Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My apologies for the length of the post in advance ^^;

I work in a small pet shop, and in the past week, have had two small res dumped on us (one with a shell length of about 1.5-2" lon, the other 2-3". I took them both home, and they're sharing a 10-gallon tank.

These are the first turtles I've had, and am looking for reassurance and advice . I've read the water temp should be in the low 80s. What have others found to work well? The larger of the two is eating the small ReptiMin pellets, but the smaller one doesn't seem too interested. Should I be getting worried already, or does he still need time to settle in?

The larger one has some flakey white "stuff" on the back of his shell. A customer said that it was calcium buildup, and can be scraped off. After going through the archives, I'm not sure if it's possibly a fungal infection, the shell shedding, or something else.

So far, that's all that's popped up. Any insight or advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

~Rachel

It could be calcium deposits from their water, but you should only be able to see that when they are dry. Underwater, the calcium deposits would not be visible. (at least thats how my turtles look). I've never seen a calium deposit look flaky, it could be a fungus or something that needs a vet to take a look at. Mid 70's to low 80's is fine, although they aren't hatchlings anymore, they are juvinile turtles and can survive in a lower water temp. The warmer water should promote feeding, so leave it where it is for now. Some shrimp or blood worms may get the little one eating. Do they have a basking area, where they can get out of the water and dry off?
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