Reptile & Amphibian Forums

We recently bought 2 spinies from a restaurant store in Chinatown. We have a few questions about care.
1-One of them has a bit of orange on its nose. It looks fine-not swollen or anything. Is it just a marking or is is abnormal?
2-you can see lines-ribs?- throught the shell. Is this ok?
3-should we add a pinch of salt to the freshwater? they have some scratches.
4-Any feeding tips? we've got turtle pellets and crickets and waterweed. We also read that they eat cooked chicken or turkey.
5-what should their undersides look like?
6-any tips on sexing them?
Thanks a lot for all your help!

Ok,
It would be hard to determine what the orange on the nose is without a pic, so I'd say it's fine. While looking at the back of the shell, you should be able to see the ribs in most softshells. Softshell Turtles will almost always have scratches, it's simply because they are so delicate, there is nothing you can do to prevent or help it. For feeding, movement will attract the turtles to food. Drop in a few earthworms or some live fish. Sexing can be determined in adults by comparing a male's and a female's tail. If the turtles are each around 6 inches or more, hold them both up, the one with the longer tail is the mail, which will also be the smaller one. By the way, if the turtles are around the size of a quarter and you feel you do not want them, I will gladly take them off your hands.
Michael
Michael's Place

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http://www.freewebs.com/mikesnake

Thanks! Do you know what the best water temperature for spinies is? Also what is the best setup for the tank? We have a large tank(dont know exact measurments), basking/heat lamp, great filter/aeration system, and soft sand--also how do i keep the sand out of the filter? i dont want to break it. About the salt? i heard that was good for healing shell scratches- although they are common.