We have a Map turtle who was fine this morning, but is now inactive with a soft shell. What do we do?

Question

We have been feeding him crickets who eat calcium flakes, but his shell still became soft. The water has been treated properly and the fish in the water are fine. We have two filters that are designed for turtles. He is in a 20 gallon tank with about 10 gallons of water in it and 1/4 of the tank is dry land. There is a UVB light and a 60 watt bulb to bask under. For awhile he would not respond to touch or noise.

Answer 1

he is probably dying.They need fish to eat,guppies,goldfish or minnows. They need leafy greens and at least 8 to 10 hrs of basking. If thier water is dirty they Will get sick FAST!

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.