Turtle Health

Backstory: http://www.cornsnakes.com/forums/showthread.php?t=97045

Soooo my eastern painted (Yurdle) has moved into a good 75gal filled with about 60-65 gallons of water with a 70gal canister filter. I keep his water clean and feed him Omega One turtle sticks, assorted veggies like romaine lettuce, cucumber, and carrots, and the occasional calcium dusted crickets or f/t feeder fish.

I know he should have a UVB light, and his basking light is not in the best spot. Unfortunately, we do not have space for the big wooden lid that is on the tank so we can't fit the heat lamp anywhere other than where it is. I'm also not sure if I can even fit a UVB light under the wooden thing. *sigh*

Anyway, I was wondering what the heck is going on with his shell? His previous enclosure did not allow him to get completely dry, his tummy would stay wet. But the top got dry, which is why I'm wondering what's going on. Even though I have him in a fairly good set up, he still has some retained scutes! Should I help him get those off? I mean in some places it's like he has 2-3 all piled up on each other! Though I have noticed some improvement. Before, on his sides there was no shell, just a fleshy strip like the shell didn't connect on the sides. Didn't look like overgrowth of flesh, just a lack of shell. It was odd. But now his shell is connecting and it's getting some nice color.

I just want to know if he's healthy, and if there is anything I can do (other than a UVB light) for his poor shell, and what the heck you would even call what's happened to it. He is male, and weighs 238 grams.

Tank (I had it looking nice but he rearranged everything just the way he liked it so I left it that way.)


Old Shell:


New Shell:

Things definitely look better for him. I am glad to see he is starting to get better. I know my brother in law's RES had some retained scutes, I helped them off, but they basically came off when I rubbed the shell with my bare hands... I keep telling him that I will take the turtle if he does not get a better enclosure for it (he keeps it in a 10 gal. that they got from me when the turtle was not much bigger than a 50 cent piece... Once I set up my turtle enclosure I am going to rescue the little guy.

Aw outcast! Definitely try to get the RES into something better. D:

Good news! Got the OK to take off the wooden lid! Gonna get a UVB light ASAP.

That should definitely help with the scutes. At least that is what I have read.

Great that you're getting a UVB light! UVB is absolutely VITAL for any basking reptile (lizards, tortoises, turtles). In other words, depriving your turtle of UVB for an extended period of time can be literally life threatening.

I was going to say, if he doesn't have UVB, he at least needs to get out in natural, UNFILTERED sunlight for several hours a week to make up for it.

Even with the UVB, nothing beats natural sunlight, so any time you can get him out in the sun in addition to the UVB is great... Especially if he's been without UVB for any extended period of time, as he may have a severe calcium/D3 deficiency (worst case scenario, he may have serious MBD) that the extra UVB radiation from the sun will help him overcome faster.

Unfortunately, UVB and space requirements are the only things I really know about aquatic turtles, so I'm not much help beyond that. If you haven't been there already, though, http://TurtleTimes.com seems to be a really good turtle forum, and they may be able to steer you in the right direction for solving any issues you're still having.

Good luck!!!

Decided to order a Mercury Vapor Bulb! Found a good one online and I should be able to get it next paycheck.

I have heard about how good natural sunlight is, but I'm not sure our yard is safe for him. There are stray cats everywhere, and even though I will supervise him I don't want him running through poo residue or something like that. Perhaps I could put him in a box and sit there with him keeping an eye out for birds of prey?

Also, whenever he gets crickets/feeder fish I dust them with a calcium/D3 supplement because I figured his shell could use the help.

Thank you guys for the advise!

When we moved to my new place I set my turtles all up on our back porch. My little guys couldn't be happier, I hope to get a stock tank heater, and a large canister filter, so I can set my guys up in a larger tub. I will of course bring them in during the winter, so they do not freeze.

If I had my own place with a porch or backyard then I would totally have this guy outdoors during the summer! Unfortunately I can't have that kind of set up here.

Which Mercury Vapor Bulb? Some aren't good--dangerous, even, like compact fluorescent and Reptiglo UVBs. The two most recommended MVBs are MegaRay and T-Rex Active UVHeat. The "second runner up" for when you're in a pinch or the other two are on back-order is the Powersun.

The sooner you can get UVB, the better!! Even if you just get a Reptisun 10.0 from the local pet store and put off the MVB for when you have to replace it 6 months from now... Whatever the case, it shouldn't be put off.

