Red Ear Slider help?!

kaia

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May 8, 2015
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Skopje, Macedonia
Here's the thing.
I've had my red ear slider for 4 years now, and just recently I discovered that his shell is peeling off. I read that it is a normal thing, but I'm scared because the shell underneath doesn't look healthy. He eats properly (he's got a crazy appetite), he is pretty active, everything about him other than the shell seems fine. Note that the shell isn't soft when touched. BUT, I don't have a UV lamp since none are sold in my country, there is no reptile vet, and every time I order one online it comes broken. I won't stop trying. For D3 vitamin I give him egg yolks (he loves it), and sometimes I put him outside in a tank to bask in the sun.

Does he look okay? What do I do? Thanks...
P.S. The way they sell turtles here is insane (Macedonia). They place about 10 baby red ear sliders in a small plastic tank (the one with the plastic palm), and can provide NO supplies for them, no UV lamps, no heat lamps, NOTHING. The only thing they tell you is to feed them dried shrimp and change the water in the insanely small tank (I call it plate) occasionally. And yet people wonder why their turtles die within a year. This disgusts me, and should be illegal.
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Yvonne G

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It is perfectly normal for the top layer of the scute to flake off occasionally. The only thing I see on your turtle's shell is an excess of algae. You can brush that off with a toothbrush, however, you can also leave it on, as it's not harming the turtle.
 

mike taylor

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If you can't buy a UV lamp build him a nice outdoor pond . Then bring him back in ,in bad weather or cold weather. This is how I keep my sliders year round.
 

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kaia

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May 8, 2015
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Skopje, Macedonia
@Yvonne G @mike taylor @Tidgy's Dad
Thanks for the advice! Luckily, I found the person that used to own the only reptile store here (sadly closed it), and he has a UV lamp, going to take it today. Jaque (the turtle) is a bit aggressive when I hold him so brushing him with a toothbrush would cause him a lot of stress, so I would leave it like that.
Thanks again! :tort::<3:
 

Tidgy's Dad

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@Yvonne G @mike taylor @Tidgy's Dad
Thanks for the advice! Luckily, I found the person that used to own the only reptile store here (sadly closed it), and he has a UV lamp, going to take it today. Jaque (the turtle) is a bit aggressive when I hold him so brushing him with a toothbrush would cause him a lot of stress, so I would leave it like that.
Thanks again! :tort::<3:
Good news.
Make sure the uvb isn't any form of coiled bulb, these are often bad for torts eyes and can cause blindness.
 

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