All Turtles Message Board

mariza

If you\'re in Mass., try contacting www.maturtlerescue.org and see if they know of anyone who wants to adopt.

mariza

Please get your turtle out of that death bowl ( see http://www.chelonia.org/Articles/deathbowls.htm for why) and into a proper tank.

Where on the neck is the sore? Is it open and is discharge coming out or is it closed and a lump?

mariza

I wouldn\'t give up on Dozer just yet. Look everywhere, even places where you don\'t think he could possibly be (and check the basement). They can go surprisingly long without water. I\'d put out a shallow pan of water in the room where you last saw him and also in the basement. Also some smelly foo...

mariza

That\'s great to hear he was allowed on with you and arrived safe and sound. (What airline allowed you to bring him on with you?)

mariza

Try to identify them here: http://www.chelonia.org/bygeography.htm (Click on where N.J. is) and/or go to that site I gave you (if you could post a pic there it would be good). And find a rehabber.

mariza

If you really care for him (and you\'re seeing bone), please take him to a herp vet. I\'d also separate him from your other turtle.

mariza

It can cause electolyte depletion. Your turtle needs the minerals that are in regular water.

mariza

You also could try posting your question on www.turtleforum.com There are a number of dedicated turtle people there and you probably would get an answer faster from them. Good luck.

mariza

Canister filters are considered to be the best for larger tanks (and for 65 gallons, that\'s what I\'d use). The most popular are Fluvals, Filstars, Eheims (most expensive and top quality) and Magnums. You should read up on each to find the one you think is best for your situation. But, you need a f...

mariza

Changes in the habitat can make a difference to a turtle, so maybe it was that. BTW, I read it\'s not good to use distilled water in the tank. Plain tap water (use a dechlorinator if the water is treated with chlorine) is fine to use.

mariza

Try white vinegar diluted with water (and elbow grease). Rinse well afterward before putting you turtle back in the tank.

mariza

What do you feed your turtle besides flys and grasshoppers?

mariza

Turtles that are greatly different in size should not be put together. And RES can get aggressive, especially if the tank they\'re in isn\'t big enough for them. The general guide is to allow 10 gallons of tank per inch of shell length (and add lengths together for more than one turt). Your 7-inch t...

mariza

My turtle sleeps underwater at night. He may move during the night, but initially I\'ve seen him sleeping under water, usually by the filter intake. Turtles can go for quite a while without coming up for air, especially if their metabolism slows down (remember that in the wild they hibernate under w...

mariza

You could try using aquarium salt (NOT table salt) to improve water quality. Walmart sells Dr. Wellfish aquarium salt for $1.32. Follow the directions on the package. To treat a fungus (if that\'s what it is), try giving your turtle a salt bath with the aquarium salt. To do this, first rinse your tu...

mariza

It\'s unclear from what you wrote that your turtles are having eye problems. Why do you think that they do?

mariza

Normally, a water temp of about 78F would be good for healthy hatchlings...

mariza

The shell doesn\'t really harden until around a year of age. A hatchling\'s shell may have some \"give\" to it, but it should still be basically firm to the touch, not like the softness you\'d feel if you pressed on a dinner roll. If you\'re concerned about your turtle\'s shell, make sure your turtl...

mariza

RES are more carnivorous when young, but grow more omnivourous as they age. Give high-protein foods like boiled white chicken only occasionally as treats. Not sure what kind of \"meat\" you\'re thinking of, but never feed raw chicken (chance of salmonella). A reputable turtle pellet should be a stap...

mariza

I\'ve bought clamp lamps a Home Depot for $4.99 each; they have ceramic sockets and can be used with high wattages if necessary. I don\'t think the clamp lamp is the cause of your not getting the temp high enough. Either change the wattage or raise the basking area closer to the bulb to get the desi...

mariza

A regular aquarium light doesn\'t give off the UVB rays turtles need, so no, it\'s not the right light. (This is a flourescent light, right?) Assuming the fixture is for a tube, get something like a Reptisun 5.0 for your turtle\'s UVB needs (very important for the shell--without the UVB rays, your t...

