I'm new to Sliders and I need help.?

Question

I've been doing box turtles all of my life, and decided it was time to try something different. A friend of a friend told me he couldn't keep his red eared slider any more, so I decided to give them a try. I did tons of research, and then took the turtle from him. It had been kept in to small of a tank and he never cleaned the water. The turtle's shell was covered in hard water. I cleaned it up and got a big enough tank, but the turtle's shell still sheds. It peels and little parts come off a lot. I really suspect shell rot but I'm not sure. How do I get rid of it? I promise, I can't find it anywhere on the internet. Also, it's shedding more than it should. (It's not my fault, it's the original owners.) I'm doing everything I can, but I don't know how to fix the shell rot. Please help.

Answer 1

Here is the best turtle site, with links to medical care and treating shell rot.  You might think about a good check up by an experienced reptile vet to make sure it doesn't have any other health problems.  If heating and UVB lighting hasn't been supplied correctly, it could have MBD and infections.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/ca...

Answer 2

Your turtles translucent  scutes/shells are coming off cause he is growing!  Thats great.  Its not shell rot.

He is FINE!

If you have allot of $$$$ and start out with a 55 gal plus size tank and great filtration system for Aquatic turtles I say do it!

They are the cutest!

Sliders, cooter, painted, map, yellow bellied all are basically the same and require the same basic care. I have had my 2 slider  girls for 36 yrs. Plus an 8 and 5 yr old and now a 2 yr old adopted from this site.. Been in a pond for almost 7 yrs now.

Shell Rot. *** First make a dry box to keep the turtle in, shell rot needs water to grow.

Keep it warm and give it plenty of light. Scrub the shell gently with a toothbrush and water. Let the turtle swim for about 20 minutes a day in something other than his pond or tank that has real clean water. 1-2 times a day take a cotton ball apply Hydrogen Peroxide to it then to his shell. It'll start bubbling which means its cleaning it. it. DO NOT get it in his eyes. Then clean the shell and apply providone-iodine solution to the shell, coat the shell and don't clean it off until he is ready to swim the next day.** Keep this up for several weeks and it should go away.



Respiratory Infections *****Sliders, cooter, map, painted, yellow bellied and other aquatic species are susceptible to respiratory infections. Many respiratory infections that can affect sliders are mild and easily treatable in their EARLY stages, but there are also some particularly virulent infections that can kill a turtle very quickly without veterinary attention. Sliders usually develop respiratory infections when their tank is too cold. Symptoms of an infection include a runny nose, wheezing, lopsided swimming (an ailing lung changes the turtle’s buoyancy), lethargy, and a refusal to eat. If you identify the illness in its early stages, you may be able to treat it by removing the sick slider from its quarters into a new, clean tank (especially if you keep multiple sliders, since the majority of respiratory infections are contagious) and keeping it a few degrees warmer than normal. Warmth is the most crucial factor in treating respiratory infections in the home. If the condition persists for more than a few days or worsens, bring your slider to your veterinarian, who will treat the infection with antibiotics.”

Contact the “www.anapsid.org/societies, for a turtle vet in your city and state

Total Body length: 5-8" average, up to 12 inches max. Life span: 15-25+ years

Males have the longer front nails and are used in mating. And are considered mature at about 5 yrs old. You can’t start sexing till about  3” across.

Did you know that they need to bask under a reptile light UVA for 8 to 10 hrs a day for the vitamin D that they need to grow. So that means getting a turtle dock also.

Leave the heater on 75 to 78 degrees always.

Their water needs to be clean otherwise they get sick easily from dirty water cause they p**p allot.

You need a good filter system! Gravel larger than they can swallow.

You need to feed them feeder guppies, goldfish or minnows for protein and calcium daily drop 20 or so in the tanks and watch them disappear! This way when they swim for their dinner they get exercise also!

TOSS in a bird cuttle bone in the water for calcium. it will dissolve real slow and if they eat it that’s fine!!

They can have garden worm, meal worms, crickets, flies, crayfish and  anything that moves!

They need leafy greens Romaine, Butter lettuce. (Iceberg and cabbage are bad for them, any other leafy greens will do) for vitamin A that they need at least 3 to 4 times a week.

You probably already know that they get sick easily, shell rot, respiratory sickness, lopsided swimming, coughing, blowing bubbles from their nose, Swollen cloudy eyes means lacking in Vitamin A. Which we all need for good eyes. Google ‘vegetables with Vitamin A.

I wish you luck.

Email me if yua need help, your doing great!

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