healthy turtle :)

[Slidy]

Hello peps

First of all a little information about my 'Slidy'
- I donno whether it is He/She since he is just one n half inch long. Lets assume Slidy is he

I live in india and the petstore owner told me not to put a heater since the room temperature here is normal for them... I keep him in a tub.. its has lot of water for him to swim and a basking area... I dont hav are heating bulb or uvb bulb since I keep him outdoor and the gets direct sun light... he also basks for 2-4 hours in direct sun.. There is a water plant... few rocks... a water conditioner in the tub ... he is very active.. and always hungry.. though i feed him according to the size of his head...he rarely goes inside the shell .. I hold him very less... only while changing the water or for any work... I have few questions about him :

1) He blows bubbles with mouth or nose .. that float on water for sometime.. are they mucus bubbles ? also bites on the water surface for air.. seems like this... also breaths like a frog blowing his neck like a balloon.

2) He eats anything... i give him staple food ... also tried giving him feeder fish but he is scared of them... he loves Blood worms.. i give him once a week... he has a crazy appetite .. is it ok ?

3) When I brought him a month ago he was tiny and now he has grown up... my friend says turtles dont grow that fast.. we also saw few old pic... and compared them.and looks like he has grown a little.. is this normal ?

4) I see a white thin layer floating on water that looks like his skin .. what is it ?

5) He doesnt goes inside his shell.. is he brave or is he fat ? :/

his eyes are normal.. swims perfectly and swims a lot... is he healthy ? Its my first turtle and I googled a lot.. also he is my birthday gift by my boyfriend.. so I wanna take proper care of him
please let me know everything possible to take care of a turtle..

Thank you xoxo

[steve]

1) Not sure if it is mucus, though I would keep an eye open for other symptoms

2) What staple food are you using? If he has a good appetite, don't use too much live prey and blood worms. It should be a rare treat.

3) Slow and steady growth is better than fast growth. Please review the feeding guidelines and *use a little less*. They are very good at begging, do not give in.

4) It's probably skin but could also be from waste/protein. Are you using any kind of filtration?

5) They don't completely go inside their shell like some land turtles.

[Slidy]

1) Yup will surely keep an eye on him

2) I use pellets from 'hello pets turtle food' (Ingredients : white fish meal, Shrimp meal , wheat flour , corn meal, magnesium, biotin, Vitamin A,C,E and other trace elements.)
(proximate analysis : Crude protein 35%, Crude fiber 3%, Crude fat 4%, Moisture 10%)
Is this good or should I change it ? Also how many pellets I should give him a day... because he begs and I give it...

3) He was green when I brought him (october 2) abd he is turning yellowish just in one month ..

4)Nope... since I change water alternate days and remove his stool everyday.

5) That was helpful I was worried he might hav became fat inside...


also can u give me some tips,advice for him things i should do and shouldnt do ?

Thanks a lot Steve... you are truly doing a great job

[devilduck]

If your water is still, then thin white layer on top of the water could also be a protein slick. It's cause by bacteria breaking down biological wastes in the tank. It's harmless and once you get some surface water movement, in the form of a filter or air stone it will go away.