mariza

Mealworms, earthworms and crickets are not a balanced diet. When an aquatic\'s eyes close up like you described, it can be because of a Vitamin A deficiency. If this is the cause of your turtle\'s problems, the Vit. A shot could be helping. Vitamin A shots/supplements can be risky, however, because ...

mariza

It doesn\'t say on the package? Eventually the carbon will absorb all it can and will release the chemicals back into the water, so it does have to be replaced. You haven\'t said anything about the filter you\'re using, but I\'d guess the carbon should be replaced every 3 weeks to a month. (But you ...

mariza

How big is your tank and what kind of filter are you using? Does the cloudiness disappear? It\'s possible that the cloudiness is due to \"new tank syndrome.\" Whenever you completely clean the tank you destroy the beneficial bacteria that are colonizing in it, and the cycle has to start all over aga...

mariza

Smooth river rocks larger than your turtle\'s head would be much safer and he\'d still be able to dig. Get some cuttlebone (in the bird section), take off the hard backing, break it into pieces and leave some floating in the tank. (A turtle eating rocks is considered by some to mean that he\'s looki...

mariza

And that\'s only on this site!

mariza

Let me get this straight--the turtle was let out to roam in the house and someone possibly left a door open long enough to allow the turtle to get outside??? Wow. Well, on the chance that she\'s still in the house, I\'d leave a large shallow pan of water out in the middle of the room where she was a...

mariza

Thanks for your concern, reptileman. I\'m really not such a serious person :) , but I do take the care of turtles very seriously. If I had questions that I thought could be answered, I\'d ask them. Many people that post appear to be newbies, however, so I think they\'ve pretty well got their plates ...

mariza

How big is your tank and how large are your turtles? A Fluval 2 isn\'t such a powerful filter, especially for 2 turtles. How often do you clean it? The filter should be rated for 3x the size of the tank (a 20-gallon tank, for example, should have a filter rated for a 60-gallon one). Do you have grav...

mariza

If your turtle has the beginning of an RI, yes, that\'s too cool. The water should be a constant temp--about 78F for a healthy hatchling, a few degrees cooler for an older turtle. For a turtle with an RI, raising the water temp to the low 80\'s (and the basking area temp a few degrees higher than no...

mariza

I wouldn\'t have that big drop to the water. You can go much deeper, just do it gradually. And in addition to the basking area, also have some objects like floating plastic plants for him to rest on if he tires of swimming (the little ones can drown if they tire and have no place to rest).

mariza

Regular UVB lights are flourescent and don\'t really give off heat. For the turtle to benefit, they shouldn\'t be more than 10-12 inches from the turtle, and 6-8 inches is best. You\'ll still need to use a heat lamp to warm the basking area.

mariza

Some people have found it at pet stores. If you get a big enough piece, you can wedge it against the sides of the tank to keep it stationary.

mariza

Most airlines will not allow turtles to fly in the passenger compartment (although this definitely would be preferable). If they allow the turtle in cargo, make sure it\'s pressurized and heated for animals. Some info on traveling with turtles (by car and plane) can be found at http://www.turtlecare...

mariza

Corkbark is probably the only thing I\'ll use for a basking area. It doesn\'t last as long, but it floats (no worries about anything falling on my turtle), is easy for my turtle to climb on, and looks so natural. My RES looks quite handsome basking on it (but he\'s a handsome devil, anyway).

mariza

Are you sure the blisters are from burns and not from being bitten by something? The swelling doesn\'t sound good. I would take the turtle to a herp vet for treatment. In the meantime, keep his water very clean to prevent infection.

mariza

If there\'s agression, you need to separate them ASAP before something even worse happens (and the injured one is being stressed). How big is the tank and how big is each turtle (shell length)? Too small an area increases the chance of agression. There\'s no guarantee turtles will continue to get al...

mariza

Do you have the tank in front of a window? If so, the light is encouraging algae to grow. Moving it would help. (You don\'t need to buy water for your tank. If the tap water is chlorinated, use a dechlorinator to take out the chlorine and use tap water.)

mariza

I have an XP3 as well and like it. You can get it for $99 plus shipping at www.bigalsonline.com (the last time I looked). You may have to buy the biomedia separately, it would be good to check.

mariza

The info at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-stinkpot.htm should tell you.

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