RES shell problems? Help!      10/2/12
Dear Crew,
<Hiya - Darrel here>
I have two red eared sliders and up until recently they were doing awesome. They are very active and really enjoy eating and basking. They jump in the water when scared like normal. I'm not sure why their shell is turning white-ish but it is really concerning me. I have the UVB light and a heat lamp (over their basking area). Their water is 80 degrees which I monitor with a thermometer.
<Basking temp should be 88-93 degrees and water temp should be 68 to 72 - basically unheated room temperature.  Your water is WAY too hot.>
I feed them the pellets and on occasion the red dried shrimp. I have also given them small fish which a pet store worker suggested.
<This is why we don't listen to pet store workers.   Koi pellets & Repto-min make a good, basic diet with an occasional earthworm as a treat.>
They really enjoyed it. I have looked throughout your site but I wanted your professional opinion before I come to any conclusions.
<OK - first the water is WAY too hot.  Remove the heater completely>
<Second: read: http://www.wetwebmedia.com/FWSubWebIndex/RESCareBarton.htm  >
<Third - if they are eating and active and the shells are firm and don't smell - it may just be mineral deposits (water spotting) - it happens all the time>
I added a second picture which I thought was really cute.
<OH SURE!!! They're ALWAYS cute at that age … wait until they grow up and take your car one night without permission and back it into the neighbor's tree - THEN we'll see how cute they are!!>
Please help!!
<No worries>
Thanks,
Melissa

Re: Darrel rants.  Again.     10/3/12
Dear Crew,
<Hiya - Darrel here.  Again>
Also, every single site I have looked on says that the water should be 75-80 degrees
<Well then - every single site on the internet is wrong.   Period.   I've been where they live, Melissa - and they range from Pennsylvania to Mexico and the only time a body of water would get anywhere NEAR 80 degrees is during an unusual dry-spell/drought or other condition where the body of water is being terribly heated by an unrelenting sun.>
<Of the many problems and drawbacks to the Internet, the equal weight given inaccurate and dangerous information is right there at the top.   Worse, one source on the net is used by 10 other sites on the net, making it appear as if 11 sites have the exact same information - when in fact it all comes from one stupid person who's mom got him a copy of Dreamweaver.>
<Another problem is that the internet has given people the attention span of fruit flies - but I'll address that another time.  Right now it's 80 degree water.  Where, in nature is the water 75-80 degrees except in a hot spring?>
<The water should be 68-72 degrees and the basking area air/surface should be 88-93 degrees - this allows the turtle to CHOOSE between heating up when he feels cool and cooling off when he feels warm.  Remember … your turtle is an expert at being a turtle.  He/she knows what he needs - you have to give him the choice>
<What you've given him is a choice between being warm and very warm>
http://reviews.petco.com/3554/5070/zoo-med-zoo-med-aquatic-turtle-food-growth-formula-reviews/reviews.htm
This is what I feed them, is that okay?
<It's fine.  Zoo Med makes quality stuff.  Koi Pellets are cheaper and have the same basic formula.  I raise them from hatchlings to breeders on Kay-Tee brand Koi pellets and occasional earthworms.

Re: More RES questions...I think he/she is stressed     9/8/12
 Hello Sue, thanks for the prompt response! 
<You’re welcome, Sonja!>
Please forgive me for another lengthy email.  I love this little guy and want to give him the best life that I possibly can.  I just want to ask a few more questions and add a few comments. 
<No problem. I have a few of my own that I feel the same way about.>
I am not worried about the water conditions; the filter seems to be functioning fine, and is for twice the size of his aquarium.  Since he has been at my work I had been giving him 100% water changes.  I intend to change his water 100% this Saturday and every Saturday here on out (for some strange reason I luv the lil guy/gal). 
<Yes, they do tend to grow on you the longer you have them.>
When he gets his larger habitat I intend to use the current filter and a canister filter that I have already acquired.  I have checked his PH regularly and the most it has shown at was 8 otherwise it is generally at 7.  From what I’ve read this is good right?
