My turtle's shell is soft!?

some advice and tips from someone who has had theirs for 36 yrs..

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29035692@N0...

Remember 10 gallons for every inch of turtle. I have used kiddy pools and plastic pond liners from most nurseries and now a 150 gal pond.

They are the coolest. Not cuddly pets at all. And a life time commitment.

Sliders, cooters , painted, map, yellow bellied all are basically the same and require the same basic care.

For their needed protein and calcium drop 20 or so feeder guppies, goldfish or minnows in the tank and watch them disappear in a few days! When I got these two 36 yrs ago all we had in back then were goldfish to feed , so after 36 yrs and still going strong. They can eat goldfish!

This way when they swim for their dinner they get exercise also!

TOSS in a bird cuttle bone in the water for calcium that will promote better shell growth, it will dissolve real slow and if they eat it that’s fine!!

They can have garden worms, meal worms, snails, crickets, flies, crayfish small frogs, slugs, tadpoles dragon flies and anything that moves, but only as a treat.

They need leafy greens Romaine, Butter lettuce. (Iceberg and cabbage are bad for them, any other leafy greens will do) for vitamin A that they need at least 3 to 4 times a week.

They love grapes and strawberries and squash..**Swollen cloudy eyes which means lacking in Vitamin A. Which we all need for good eyes. Google ‘vegetables with Vitamin A.

Did you know that they need to bask under a reptile light UVA/UVB for up to 8 hrs a day for the vitamin D that they need to grow. So that means getting a turtle dock also.

Leave the heater on 75 to 78 degrees always.

These turtles in captivity do not hibernate their eating may slow down some but they will not hibernate.

These are not cuddly pets and will bite very very hard.

Under 4" they carry a disease called 'salmonella'. So you must wash after every handling. These guys can become cannibalistic and will kill the smallest turtle if there is not enough room and food.

And my pictures don't lie. All ages and all sizes get along as long as their is allot for swim room and plenty to eat!

Their water needs to be clean otherwise they get sick easily from dirty water cause they poop allot. You need a good filter system!

Total Body length: 5-8" average for males, up to 12 inches max for females. Life span: 15-25+ years

Males have the longer front nails and are used in mating. And are considered mature at about 5 yrs old. You can’t start sexing till about 3” across.

Gravel larger than they can swallow.

They sleep at the bottom of rivers, streams. lakes or ponds or your tank to avoid predators like coyotes, foxes, owls, hawks, possums, raccoons and even some wide mouth bass and us humans.

You probably already know that they get sick easily, shell rot, respiratory sickness, lopsided swimming, coughing, blowing bubbles from their nose. Fungus white cotton patches on their skin?

Contact the “www.anapsid.org/societies, for a turtle vet / RESCUE in your city and state, country

Well you need a UVB light, that way their body can use and distribute calcium, also if you go to a pet store, you can find vitamin supplements, get a calcium supplement to put on its food. Also try to expose him/her to direct sunlight a few times a week.

Dear lord... they're... TEENAGED MUTANT NINJA TURTLES!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,

Heroes in a half shell

Turtle power.

There the world's most fearsome fighting team,

(we're really hip)

they're heroes in a half shell and they're green.

(hey get a grip)

When the evil Shredder attacks,

Those turtle boys don't cut 'em no slack.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,

Splinter taught them to be ninja team,

(he's a radical rat)

Leonardo lead's, Donatello does machines.

(that's a fact jack)

Rapheal is cool but crude,

Rapheal: (give me a break)

Michaelangelo is a party dude.

Michaelangelo: (party)

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,

Heroes in a half shell

Turtle power!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you feed it commercial turtle food then its shell will gradually harden. I also make something out of plaster of paris and put it in there and they eat it and it buffers the water some too. Plaster has calcium in it. Maybe your turtles will eat it and maybe they won't but it will buffer the water anyway.

When the shell is soft it means you have boiled it for too long.

If they're really small they're probubly babies. As they get older their shell will harden up more.

DANGER DANGER :) lol