when I adopted him the people that found him said he had been on their front lawn, in the middle of summer, for 48 hours in the sun (very little shade). NO WATER. I have been watching him/her very carefully, but i started to notice about 2 weeks ago his shell was peeling? and now it has turned red? What is this? It is a red spot about the size of a quarter. And also, do i need to get a second turtle? At the pet stores they always have like 10 in one tank. Will he/she get lonely?
Answers:
It is shedding, all reptiles do this, but I am concerned about the red. It could be Septicemia, blood poisoning so I would take the turtle to a Herp Vet ASAP. To find a Herp Vet in your area check these links: http://www.nytts.org/nytts/helpnet.htm.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vets_for_h.
No, you do not need a second turtle. Turtles do not get lonley. And yes Pet Stores do overcrowd their tanks and no it's not good, but they are also not there for the longterm, once you get them home, you should have all the equipment and space to care for them correctly you SHOULD have the biggest tank you can afford because your turt does need 10 gal per inch of shell, if you can not afford a big tank, there are other alternatives like a rubbermaid bin, a preformed pond liner, a kiddie pool, etc. You also need to have a place for him to bask, it needs to be big enough for him to come completly out of the water to dry off. Above the basking dock, log, ramp (whatever basking spot you decide on) you should have a heat lamp (you can use a household light bulb)and you need a UVA/UVB lamp which should emit at least 5% UVB but 10 % is better. The water temp should be mid to high 70's with the basking temp 10 degrees higher. If you can't regulate the water temps, you will need a submersible heater.A good filter is also a great idea cuz turts produce alot of waste. Your filter should be double the size of your tank, for example, if you have a 20gal tank, get a filter for a 40gal. Also do Not use gravel, turtles can eat this become impacted and worse case scenario, die.
You really need to identify what kind of turtle you have because not all aquatic turtles have the same care requirements. For example sliders, painteds, maps and such need deeper water while Musks, Muds, and Snappers are shallow water turtles. If you can add a picture or email me one, or come to a forum I belong to, I can get it identified for you.
The forum is http://www.turtleexchange.com/forum/inde. I really hope to see you there, so we can help you! And I hope you do take your turt to the vet! If it is Septicemia, it's very serious and without proper treatment, he will die.
well i had 2 trutle once they were red ear sliders. i dont know what kind you have. But you should take him to the vet. I had two turtles and they seemed like friends. I think maybe they might get lonely but if you do make sure you give them plenty of room. That way they can swim and have room. At the pet stores they try to tell you that you have to get a huge tank. And yet they scrunch up 10!! I only get big tanks becuase I'd like to think if I were a turtle id like room to swim! Wish you luck on your turtle. Tell him/her i said hi!! O_o - Jazz
Okay thats not as bad as some awnsers. Umm not to be rude but turtles are animals that hate being with eachother turtles need 10 gallons per inch of turtle so 120 gallon tank once full grown and pealing and shell colouration is very normal.
Come to this site it has lot's of info!
http://invisionfree.com/forums/happy_tur.
1.) Identify the species. We really cannot help unless we know the species. I must have missed the ID question, but we can usually help. You can also try the galleries at http://www.tortoise.org or http://www.austinsturtlepage.com.
2.) The red spot may be sun-scald, not necessarily a big deal by itself.
3.) Turtles don't really get lonely.