<pH isn’t as critical for turtles as it is for fish. Just plain tap water that’s safe enough for you to drink is fine for them. >
I am also seriously looking into a Marimo ball as they sound like they do wonders!
<Unfortunately, I don’t have any experience with these so can’t advise you. But I did pull up some comments mentioned about them on another website about turtles --
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=27212  >
<From the comments I read here, it sounds like you want to make sure it is a real one, not a fake one, as I read that the fake ones can contain Styrofoam and pieces of other material that can be harmful to them.  It also sounds like it has the potential to clog your filter and make things messy in the water if they tear it apart. If you find this is happening, you may want to hold off on it until you have him at home with you.  When it comes to water quality and turtles, sometimes less is more if you know what I mean!>
Mikey has a floating basking rock that he is slightly too big for (which we are in the process of looking for something sturdier and bigger for him). 
<I know Zoo Med for one makes floating docks in an extra-large size. You may want to check it out to see if it would work for him.>
When he was at my work he never climbed on it.  When I brought him home I used the filter to support the dock so now he can and does climb up on it and is able to bask (if awkwardly). 
<As long as he can get his entire body out of the water to dry off, it should be fine.>
I have been very punctual with the 12 hours on and off with both the heat lamp and the UVB bulb….(I wonder if I shouldn’t have slowly increased the time to 12 hrs since prior to moving in with me he only had a UVB on 7 hrs 5 days a week…could this be stressing him?).  
<No, I doubt that would do. They get more stressed out by changes in general scenery; even when you just re-arrange things in the same tank! They are very much creatures of habit and like a familiar looking environment. They are also sensitive to vibrations that you and I wouldn’t even notice. So it can sometimes take them several days or longer to adjust to being in a new place.>
I have also found, since asking the question that taping dark paper or newspaper over part of the aquarium will make him feel more secure.  I taped some newspaper on half his aquarium earlier this evening (prior to response).
<Not a bad idea, especially if he’s in a high traffic place.>
I also removed the water heater as soon as I read your recommendation! 
<Very good!>
FYI…The covered heater is covered in green plastic so that he can’t break the heater. My local pet store told me he needed it, but they also told me he should be fed twice a day which is very contradictory to everything I’ve read in addition to what you have said!  I get sad thinking that their recommendations are based on the turtles that they keep there!  Maybe if I get better at this I can rescue them all lol!
<Yes, unfortunately the very people who sell them are often the people who know the least about them, unless you’re in a specialty store.  But then – those people know enough about them that they don’t sell them because they don’t want to encourage the trade!  Best bet if you ever decide you want any more is to try to rescue one. If you Google online there are a couple of organizations in particular that have a rescue service.>
As far as food goes…NO MORE BUGS!  I gave him a feeder fish when I first brought him to my house last Friday.  Since he lost his appetite last time he switched habitats, I thought this would mitigate the problem.  He ate it…but after he struggled to catch it (and my husband had to disable the fish first).  Since then he hasn’t eaten anything.  Maybe he is sick from the fish?  Is that possible?  It wasn’t a goldfish according to the pet store guy; he called it an orange guppy.
<I wouldn’t use feeder fish at all; they’re known to carry diseases. Just stick to a good quality pellet as the staple, and an occasional earthworm or two every few weeks (ones that haven’t been exposed to lawn pesticides). It’s also OK to offer them greens like red or curly leaf lettuce for additional fiber.>
I also have other questions about food.  I don’t know what Koi pellets are, and I don’t think they have them at my pet store? 
<They can usually be found in the pond section of the store. I’ve even seen them sold at home improvement centers that carry other pond supplies. I know petsmart.com sells Kay tee Koi pellets online. I get the smaller Koi pellets that are sold in a canister as opposed to the larger pellets that tend to be sold in large bags.>
I have ReptoMin Select-A-Food.  I’ve read that I should not give him the shrimp from ReptoMin, and will no longer offer it.  As for the green bits, are they okay?  If you give me a brand name of good food I can order it online. 
