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21 votes

My Indian flapshell turtle fell from 3rd floor. How to know there's any internal damage by his behaviour?

It's impossible to tell if an animal - especially a reptile like a turtle - has internal injuries from it's behavior, unless it's currently dying. A vet must examine the animal to find internal damage....
  • 30.9k
9 votes
Accepted

How can I reduce my need to do a water change on my turtle's habitat?

There are a few ways to reduce the frequency of water changes for your turtle. Just keep in mind there is no running away from water changes. Have an efficient biological filter: This very obvious ...
  • 2,472
8 votes

Painted turtle hit by car!

Get her to a vet. You are asking strangers on the Internet for medical advice here, but you should actually ask a veterinarian. They have the knowledge and equipment to diagnose and hopefully help her....
  • 30.9k
7 votes

Red flesh coming out my turtle's tail

It looks like a prolapse of some sort. It could be penile, cloacal, or intestinal. Do you know for sure he is a male? Females can also have cloacal prolapse as well as intestinal. If the tissue is not ...
  • 461
6 votes

How can I find out the species of my baby turtles?

I'd be more inclined to think they're probably yellow belly sliders which are the same as far as care and size go, but they don't develop the red marks on the side of their head. I would stick with ...
  • 3,073
6 votes

What could I use to clean limescale off of tank glass?

To clean aquarium glass you can use: A kitchen scrub made of plastic, the ones made for cleaning pots and pans. A paint scraper, you can get this in your local hardware store, be sure you do not ...
  • 19.4k
5 votes

What could I use to clean limescale off of tank glass?

Get a razor-blade scraper from a hardware store if you don't want to remove everything from the tank. You can lower the water level to catch what you scrape off, or use a in-tank siphon cleaner, but ...
  • 3,073
5 votes

Are there any species of turtles that won't eat fish?

It will be difficult but not impossible to find a turtle which fits your needs. There are some main factors you need to focus on: temperature and water quality. The temperature will be important for ...
  • 5,829
4 votes

My female red eared slider's awkward behavior is concerning me

It sounds like your Red Ear Slider might be carrying eggs. One of the signs is going from calm to hyper, nonstop like you described. IF you can take her outside and let her roam around she might nest. ...
4 votes

My turtle is pregnant what do I do?

So, turtles have eggs in their bodies that go through stages and cycles. While the eggs are in the body is when the male fertilizes those eggs BUT a male is not a necessary factor for the eggs to be ...
  • 3,027
4 votes
Accepted

Is Indian Flapshell Poisonous

In TurtleForum they happen to ask the same question as you did in one of their threads(search near the bottom): Yes, softshelled turtles are generally extremely aggressive, have very long necks, ...
  • 1,120
4 votes

Painted turtle hit by car!

Hit by cars, on any animal, need to be seen ASAP. A pet may look fine at first glance but there is a high chance of internal damage that may only be apparent when it's too late. Your veterinarian ...
  • 12.6k
4 votes

My Adult RES climbed off the sink and fell on the floor. I need help. :(

You should visit a Vet with her. Like trond hansen wrote, there could be internal injury you can not see, but which could kill your turtle. After this you have to prevent your turtle falling out of ...
  • 5,829
4 votes

Can I leave my Red Eer Slider turtles alone for 4 days?

Turtles can be left alone for a few days, although there is some risk, so it is best to have a friend and neighbor check on your turtle in your home each day if possible. You could also move the tank ...
  • 1,572
4 votes
Accepted

What could I use to clean limescale off of tank glass?

Limescale is made of insoluble carbonates of calcium and magnesium; in other words, they are salts of carbonic acid. Salts undergo displacement reactions: for instance, weaker acids tend to be ...
  • 125
4 votes

Should I free this turtle?

Should you free this turtle? Meaning one: let the turtle loose into nature No! Pets should not ever be "freed" like this, for multiple reasons. For example, pets aren't able to find their ...
  • 5,829
3 votes

What turtle aquarium substrate suits for "filtration" bacteria?

Just about any type of aquarium safe gravel or sand will work for a substrate. I find the best to be smaller grain so that uneaten food and waste doesn't accumulate between the grains. I would avoid ...
  • 3,073
3 votes

My turtle's shell flakes off

A turtles shell From Mader Reptile Surgery and Medicine A turtles shell is covered by a superficial layer of keratin shields called scutes. Both scutes and underlying bone are capable of ...
  • 12.6k
3 votes

Is the white spot disease from gold fish contagious for turtles?

Ich, also known as "white spot disease," is a disease that affects freshwater fish such as goldfish (there is a marine variant as well). Being a reptile, turtles are not at risk for ich and so won't ...
  • 20.3k
3 votes
Accepted

Determine the sex of indian flapshell turtle

Males tend to have a longer thicker tail than a female only when they are fully grown. Females tend to have shorter nails also. The males have longer nails on their front feet. This is in general of ...
3 votes

My turtle cracked his plastron

Is there blood? Do you see any notable difference in the way he walks? or the way he is acting? The picture is blurry but the break doesn't look as bad as it could have been. In simplified terms, a ...
3 votes
Accepted

How dangerous is the current situation for my turtles?

That is perfectly safe for the turtles, there is no need to rush it at all. I asked the same question to my vet a while back, and his answer was that in such cases I should just "look out to mother ...
3 votes

Is it advisable to "tame" a turtle?

It all depends on what you want to get from your pet turtle. If you get happiness just from providing it with a happy habitat and seeing it go about it's day amicably, then your turtle should become ...
  • 15.5k
3 votes

I came home from work and one of my turtles was missing a foot. What should I do?

Aggression from males towards prospective mates is normal amongst more reptiles. The problem is that in captivity, a female unwilling to mate can be bullied endlessly and has practically nowhere to go ...
  • 2,472
3 votes
Accepted

My turtle is acting weirdly. I am worried he could be dying

Turtles get stir crazy and want to go around exploring and looking for other turtles. There is no solution, other than getting bigger tanks and adding more turtles.
3 votes

Are cats fine around turtles?

Each cat varies but rule of thumb is to never let predatory species interact with prey species unsupervised (if at all). Turtles will at least have some defense but they should be kept separate. ...
  • 12.6k
3 votes
Accepted

Guppies and turtles together?

You can try guppies but chances are your turtles will eat them, however if you add enough plants for them to hide in they may survive. Another easy way is to just scoop out the larvae with a small ...
  • 12.6k
3 votes
Accepted

Indian flapshell turtle not eating

I have consulted the vet they told it was result of heavy cold in this region.
3 votes

Do aquarium turtles require basking every day?

Ok, I will leave the filter- and space-questions to others (I am not too good at those when it comes to turtles), but pointers about the light and the sitting on the flowers: About the light: Turtles ...
  • 2,102
3 votes

Traveling across country with red eared slider

Don't worry much about it, a few days without basking or swimming won't really affect his health. It will be uncomfortable, that's true, but it will be the same for the whole family. Cardboard is not ...

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