Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok,
so my friend and i got 2 hatchling res`s about 3 weeks ago. one of them has turned a light color on its shell and the back of the shell is soft. the other one seems to be fine. they are in a 10 gallon tank with a dry basking spot that is about 90, and the water stays about 85. they eat veggies, tubifex worms and pellets. they have a reptisun uvb bulb on for 12 hours a day. i am guessing that this is stemming from the care it received from the pet store? they both are very active and voracious little eaters. what can i do to help with the soft shell? can i get pinhead crickets and gutload and dust with calcium and leave them in the basking spot? i don`t think giving oral calcium to hatchling turtles is possible. or is it? does anyone know? i am a little hesitant to take them to the vet because we live in california and i am not sure of the laws surrounding turtles of this size. i don`t know if we would get in trouble. or get them taken away. we are starting to take them out and sun them hopefully this will help. what are the chances of this baby making it?

meagan

Hatchlings generally have soft shells, at least compared to adults. It shouldn't be illegal to own the turtles, it is usually only illegal to sell them. Your water should be cooler, upper 70's or lower. As long as they are basking and eating, they should be ok.
-----

The babies shells are usually soft. but it seems as though your water is TOO hot. it should be between 70 and 75 and the basking spot should be around 85 degrees. 10 gallon doesnt seem too large for 2 res, i hope you realize they wont last long, they grow pretty fast! the food you are feeding them seems to be a good variety! You can feed the turtles some crickets with calcium dust. or you could just buy a cuttle bone (for birds) from a store and scrape off the harder outer part, break it up and put a few pieces of that into the water. they can/will eat it. though some ignore it at first! but if they dont eat it, dont worry because it will break apart in the water, and they'll get the calcium eventually! and as far as the laws go, i know that it is ILLEGAL to SALE turtles that small, but it is NOT illegal to own them... so you should be fine if you ever need to take them to the vet! hope this helps...
-----
~ Evie

Pets:
German Shephard {Dusty}
German Shephard/Collie mix {Shadoe}
2 RES turtles {Booger and Snot}
African Clawed Frog {Bingo}
Snail {Gary}

when i researched res`s, on melissa kaplans page she suggested water in the 80`s and around 85 for hatchlings or sick res`s. that is why i have the water warmer. when we turn the temps down, they do nothing but hide under thier rocks. when the water is in the 80`s, they hunt, eat and swim. they have been shedding a ton. which makes me happy =). i will add the calcium block to the water. what do you think about the one with the soft shell being so much lighter in color? when we got them, they were both the same color. they are about 1.5 - 2 " across their carapce. i know that they will grow quickly and we are already putting tgether a 50 gallon set up for them. the 10 gallon is temporary.

thanx,
meagan

I think 82 degrees is best for healthy hatchlings. Lower 70's sounds way to cold to me.

Your missing one very important excellent food, little feeder fish. If you can't find any small enough for them, cut larger ones into suitably sized pieces. You can also give them cooked egg with the shell ground up in it. Another good calcium food.
care info. & diets

thanx for the suggestion. so, do you think that these guys are healthy? the shell on one of them feels firm. the shell on the other bends a little, and he is lighter in color. is this normal? for the shell to be a little bendy? the whole shell does not seem weak, just near the tail.

Seems like most of the hatchlings I've seen are a little "bendy" at the back of the shell. That's probably OK. Whitish shell can be a little fungal infection. You can put clotrimizole fungal cream on the shell a couple times in one week. Leave him warm but dry for a little while (an hour maybe?) and then put back in the water. The thing is, if a fungal infection the shell will continue to look whitish until he sheds those scutes. Change the water after treatment too. If it looks like anything is getting worst I'd let a good reptile vet have a look.

thanx a lot!! =)