<I actually just use the regular ReptoMin pellets, and alternate that with the Koi pellets. Sometimes I also occasionally alternate in Zoo Med maintenance pellets (the largest pellets) because they contain less percentage of protein content.>
As I mentioned, for some reason I love this guy and only want to do what is best for him/her.  I also purchased Nature Zone Bites for him today.  The box says they are specially formulated appetite stimulating color and flavor, are these bad? 
<The more processed ingredients (artificial colors, flavors, etc.) you can avoid the better. So I’d avoid all this stuff and just stick with the basics. Actually, that would be my recommendation for humans too!>
I put some in his aquarium before your response and he did not eat them. 
<Not surprised. Probably tastes like paper to him, much like some of our processed food tastes!>
I’ve read that a turtle can go from 2 days to a month without eating after a habitat change.  Does this sound right to you?
<Yes. Though if he goes beyond a week without eating, I’d be checking for any other signs that he might be ill as well as making sure you’re giving him everything he needs.>
It concerns me that his refusal to eat might be because of habitat change, because I am trying to get him a bigger habitat.  This means another change!  How long should I wait before giving him the bigger habitat?  I have been eyeing up a 75 gallon for $179.  I see that you say a plastic container is sufficient as well, but I couldn’t find one that was 4’ long. 
<I’ve seen one by Sterilite (Clear view latch) sold at Target that’s 110 quart that’s 3’ long and about 18” wide that could possibly work for you (though you might have to build a custom screened top for it - 1/2” holes minimum - depending on the type of lights you have). But the good news is that the bin itself only costs about $13!>
We are in a small town, so that may be part of the problem.  I will keep looking over the next week at other stores.  The pet store told me they would have a sale on the aquarium at the end
of the month, which gives me time to look for a plastic container first. 
<If you can afford a glass one its’ always nice and will hold up better (less scratches) over time. But the plastic ones are perfectly acceptable as an alternative.  However, I know you’re turtle is already 6.5”, so given that you might also want to consider buying him one a large one that will carry him/her until fully grown rather than continuing to upscale as he grows. If you do decide to do this, try to go for ones with the largest possible surface area rather than looking only at the number of gallons. Turtles appreciate length/width more than depth (though they do need at least enough to right themselves up if they flip over accidentally). When it comes to large enclosures, you may find that you’ll get more for your money with some sort of heavy duty plastic tank than you would for the glass equivalent.  For example, Rubbermaid makes a line of stock tanks and MacCourt makes some reasonably sized preformed ponds – they even have a nice rectangular one about 5’ long that’s easier to fit in a room than other free-form shaped ones; can order through Lowes). And crazy people (like me!) actually have them indoors as well as outdoors.>
I also want to add that Mikey is definitely shedding.  He/She looks golden under water and thin
flakes are peeling from his/her shell.  I think this is good because a lot of the algae that stuck to him even after I took a gentle toothbrush to him are finally disappearing.  The white spots still concern me and are evident constantly.  I still fear that they are some sort of bacteria/fungus from not being able to bask when he/she first began shedding.
<Could be. Shedding does occur naturally as part of the growth process; however sometimes shedding (especially when accompanied by whitish patches that look like fungus), can also occur when there’s an issue with water temperature, water quality, or lack of basking/dry heat/UVB.>
Just to be safe, if he doesn’t eat by Sunday I intend to dry dock him just in case. 
<Sounds like a good plan.>
On the website you gave it says: “a shallow container of luke warm (room temp) tap water every day for 5 minutes in order for him to drink, poop and possibly eat. Shallow means no more than half his shell under water when you place him in it -- and really only enough to cover his tail and cloaca. Assuming that he is being treated for his actual condition and improving, he can go YEARS in this condition without ill effects. Do NOT place him in water over his head!” Since he still swims can I just put him back in his tank?  Should I really only give him shallow water? 
<The instructions here are general guidelines that are intended to cover a wide variety of ailments as well as seriousness of illness.  They are fine to follow for your turtle as well. However, since the issue with your turtle is a shell fungus vs. a respiratory condition, it’s OK to let him swim in deeper water, as long as it’s newly changed water.>
If I supervise him can he go back in his tank for 30 min or so?
