Turtle problem!!!! My 2 turtles STINK very bad..Please HELP?????

Question

I have 2 turtles and the past few weeks they have began to stink their tank up really bad. I cannot keep the smell out of my sons room and I don't know what else to do. I have changed the water, bought 2 reptisafe filters and cleaned all the rocks and docks very well with hot water and a toothbrush before I put them back into the tank. My husband is going to make us get rid if the turtles if we can't control the smell and also the tank is green,not clear. PLEASE HELP ME WITH THIS!!! I have 11 cats that stay in my house and noone can smell them..EVER but I can smell the turtles ALL THE TIME. Any advice and/or suggestions, please help. Thanks

Answer 1

febreze locks in odors and leaves your home smelling fresh and clean

Answer 2

Take your turtles to the vet to make sure they don't have an infection, or maybe you just need to clean the tank like everyday...

Answer 3

maybe you are over feeding them or they are sick

Answer 4

Turtles in the wild are smelly creatures under the shell they can't clean them self's so lots of bacteria grows there.

You should check with vet or put them out side under a tree put some rocks for shelter and a small pond with running water then put moss so that the moss keeps them wet and gives them a nice home build it with the kids and dad should'nt mind helping if he wants them not smelling up the house any more .

Answer 5

omg!!! they smell bad in general!!!!

Answer 6

Spraying frebreze around the turtles can be very harmful. bad  suggestion.

A problem could be that the tank is too small for both turtles to be sharing and its causing clutter and dirt. Try buying a bigger tank or spitting them up.

Another idea is to buy a conditioner for the water. This helps to break down the waste in the water which helps the filters clean things up.

Either way cleaning of a turtles tank should be regular. Once or twice a month. Seeing as you have two turtles its recommended you clean the tank twice a month. Try a filter that should be bought for a larger tank thatll have more power and keep the water clean.

Good luck.

and please turtles have enough people throwing them out in the wild if your going to get rid of her please take her to the nearest shelter. thanks.

Answer 7

You can't smell the cats,because the turtle smell is stronger.Sounds like you need to clean it more often.

                                                   Debbie O

Answer 8

If it smells, it's not being cleaned often enough (daily might be necessary).  You are probably also overfeeding them (see link in my sources for proper feeding directions).  Also, turtles need 10 gallons of water per inch of shell length.  Two 6" turtles (for RES, that's usually only about a year old at that size if cared for properly) require at least 120 gallons of water.

If the tank is large enough and the water changes still aren't enough, empty everything out and soak everything (including the tank) but the turtles in a 10% old fashiones chlorine bleach solution for a couple hours, scrub and rinse well.  Also use a stiff brush to dislodge algae from the turtle shells.

Answer 9

they are sick..

Sliders are great for decorating ponds or large tanks. I have had two for 36 yrs now plus a 8 yr old and a 5 yr old. This is how I have taken care of them for 36 yrs. Great pets.

I have had them in a stand alone 150gal pond from sears..for about 6 yrs now..

**Here is some important and a lot of info. If he or she is small get feeder guppies or small feeder goldfish, frozen brown worms ..or live brown worms from a fish store. petco and or petsmart do not carry live worms..

**Red-eared sliders, Gender especially juveniles, can be difficult to s*x. Gender in adults is determined by external physical characteristics and behavior. Males have longer fore claws (which are use in courtship), a longer tail length, a longer distance from the body to the vent opening, a tail that is thicker at the base and generally a smaller body size and shell length. Turtles are considered juveniles till after 5 yrs old.

Their Home **The tank  size for small  2” re-eared slider should be a 20-gallon aquarium minimum. As a general rule, the water depth should be at least 2 times the turtle's length, with several extra inches of air space between the surface of the water to the top edge of the tank to prevent escapes. So if your turtle is 4” around  he needs at least 10 to 12” of water to swim. For ONE 4 to 5 inch long sliders, the recommended minimum enclosure surface area is 50 gal plus tank with an extra square foot for each additional turtle.

What they EAT. ****In the wild, re-eared sliders eat both fish, crickets, worms basically anything that moves and  plant sources of food. However, juveniles are mainly meat eaters but still love the greens. The  diet for the lil guys \s should consist  of a commercial aquatic turtle pellets and small feeders guppies or goldfish or minows. Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed on a daily basis. The diet can be supplemented with live fish of an appropriate size (guppies, goldfish), tubiflex worms and earthworms. Plant matter, in the form of  leafy greens or finely chopped mixed vegetables romaine and butter lettuce, can be offered once weekly.

Fill tank with approx 20 feeder guppies and or 10 to 15 small goldfish. you’ll know when to replenish the live food supply. just count what’s left and then fill it up again. Get a cuttle bone from the bird dept and drop in the water for added calcium. Hopefully they may eat it and that’s what you want. They need the calcium for shell growth and a good healthy turtle. Adults diet may consist of some commercial turtle pellets. Plus 80% of their diet is fresh alive fish to catch in their water which also gives them exercise when trying to catch to eat. Adults should be fed greens , romaine, red leaf lettuce, mustard greens, dandelion, watercress, parsley. Swiss chard, shredded carrots, shredded squash, thawed frozen mixed vegetables and miscellaneous fruits. Adults can be fed every two to three days. NO iceberg or cabbage!!

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

Males have the longer foreclaws..

Water quality and Filtration ***Sliders are voracious feeders and tend to foul the water real quickly with their messy eating habits and frequent pooping.  You need a  filter for good water quality. Partial to full water changes can be performed. Many different filter systems are available.

*** Health Problems.  If you take proper care of your red-eared slider by providing excellent housing, nutrition, lighting, and heating, it is unlikely to ever become ill or injured. However, it’s still important to familiarize yourself with ailments common to sliders so that you can quickly identify them in your own slider, should it become ill. The following are some of the most common medical problems among red-eared sliders.

“Fungal infections” are fairly common among red-eared sliders, especially younger ones. If you notice what looks like a light layer of cotton on your slider’s shell or eyes or in its mouth, this is most likely some form of fungal infection. Although their appearance can be alarming, most infections in their early stages are fully treatable at home. If a fungal infection remains untreated, however, it can spread across the entire body and cause serious harm to your turtle.

To treat a mild fungal infection, immerse your red-eared slider in a warm saltwater bath for about half an hour each day, using a soft sponge to gently scrub the infected regions. You can also treat patches of fungus with topical applications of a mild antiseptic, such as povidone-iodine. As long as the problem isn’t severe, you should notice signs of recovery within a day or two, and a full recovery in about 10–14 days.

If your turtle has a persistent fungal infection that home treatment isn’t curing, take it to the vet for treatment. Several medications are available that can address a fungal infection if it hasn’t spread too far.”

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

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 “herpetologicalsocieties.com, for a turtle vet in your city and state.

Ps..I have arthritis in my hands, so I have  pasted my answer for you. I just try to help you the pet  owner as much as I can. I wish you  Luck.

Answer 10

id get them checked by the vet. just incase

i would also say get the biggest most powerful filter u can (most people take the tank size double it then get a filter for the double sizes tank and put it in there normal tank) did u cycle the tank first