What Do I Do If My Turtles Shell Is Getting Soft? Is He Going 2 Die?

Question

my turtles shell is getting soft and my dad said he thinks hes a water turtle and he sleeps in its water dish that i have for him will he die ?? HELP I DONT WANT 2 LOOSE MY LITTLE BABY! please give me the best answers you can. im scared my little turtle mini mac is going 2 die he is the only pet i have and i really care about him!

Answer 1

you have to know what kind of turtle you have in order to properly care for it.  If you do not take the time to find this out, it will die.

Answer 2

is he eating good quality turtle food? since you dont know what kind he is you might be feeding him the wrong food. he probably needs more calcium. you should buy one of those turtle bones (its not really a bone just a chunk of calcium). also if he is a water turtle you should be giving him water to swim in but if your not sure dont risk drowning him

Answer 3

ok if a turtle has a soft shell they have Metabolic Bone Disease (excluding the softshell turtle species) and it is caused by poor diet and/or insufficient lighting. In order to stay alive, turtles require a certain amount of calcium in the bloodstream. If they do not get enough, calcium is taken from the bones to maintain the right ratio in the bloodstream. Over time, the bones are weakened. Causing the soft shell. good news is that wail hard to cure it is curable if the owner takes the time and money to fix the problem and if the problem is not too far advanced.

Housing is the first thing a turtle with MBD is in agonizing pain with every movement because the muscles are attached to dying bones. So shallow water with a very easy exit is recommended. Also make sure you have a UVA/UVB light on him 12 hours a day. And a basking heat light in his basking spot that gets up to 85 degrees.

Next is diet. Offer a variety of foods including pellets, veggies, and fresh or frozen fish and snail. Tetra's ReptoMin is a good prepared diets for most aquatic turtles. DO NOT overfeed or give excessive pellets because of there high protein percent they should be given only once a day.

third is calcium. Insufficient dietary calcium is usually the major cause of MBD. Get a cuttlebone. they are sold in the bird section of a pet store. Carefully scrape off the brittle backing and Float a piece of the cuttlebone in the water.

Answer 4

You sould bring him to a vet...

Answer 5

There should be a law prohibiting people from owning pets they know nothing about. Your dad THINKS that it's a water turtle? And you only have a water dish for it? You don't really care for your turtle. If you did, you would find out something about it and get the proper setup.

First, find out what kind of turtle you have. Post a photo and ask on Y!A. Better, get a book on turtles of the world and figure it out for yourself. You will probably find out that you have something popular, like a red-eared slider, the ones with a red patch on either side of the head.

Second, get a care sheet and commit it to memory.

Third, go to a petshop and buy all the things you are going to need in the foreseeable furure. If you have learned everything on the care sheet, the clerk won't be able to sell you junk you don't need. It will be expensive enough to get a large enough tank and an oversized filter for it plus a UVB basking light.

Fourth, Until the basking light allows the turtle to manufacture its own vitamin D, feed the turtle strips of liver dusted in bonemeal. The liver provides the vitamin D needed to absorb the bonemeal's calcium. Earthworms are also a good source of calcium. Some people buy a cuttlebone to put into the water for the turtle but a piece of plaster or limestone works just as well.

A turtle is not a piece of decoration.

Answer 6

*****check out the LAST line and get help..****

I have had 2 sliders for 36 yrs now plus a 7 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. In Comparison to females, 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 minimum enclosure size for hatchling re-eared slider should be a 20-gallon aquarium. 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. For 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 to Feed

In the wild, re-eared sliders eat both animal and plant sources of food. However, juveniles are mainly meat eaters but still love the greens.

In captivity, the diet for juveniles should consist primarily of a commercial aquatic turtle pellet. Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed on a daily basis; however, they should be offered no more than they will consume during a single session to minimize water contamination. The diet can be supplemented with live fish of an appropriate size (guppies, goldfish),  tubiflex worms and earthworms. Plant matter, in the form of chapped leafy greens or finely chapped mixed vegetables, can be offered once weekly but may not be readily accepted until they grow older. 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

For adults, 20% of the diet may consist of 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 kale, 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!!

Vital Statistics

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 quickly with their messy eating habits and frequent defecation. Therefore, a system needs to be in place for good water quality. Partial to full water changes can be performed. Many different filter systems are available ..

Common 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

“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.”

Respiratory Infections

“Slider turtles and other aquatic species are susceptible to respiratory infections. Most 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“.

Good luck