Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi to everybody!
I am Miriam and I am Italian. This is my first message!
I am lover of all turtles and tortoises.
Among the aquatic ones I love the softshells.
I wanted to ask you if you know some site web devoted to the softshell turtles. Information on as to distinguish the various subspecies and caresheets.
I raise spiniferus and ferox, in Italy it is difficult to find other. Now they are also found around sinensis, and as soon as possible I want to take a group of it. I think to acquire two form of sinensis (but is very difficult), pelodiscus sinensis Vietnamese form with yellow plastron, and the chinese form, the easiest to be retrieved, with orange red plastron
I attach you the photo of my spiniferus.

I am very glad to find someone that breeds softshells. I currently have two juvinile ferox. I am having a little problem with sores on their shells. I have talked to my vet and he told me to apply betadyne/polysporin to the sores, along with very frequent water changes. Any coments?
Also, I am planning on building an outside pond for them this summer, but I am concerned about the substrate, they love to bury into the sand in their tank, but I am not sure about how to do that outside.
Thanks

Hi!
are there perhaps problems of infection?
use green malachite in the water!
to this intention I have found this link that could serve you:
http://www.petsforum.com/novalek/kpd26.htm
With the green malachite, you perhaps resolve the problem
me for every change of water me use to add an abundant pinch of salt every 5 liters, and with my spiniferus I have never had problems.
For the fund of the little pond I believe is all right sand-blasts end for aquariums! But if is the first year, and if don't resolve the problem to the shell I dissuade you to put out her in the pond!
Resolve first the problem of infection!

I acctually have been adding salt to the water every water change. The sores are getting better over time, but I will look into the malachite green. I haven't even begun to build the pond, so it will be a while before they go out side, and hopefully the shell problem will be gone by then, and if it doesn't go away I will be going to the vet anyways
Thanks

When I had my softy I used play sand. If you use a preformed pond liner I think it would be fine to use play sand or any other sand you like. The only problem I see is with filtration. Since you must keep the water very clean, your going to need a good sized pond filter. Most of these sit on the bottom of the pond which would cause it to just suck up sand, wrecking the motor...
Chris
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Hey whats up, I'm Chris and I currently have 0.1 Midland Painted, 1.0 Western Painted, 1.0 Bearded Dragon