<That should be OK, but the general idea is that while you’re trying to get rid of the fungus you want to keep him as dry as possible for as long as possible.  Fungus thrives in wet environments so you want to minimize that as much as possible. What you may want to do once he’s out of the water is apply some antifungal cream – see separate section in this link – before putting him back in the dry dock bin.>
Also, if he isn’t eating because he is stressed, will dry docking him make it worse? 
<Yes and no. Yes it’s a new environment and he won’t like it, but at the same time warm and dry tends to increase their appetite.  I’d still err on the warm and dry side whenever you have any question about their health. >
<Also one thing to keep in mind when you’re trying to figure out why he’s not eating – if he’s thrashing about anxiously when you try to feed him, he’s likely not eating because he stressed. If, on the other hand he seems lethargic he’s likely not eating because he’s sick. And then unfortunately there’s always those shades of gray in between … But in general you want to be observing not only his appetite but also his behavior for clues.>
I don’t want to dry dock him before Sunday because I will be at work, and I want to be able to keep an eye on him.  Plus, I think I should give him a full week before deciding he is sick.  Also, in case you think dry docking him will make him worse if he is just stressed, I don’t want to risk it.
<Definitely won’t make him worse; in terms of his health will only help.  I’ve even done this with one or two of mine on occasion when they’ve skipped two of their feedings in a row – or the equivalent of a week without eating.  In all cases the warm and dry got them back on track.  Just make sure you carry over the UVB along with heat when you transition him.>
 I kind of don’t think he is sick because he is new at my house; but I do think something is wrong because he is not following the exact behavior changes he did the first time he changed habitats.  Regardless, I found a vet who seems willing to look at a turtle, but they can’t see him until a week from today (next Thursday) if he isn’t doing better.
<What I’d do is put him in Dry-Dock if he still doesn’t eat for you on Sunday (tomorrow!)  See if that jump starts his appetite and gets him eating by Thursday.  If he still hasn’t eaten by Thursday I would go on his behavior. If he seems more inactive than usual, I’d have him seen. If he’s alert, active, clamoring to get out of your hands and swimming voraciously around in his tank when you give him his daily soak, then I might give him a few more days in Dry Dock and see how it goes.>
Going back to the male female thing….I think he is a she.  The lady who he came from said the vet said he was a boy.  He has short claws and a short tail, from what I read this makes him a female…Of course I thought his claws and tail were long until I saw other pics of RES.
<From your description “he” sounds like a “she” to me!!>

Re: More RES questions...I think he/she is stressed    9/11/12
Thanks so much for your help! She ate today too!
<That's great Sonja; sounds like she’s turning a corner!>
I let her roam around the room she is in while cleaning her tank. While she explored she started climbing up on anything she could find (like the cat bed and into my desk's cubby). When I put her back in the tank I tried to offer her some pellets and she ate! I used a net to pull out the uneaten ones. Maybe she just wanted to see more of the surroundings, or maybe the water change helped. Regardless she ate! I will try to give her a few more pellets tomorrow to see if she really does have her appetite back. After that I will feed her Tuesdays-Thursdays-Saturdays.
<That sounds fine.>
Thanks for letting me know that PetCo online sells those pellets.
<It’s actually petsmart.com, not petco.com that sells the smaller canister of Kay-Tee Koi pellets.>
I will check the hardware store first, if they don't have it I will order it from PetCo. Also, thanks for the good information on the aquariums. I think I will look for something longer than a 4' X 20" as
she will continue to grow. Plus the more room, the happier she will be!
<I agree, the larger enclosure is the wiser move if you can do it. She’s very lucky to have you as her turtle mom!>
I guess she just needed time.  The white spots have disappeared in some spots, I think because of the shedding.  The other side still has the white spots but it is flaking on that side now too.  I think her shedding is progressing quickly and she looks a lot better without all the algae she had on her before!  As long as she continues to look and act better, then I will avoid dry docking her, but I will diligently inspect her behavior daily!
<Yes, along with physical signs and symptoms, their behavior also provides important clues about how their feeling. The fact that she's alert, active, curious, walking around AND eating are all good signs that things are improving!>
<Good luck with her! If any more concerns pop up, feel free to write in again. Cheers! Sue>