As for taking him outside--this Tortoise Forum thread (http://tortoiseforum.org/Thread-Cheap-Easy-Simple-Sunning-Enclosure?highlight=outdoor) gives a fantastic idea for a quick, cheap outdoor enclosure. For an aquatic turtle like yours, you could fill it with water and put a cinderblock or something in the middle (water just below the top of the cinderblock) for basking. That solves the concerns of poo in the yard. As for the danger of predation, if you need to leave him alone at all, you can just build a top for the enclosure.

I'm going with the MegaRay (this one http://www.reptileuv.com/megaray-sb-100-watt-self-ballasted-flood-uvb-lamp.php ), was recommended to me by someone on another forum who owns a tortoise. I knew some were dangerous, which is scary. :C

Oh my gosh that is fantastic! I love that set up... I am so gonna do it now. I doubt I would have to leave him alone, it just makes me nervous knowing that there are birds of prey in the area. I'll probably use a large storage bin, we have a few laying around I think. Though there is no hose outside so I'd have to bring down buckets of water... that would be a bit of a pain, but still. I am so doing that. Thank you so much for the information!

I have run into a dilemma! :C I just took the wood hood off, took off the glass hood underneath, adn tried to put the mesh lid on. Well, the input/output from the filter make it impossible for the lid to go on the way I want it to! So it's on.... but looks like crap. I personally have almost no problem with that, but the tank is in the livingroom and this is not my place. Sooo... here are some pictures. Any suggestions?

Cut the screen just enough to route the filter I/O thru the holes.

How could I cut it? Rather, what could I cut it with?

Great choice! The MegaRay is supposed to be the best.

I'm glad the idea works for you! Are you sure there isn't a hose hookup outside somewhere? If there isn't, are you on the ground floor? You could get a hose that hooks to a standard sink faucet and just feed it out the window--get your water that way instead of having to haul it out. Anyway, I hope you get it figured out!

For the lid problem... Is the basking spot so close to the top that the turtle could escape? If not, just ditch the screen completely. If it is, cutting the screen would work but might pose a problem since you can't just slide it out without bumping any heat lamps, etc. Cutting the metal rim off would solve that problem. You could also try to find a screen that will just fit in the half above the basking spot, or something along those lines.

Also, about your heat lamp, it still needs to be closer. If the basking spot is honestly 90F+ with the heat lamp at that extreme height, then it's probably a good idea to get a lower wattage bulb, lower it down, and save lots of money on your energy bill.

It's also best if you have it pointing straight down on the basking spot, to focus the heat (again, energy saving technique). This will be especially important when you get the Megaray, because MVBs HAVE to be hung straight down, with the face of the bulb parallel to the ground. Having it hang at an angle can damage the bulb and shorten its lifespan. If you can get a lamp stand, those work great and solve the problem of where to hang it from... I have the larger Zoo Med stand over my bearded dragon girls' 75 gal tank, for their MVB. It works great:

I did consider ditching the lid, actually! I don't THINK he could escape... but we have 3 cats, 2 of which would be more than happy to jump onto his tank and get themselves in trouble. I'll consult with the house and see if it would be a problem.

Unfortunately, we live on the 3rd floor and I've searched the whole building for a hose, no such luck. :C But I will still take him outside, it really is good for him.

I know that MVB lights need to be hung straight down, that's another thing I should have asked about. I'm not sure HOW I'll get it to do that. I don't trust that old ugly hood that his heat lamp is now, I will be replacing it with something better soonish. And getting a thermometer, I've been bad about not using one yet. :C

Ooh, yeah, cats. That might be a problem. I don't know what you would use to do it, specifically, but you might be able to just cut a chunk out of the screen (rim and all), which will solve the hose problem while still leaving you the ability to slide the screen on and off.

For hanging the light, like I said, the lamp stands work great. If you don't have the money to buy a lamp stand, though, and looks don't matter too much, a well-placed ceiling hook and an old wire hanger can work, too: (had to do this pre-lamp stand, lol)


If you get an infrared temp gun (i.e. PE-1 temp gun by Pro Exotics), you don't have to worry about finding something water proof and you can use it to check temps on your other reptiles, too.

Hmmm... a temp gun would be much more convenient, especially when dealing with multiple reptiles. I'll have to look into those.

Where did you get that lamp stand? I found one online http://www.connecticutvalleybiologi...9.html?zenid=9af3dec1140fd97bd85e0458e756a224 That looks good.

I just bought this one: http://www.amazon.com/Reptile-Lamp-Stand-Full-Size/dp/B000255OUO at the local pet store. Just make sure it's the larger one before you buy online; they also sell one for 20 gal tanks and smaller that wouldn't be nearly big enough for a 75 gal.

Ordered the bulb tonight! Now to get the hood and something to keep the light pointing straight down.