Help! Suddenly own an aquatic turtle!

Slively1128

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My son is an animal lover and we went to buy him a turtle at petsmart. They were out of the turtle he wanted and the associate mentioned they had a turtle up for adoption and they could not sell him because when they recieved him the turtle had a scar on his shell that they thought looked like it came from maybe a heat lamp being to close to him..(so sad:()...so i talked it over with my family and a week later decided to fill out the adoption paperwork thinking itd need approved and take a while. Well literally i signed a paper and they handed me the Mikey in a cardboard box.i had nothing but a 30 gallon tank which i now after doing research am scared is to small..i got a turtle dock for him to crawl out of the water to bask, a ub/heat lamp combo, filter, water condition and a water heater that keeps it at 78 degrees it says. I also bought turtle food but need to know what type of aquatic turtle he is in case he needs a variety like leafy greens crickets or feeder fish etc.. My first question is what kind is he? From what I've researched i think hes a yellow bellied slider but then saw theres a cumberland slider thats similar so im not sure. And honestly could be wrong and him be neither. My next question is what is wrong with his shell and what can i do to help him? I read about shellrot and freaked but then about shell shedding and turtle skuts not shedding right..but dont know what is wrong so can properly take care of this turtle. Any advice or thoughts i would appreciate.

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Tom

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I'll let someone with more aquatic turtle experience give you specific advice, but hello and welcome. That is a nice looking turtle and the shell doesn't look too bad at all.

Anthony from @theTurtleRoom has been posting a lot lately. He's very experienced with all sorts of aquatic turtles.

@Markw84 is a friend and also very experienced with aquatic turtles.

We have many experienced turtle keepers here on the forum, but these two are the first that come to my mind. Good luck and keep up posted.
 

Yvonne G

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The first thing that sprang to my mind was Reeves turtle. Let's see if @Calaveras in online right now. He'll be able to help you.
 

mark1

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i'd guess golden thread turtle , which is a type pond turtle which includes reeves , if it is a thread turtle it's m.sinensis ……. i'd treat the shell like it's something , clean it occasionally with chlorhexidine …. if it's solid under the keratin , it's probably nothing to worry about…..
 

Markw84

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@mark1 is correct. That is a Chinese stripe-necked turtle - Mauremys sinensis.

The turtle looks to be in pretty good shape. The bumps or raised scutes you are referring to are actually the three lateral keels the Mauremys genus turtles all exhibit to varying degrees. Keels are lateral raised ridges on the carapace. A normal characteristic of how they look.

The damage is old and is healing nicely. Looks like most of what you are seeing is already the old scute layer shedding. Nothing needs to be done there, it is healing nicely.

A very nice turtle!
 

Calaveras

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What Mark W said.
The only thing that I would add is that the scuts are not shedding well. It may get better with normal growth, but I would keep an eye on good nutrition and not overfeeding. You are looking for moderate not fast growth.
 

JTH

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@mark1 is correct. That is a Chinese stripe-necked turtle - Mauremys sinensis.

The turtle looks to be in pretty good shape. The bumps or raised scutes you are referring to are actually the three lateral keels the Mauremys genus turtles all exhibit to varying degrees. Keels are lateral raised ridges on the carapace. A normal characteristic of how they look.

The damage is old and is healing nicely. Looks like most of what you are seeing is already the old scute layer shedding. Nothing needs to be done there, it is healing nicely.

A very nice turtle!
 

JTH

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Agree, this is Mauremys (or Ocadia) sinensis. It appears to be in good shape; that tank looks a bit small for it though.
 

Slively1128

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Its a 30 gallon in the picture. I bought a 49 gallon corner tank w a bow front but looking for a stand for it to fit. Its 39 by 27 by 27 (i believe. Am at work n going from memory of the measurements) any suggestions on where to look online semi cheap?
 

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