18 yr RES questions

[queen koopa]

Just acquired an 18yr old RES from a friend. Male. So he’s been in a 20 gal tank with no dry pads/basking area his whole life. I will be changing his enclosure completely and his diet will be upgraded . I am using Austins Turtle page care sheet.

So I just got him today and filled his normal tank with filter. I situated the filter horizontally under water instead of vertical. He began scratching his back on the bottom of the filter unit. Crazy like. Which I’ve seen in many turtle species. Koopa my sulcata does the butt wiggle dance in the water. Well Raphs shell lost some too scutes? Layers? Idk. Here it is. His water quality has been poor. Ive more filter replacements on the way until his new enclosure is ready.

 

[queen koopa]

 

[queen koopa]

This is where the pieces of shell came off. I Rinsed him and did light brushing with a new tooth brush, then dried him.

 

[Markw84]

All completely normal. Aquatic turtles shed their scutes regularly. There is a problem if the DON'T shed them.

Everything looks fine with your turtle and looks amazingly healthy and in good shape despite the care you said he previously received.

The black blotches are normal darkening of plastron also. Male sliders normally will become melanistic as they age (darken) to the point of almost being a black turtle without patterns. Yours is on its way to that.

The front marginals do look like they've been chipped and healing nicely now. Can't see that too well in the pictures, but it looks like its doing OK. That is common for larger turtles kept in small tanks and they are always banging into the sides or other objects in the tank.

All in all, a nice turtle.

 

[queen koopa]

All completely normal. Aquatic turtles shed their scutes regularly. There is a problem if the DON'T shed them.

Everything looks fine with your turtle and looks amazingly healthy and in good shape despite the care you said he previously received.

The black blotches are normal darkening of plastron also. Male sliders normally will become melanistic as they age (darken) to the point of almost being a black turtle without patterns. Yours is on its way to that.

The front marginals do look like they've been chipped and healing nicely now. Can't see that too well in the pictures, but it looks like its doing OK. That is common for larger turtles kept in small tanks and they are always banging into the sides or other objects in the tank.

All in all, a nice turtle.

Oh good! Thank you!!!!

 

[PressureReptiles]

Nice looking turtle you got there. One thing I would change about your tank or when you upgrade the tank is to remove the Gravel. Turtles can accidentally eat gravel and get impacted!

 

[queen koopa]

Nice looking turtle you got there. One thing I would change about your tank or when you upgrade the tank is to remove the Gravel. Turtles can accidentally eat gravel and get impacted!

Thanks! I will for sure. l wanted to remove it right away because of that reason. But He’s had it for so long I did not want to shock him... can’t wait to get him out of that tank.

 

[Markw84]

Thanks! I will for sure. l wanted to remove it right away because of that reason. But He’s had it for so long I did not want to shock him... can’t wait to get him out of that tank.

I wouldn't worry about an impaction risk with an aquatic turtle because of substrate. Tortoises are a different story. We put them in unnatural enlcosures where the substrate will stick to food placed in for them to eat, not growing for them to browse. An aquatic turtle is in a different situation in the water and eating. They do benefit from picking through substrate looking for food. Exercise and enrichment of a natural activity. They sometimes in the wild eat some small pebbles, perhaps to aid in digestion? IF they can eat it, they can pass it. Aquatics don't have the hydration issues tortoises do and have to hold urates that could accumulate and use substrate particles as a precipitation nucleus. They simiply dump excess amonias into the water almost immediately.

Sand, gravel, small rocks - all fine with aquatic turtles.

 

[PressureReptiles]

I wouldn't worry about an impaction risk with an aquatic turtle because of substrate. Tortoises are a different story. We put them in unnatural enlcosures where the substrate will stick to food placed in for them to eat, not growing for them to browse. An aquatic turtle is in a different situation in the water and eating. They do benefit from picking through substrate looking for food. Exercise and enrichment of a natural activity. They sometimes in the wild eat some small pebbles, perhaps to aid in digestion? IF they can eat it, they can pass it. Aquatics don't have the hydration issues tortoises do and have to hold urates that could accumulate and use substrate particles as a precipitation nucleus. They simiply dump excess amonias into the water almost immediately.

Sand, gravel, small rocks - all fine with aquatic turtles.

Ah great to know Mark always schooling me for the better ?