|
|
Post by turtlegirl on May 29, 2011 22:10:07 GMT
I rescued poor Yogi, a lovely friendly little map, 2 days ago. He had been kept indoors in a room with no natural light and the UV light on his tank had been broken for some time. his shell was in poor condition covered with green algae and lots of unshed scutes.
When I visited the Rescue Centre Wayne showed me how to remove algae gently with a soft brush so I knew what to do. After 10mins of gentle cleaning with a toothbrush, Yogi's shell is now algae free. He a pale yelloew colour because of all those unshed scutes forming a layer over his shell .. but he will shed these in time.
It's important NOT to pull at those scutes because you can hurt a turtle. Gentle cleaning with a toothbrush 3-4 times a week will get Yogi's shell back to normal soon I hope. In the meantime daily sunbathing in the garden will do wonders for his shell and general wellbeing
|
|
|
|
Post by neilb on Aug 12, 2011 22:56:43 GMT
Offering a good, hot basking area and a decent diet with plenty of calcium and vitamin E is far more important than playing with a toothbrush, and won't stress the animal in the same way. Keep a close eye on the scutes as they shed, to make sure there isn't any underlying shell rot - often a problem with built up layers of unshed scutes. Imagine the scutes as sort of scabs - if they're coming off, then a LITTLE encouragement can be helpful as it means the underlying shell can dry properly, but don't put any more than VERY light force into it as you can cause problems including bleeding.
|
|
|
|
Post by linzi64uk on Feb 21, 2012 17:45:47 GMT
Well once again...a fantastic site. A little panicky when my partner found a bit of shell floating in the tank. We could see where it had come from on the slider who (I now know shed it) and all looks healthy so I think panic over.....phew!!!!! Sam (his/her name) otherwise seems very healthy ,if not a greedy guts so I think all is well....once again...thanks for a brilliant site x
p.s...are they ok to eat trout??
|
|
|
|
Post by turtlegirl on Feb 21, 2012 22:29:58 GMT
Shedding scutes (the thin scale you found in tank) is normal and healthy.Nothing to worry about at ll. Glad you found the Forum useful -that's what it's for, to enable everyone to share experiences and help new owners through those anxious first few months.
Yes they love trout and salmon. Raw fish is very good for them. Feed mine trout heads from fishmonger as a treat. Just one thing though -use a separate feeding tank for raw fish and rinse turtles before putting them back in their home tank. Otherwise their tank will stink of fish!
Sliders are easy to sex. Boys have very long claws on front paws and thick long tails. Girls have short front claws and tiny tails. A quick look will soon tell you whether Sam is in fact Samantha. If you are still unsure (can't tell sex of juveniles easily and impossible with babies) just post a photo of Sam's front claws and tail and we can tell you whether Sam is a girl or boy slider.
|
|
|
|
Post by linzi64uk on Feb 23, 2012 21:52:54 GMT
Hi turtlegirl
Havent got a separate tank as yet so as recommended by Wayne, when we feed them raw fish, we make sure its the day before cleaning. I have bought an under-bed storage plastic box thing, which I have been using to put them in whilst cleaning them out so might try and introduce them to that for feeding things like raw fish etc especially. Doing my best to get some pics of their tails and claws but I think they are a little camera shy and not the best at posing for the camera but I will keep on trying. We are almost positive we have two males as the tale sizes are very similar, I wouldnt say that either has a tiny tail. As long as they get on ok though it isnt a problem, I will just have a name change...Sam can stay as Sam but poor old Ella will have to be an Eric haha
|
|
|
|
Post by turtlegirl on Feb 24, 2012 0:01:06 GMT
Plastic crates make great emergency hospital/quarantine/prison tanks. Large ones can even be used as long term homes. Those underbed crates are great for feeding but keep the lid on and don't leave them unattended as they can easily climb out and escape. Never underestimate how high turtles can climb, expecially if they co-operate and climb on each other's back - they have been known to scale 4ft chain link fences and 2ft wooden gates. All of mine have escaped, even tiny hatchlings so alwats close the room door when they are out of their home tank
|
|
