Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi, I'm new to this forum but not new to reptiles.

I have 2 softies, a yearling and a hatchling. They were taken from a local lake in an effort to let them grow and then release them. Right now they are in a 10 gallon tank with about 5 inches of water. I have a sand substrateand, a small basking area with a UV light, and a small filter and airator. They use to live with a small red ear (about the same size) who recently died (cause unknown). Just reciently I have noticed that they have bumps/dots on their backs. They also seem to thinning. I am feeding them water turtle pellets. My main concern is to get these turtles healthy again and release them as soon as possible. Any suggestions would be very helpful. I can send pictures if anyone cares to take a look. Please post or e-mail me with suggestions.
trmpt_shabado584@yahoo.com

Thank you.

attempt #1 at posting a pic of the hatchling

Unfortunately, you had good intentions, but you cannot release those turtles back into the wild. Once an animal is taken out of the wild, and kept in captivity, they can pick up other viruses,diseases and pathogens that re not usually found in their natural habitat. If you release these 2, they will almost surely die, and could possibly have a huge effect on the native animals where you release them. Basically, they're in captivity for life now if you want them to live..

Matt

...well Matt I wasn't exactly looking to get lectured to. I was actually looking for some advise about what I should be doing about the turtles' shells. If I do choose to let these turtles go they will be returning to the lake where they were found. Furthermore I work at this lake durning the summer and I can pretty much spend the day making sure they find their way. I understand your concern but this is a park district man made lake and people have been transfering all types of animals to and from here. I think they would adapt just fine once they are healthy. What does everyone else think? I'd liek to hear your opinions.

Jeremy

I'm going to have to agree with Matt. Most animals become so adapted to living with humans that they can't fend for themselves in the wild. Once released, these two will have no fear of humans. They could bite swimming people in an attempt to get food, or could easily be caught and killed. Why were these taken in the first place? Turtles should be left in the wild where they can live and grow naturally. Good luck! Brooks

Hi,

I have some softshells of my own but this is the first time I am posting on this forum. I agree with the other posters when they say you should not release them once they've been taken but I can't say I haven't been guilty of that before. I have kept turtles caught from the wild and then released them back to the same place or another place like it when I was a child. The threat of introducing diseases to an established population exists because it has happened before. As a rule, it's not the best idea for the turtle or other turtles already living there (think of all the Red-eared sliders found in places they are not native to...northern states, Europe, Asia, etc). If you want, you can sell/give them to somebody else..there are many people who want turtles.

As for your turtle's shell, softshells are prone to fungal infections is not kept in a totally clean environment. If they get an abrasion, it could easily expand and infect other regions or other turtles. Some keepers find if you keep their water a bit more acidic, fungus usually isn't a problem. Without a clear picture ( I don't think yours worked), I can't say exactly what it is. It might even just be the turtle advancing in age. A trip to a vet should clear it up; otherwise, can you post more pictures?

Johnny

Here's a picture of the smaller of the two. This picture was take about 2 weeks ago. The shell issue has seems to clear up a but, but there are still spots. Any ideas?

As far as letting the turtles go...we'll see. I mean if anyone here know on someone whos interested in 2 small softshells that lives in the Chicago area, they would be more than welcome to come get them. I'm not confortable with shipping the turtles.

Jeremy

It looks like fungus to me....you can try clearing that up yourself or visit a vet for proper treatment.

Check out www.austinsturtlepage.com/ to see how to treat fungal infections (under Medication)...or many other illnesses.

The general idea is to maintain absolute pristine clean water, mebbe increase the acidity a bit, and watch out for rocks/sand that might cause turtle abrasions.

I actually have my softshells with no sand, just clean water and rocks. Reasons: 1) sand is a chore to clean 2) My softshells hide under rocks if necessary 3) He doesn't get scared of me anymore and willingly comes out to get food....so that took care of the whole "softshells feel safer buried in sand" thing

Johnny