Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I have a baby box turtle. I have had him 3 years. He was found in a swimming pool skimmer and given to me. He still had the egg crack on his nose. he seems to be growing slowly. He has the light he needs in his aquarium, eats well, uses his water dish, plus i put him in water 1 hour a day. The under side of his shell seems very soft and I am not sure how long it has been that way. Is that normal?
25 gal aquarium, eats canned box turtle food (mix of fruits and veggies), purchased from pet store, box turtle and tortoise food crumbled into his water that has calcuim in it, zoomed basking light for warmth and growth, dish of water, dirt area, rock area, artificial tree stump for shade, reptile bedding, rock area. he seems to thrive. he is active, responds to voice and being held. my only concern is his soft shell.

I would say make a outdoor enclosure, and put him out there most the time, except winter, you will find him more happy, and will harden right up. Most babies will have softer under sides, but... your is getting to the age where it should be getting firm. UVB lights, give off really low UVB sun the only real way. Also the tank is not a good choice, the 25 sounds small. Try and build outdoor enclosure, for 24 hrs. a day, or at least for the day so he can get some Real sun.l

hatchling boxies shells harden within the first few months of life, sounds like MBD to me.
-----
My Site
1.2.1 Terrapene Carolina Triunguis
0.1 Nymphicus hollandicus
1.1 Melopsittacus undulatus
1.0 American Cocker Spaniels
1.0 American Short Hair? Cat
1.1 Rouen Ducks

what is MBD

MBD stands for Metabolic Bone Disease.

I've included a link to an online article on the subject that you might want to read.
Link

"Most babies will have softer under sides, but... your is getting to the age where it should be getting firm."

I agree with Rouen: a young turtle's shell should have hardened up well before reaching the age of 3 years.

I also agree that the turtle would be better off outdoors in a well protected enclosure (with a screened cover) where it can be exposed to real sunlight, even for only part of the day.

I bought the UVB. I will get him outside as much as possible.
The pet shop clerk said to run the UVB all the time. Is that right?

I certainly hope that they meant to say, "All day", and not all the time. Leave it on for about 12 hours a day, 7am to 7pm or something like that. You want to duplicate a natural, outdoor day. If you eventually want to keep your turtles outside, it may be good to simulate the natural daylength. Go as high as 14 hours a day in the summer and as little as 8 hours a day in the winter. If you don't mind, what brand and model of bulb did you get?

reptisun 5.0

I purchased the UVB repti glo 5.0, what is the difference between the 5.0 and 10.0?

The 10.0 is an upgrade. It isn't literally twice as powerful, but it is supposed to put out stronger, more continuous wavelengths. Also, the 5.0 is only effective if kept 8-12 inches from the animal. The 10.0 is supposed to be effective at a greater distance, but I can't remember specifically. I want to say 24 inches. Lastly, the 10.0 is supposed to put out the same strength of wavelengths for an average of one year. Past bulbs were not reliable after 6 months. This information was gleaned from a discussion with a Zoomed rep. on the telephone about a year ago, when they first started offering the 10.0 to veterinarians.

Our turtle was found as a baby in a pool skimmer too - thus the name Skimmer.