Urgent Care :: Long scrape along shell?

[Shellshock]

I think I am finally realizing through this discussion that I have deprived my poor babies of the proper lighting! I feel so bad. Do you think that there will be irreparable damage? I called the local pet store and it doesn't seem like they have the proper lights. So, I'm going to order one onilne but it will take about a week.

Are there any that fit into a normal light bulb type lamp? Or are they all longer and require special lamps? The ones I saw at petsmart.com all seem long and thin.

[cam722]

There are a number of UVB lights you can use in a regular clamp/stand light fixture.

here are a few of them..

http://www.reptiledirect.com/index.asp? ... ProdID=898

http://4littlepets.com/index.asp?PageAc ... odID=14394

Just a few of the choices. You want to get the highest uvb possible.. 7-10% is good.

[soopermum62]

Is your bulb an ESU (sp?) super coil?? if so it is an UVB bulb but the mesh screen is blocking most of the beneficial rays. BUT the ESU super coil does not give out a lot of heat... Do you remember the brand of bulb?

No, I don't think you have done irreparable harm to your Babies. Your Turtles look fairly small.. (under 3 inches SCL) and you are feeding cuttle bone.. So once you get the proper lighting, (if you don't already have it)they will mend. Just make sure you cut a hole in the mesh over the basking area under the UVB lamp so they get unfiltered/unobstructed UVB rays.

[steve]

It looks more or less normal to me. I remember my female RES was similar when she was a few months old. Of course I didn't know as much as I do now, though I would just make sure you have the proper lights, filtration, diet and basking areas.

[Gorwooken]

I've got an RES with this exact same problem but its not as pronounced. I've had him for about a month now, hes about ~2" long and I've noticed this same discoloration in the same location.

I've got a Repti-Glo 5% UVB bulb placed about 5" from his basking spot. He seems very active, he basks and eats. I feed him Reptomin sticks and I coat a few of them in a vitamin supplement powder every day.

I'm curious if anyone could suggest a better way of administering the vitamins to him since most of it washes off when he takes it from my hand.

[sonyj]

Do you feed veggies as well? In a balanced diet with pellets and a variety of veggies/plant matter your turtle will be getting vitamins. I haven't heard how others on here give vitamin supplements if they do. I know many will coat their pellets with the dust from cuttlebone for the added calcium that turtles need.

And welcome to the forum...

[Shellshock]

Ok, I just ordered the 10% ESU bulb that cam722 recommended. Thanks! My babies are are on their way to having strong, healthy shells. They just munched on some cuttlebone this morning, and I tried the trick of putting some cuttlebone powder on their pellets.

Does anyone have any recommendations as to how to cut through wire mesh? I want to make a hole so most of the UVB goes through. It's pretty sturdy.

[marisa]

How big are the holes on the screen? If they're 1/4 to 1/2 an inch, some light will be blocked, but if the holes are nearer to half an inch, your turtle still should get an adequate amount of UVB light. If you do want to cut the screen, though, I'd use a pair of wire cutters. You bought the 10.0 Reptisun?