Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The pet store I visited today suggested Calcium Sand from All Living Things to line my aquarium for my red eared sliders. After I added the water to the tank it became extremely cloudy because of the dust. I am holding off on putting them back in until it clears, but was wondering if calcium sand is OK for baby red eared sliders and if it is possible for them to have too much calcium. Thanks.

OMG! NO Get it out. If the babies eat that they can die. If you want them to get extra calcium, put in a cuttle bone and they will pick at it. It will float for a while, but then eventually drop to the bottom of the tank. Any kind of sand, small stones etc. will get ingested and clog up their intestines. I lost my first hatchling years ago by doing just that. Good luck...
Terry

Thank you I removed it and left the bare tank bottom. Anything else I should know that the pet stores sell but is dangerous?

Well I am no expert, and there are people on this forum who are much more knowledgeable than I am. I rarely listen to anyone in a pet store. Go to Turtletails.com. That is a wonderful site, and he will answer any questions that you have. Also read all you can on this and other forums. I really learned so much here. I feed my water turtles Koi orange floating pellets to enhance their color,(Some people call them Trout Chow), besides their regular sticks.Also for a treat (they LOVE them) I give them red wiggler worms. These worms are small and if you cut them up (if you have hatchlings) they really love them. I ordered them on line, and made my own indoor compost bin, and they really multiply fast. I also give them to my box turtle hatchlings because of their small size. Post a picture if you can...I love pictures. How big are they...what kind of set up do you have..etc. Good luck.
Terry

Sorry no pictures...I have yet to get a digital camera. According to the guy at the flea market I saved them from they're a week and a half now. I named them Fred and Ethel, not sure yet if they're the same sex or not. I have been reading tons of forums, this site seems to be the most helpful. Right now since they're so tiny I have them in a 10 gallon (I'll be moving them when they grow) with a couple plants and a large sea shell to anchor the plants (is that ok? I thoroughly washed/scrubbed it with a thing called ReptiClean and soap and water) they have the small ZooMed turtle dock and a filter and heater combination. On the filter, I have the option of how strong I want the current, am I right to leave it on low since they're so small? (they're about an inch long) For lighting they have the UVB fluorescent bulb and a full spectrum basking light. The temp in the basking area is right around 90 and the water is at 78. I gave them a cuttlebone also and have been feeding them small crickets and earthworms cut into small pieces. I gave them a piece of hamburger the first day when I hadn't yet read it wasn't the greatest food. Here's my main question though. When I got them Fred had gray gunk between all of his (scales?) and it looked as though they were separating. The flea market man said it was ok, that was just the color of his shell. I've researched and it seems to be shell rot. I have been treating the last two days as per the instructions on this site: http://www.turtlepuddle.org/health/shellrot.html

Although instead of a toothbrush and the credit card they suggest I used my fingers and Q-tips because they are so small. Well, all of the gray/white stuff is gone, but his shell is dark brown in these areas. What do you suggest, and are these good instructions to follow?

Sorry about all the questions, thanks for your help so far.

You seem to be doing everything right as far as I can see. That sounds like shell rot to me. I had a similar experience once, but didn't catch it in time as I had too many hatchlings in one tank and they used to hid behind plants and I didn't see it until it was too late. That is a good site with good info. Did you see TurtleTails.com? I love that site, and he will answer any questions for you. There are lots of pictures also. Good Luck Terry