Salmonella (Intestinal Infection)

• Symptoms: Bloody stools, diarrhea, loss of appetite. Highly contagious disease that usually arises from dirty water and contaminated food.
• Caution: salmonella can be passed to humans. Wash hands after handling your sick turtle.

Sore Eyes

• Symptoms: A common infection where eyes may appear swollen and shut.
• Cause: Dirty water and Vitamin A deficiency are among the causes.

Softening of the Shell

• Causes: Insufficient exposure to sunlight and calcium deficiency can lead to this. It can be fatal if not treated in time.
• Remedies: Make sure your pet gets more sunlight, and supplement its diet with calcium powder from pet shops.

Shell Fungus

• Symptoms: White patches or cotton-like layers on the shell probably indicate shell fungus.
• Remedies: Gently scrub the shell with a toothbrush and let your turtle in swim in a tub of warm salty water for at least 30 minutes daily. Please see a vet if symptoms persist.

Prevention is the Best Cure

Here’s how you can help your pet turtle from contacting these diseases.

• Keep the water clean at all times.
• Provide a well balanced diet with enough calcium and Vitamin A.
• Give enough exposure to sunlight daily.

Related Topics

• 9 Tips on Buying Small Pets
• Turtle: Red-eared Slider
• What Are The Best Food For Turtles?
• How To Prolong Hamster’s Lifespan?

Commercial Turtle Food: Commercial turtle food is convenient and available at most aquarium and pet stores. It usually comes in “stick” form and requires no preparation. Make sure you choose a brand offering adequate nutrition for your pet turtle.

Aquatic Plants and Vegetables: A wide variety of fruits and vegetables, from dark green leafy vegetables to chopped apples, are suitable. The older the turtle, the more it will prefer a vegetarian diet. Aquatic plants purchased from aquariums are good too.

Insects: Besides insects, your pet turtle can also eat meal worms, bloodworm and earthworm, adding more variety to its diet.

Live Feeder Fish: Making your turtle exercise before a meal is a good idea. It will keep fit by chasing and catching small fish like “drain” guppies.

Meat: Lean chicken and beef are appropriate. It is best to boil the meat before offering it to your turtle, as fresh meat may contain harmful bacteria.

Related Topics

• Common Turtle Diseases: What You Should Know
• Turtle: Red-eared Slider
• 9 Tips on Buying Small Pets

Although these tips are universal to buying any domestic pet, nonetheless it is still good to take note of them anywhere.

Take Note On These Tips When Buying Small Pets

1. Get an animal only if you are ready for the responsibility of pet ownership.
2. Learn about the animal you intend to keep from friends, books, and the Internet.
3. The breeder should be able to supply useful information about the animal. Don’t buy from casual “backyard” breeders. If possible, adopt one from your local shelter—not all are catered to abandoned dogs and cats. Unless you are looking for Iguana!
4. Overcrowded conditions (e.g. 10 rabbits in a small cage) promote the spread of diseases. View the animal’s current living conditions before you buy.
5. The animal should look active and alert, not skin and bones. There should be no visible bare patches or scabs on the skin or excessive discharge from eyes or nose.
6. Look out for fluid-like or mucous stools, which signal diarrhea.
7. Guinea pigs may have parasites like fur mites, which appear as small, dark specks on the fur—if you watch closely you’ll see them move!
8. Never buy underage animals. Pet stores are not allowed to sell rabbits below four weeks old or those smaller than six inches from head to tail. These animals still need their mothers’ milk and may die without it.
9. Don’t feel the pressure of buying the pet by shrewd sale tactics such as, “It’s a popular pet,” “It’s has unique marking,” “They sell like hotcake.” If you feel you’re being “pressured,” dismiss yourself from the pet store. Come back another day and see if you still have the same desire to own that pet.

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• Basics On Hamster Characteristics
• Rabbit’s Body Language: What Does It Means? – Part 1
• What Are The Best Food For Turtles?
• How To Deal With Injured Birds
• Common Turtle Diseases: What You Should Know
• Guinea Pig’s Behavior and Sounds: What Do They Mean?
• Facts About Guinea Pig

Scientific name: Trachemys Scripta Elegans
Common name: Red-eared Slider

Characteristics: A Red-eared Slider is distinguished by the red or yellow strip behind its eyes.

Dietary habits: Omnivorous. Interestingly, young turtles prefer meat (insects, guppies, tadpoles) while older ones prefer vegetables (aquatic plants).

Sex differences: Male Red-eared Sliders have longer front claws than females and longer, fatter tails.

Lifespan: Turtles continue to grow throughout their lives, to about 30cm in length. In the wild, they have an average lifespan of 10 years.

Common diseases: Vitamin A and calcium are essential as they often suffer from eye infections and soft shells.

Special Facts: In general, turtles are messy eaters. As clean water is essential for good health, it is best to have a separate feeding tank.

Important Note: Turtles breathe air, and they cannot swim indefinitely—they must have a shallow or dry resting place away from deeper water, or they will drown!

Related Topics

• Why Iguanas Might be the Best Pet Ever?
• Common Turtle Diseases: What You Should Know
• What Are The Best Food For Turtles?
• 9 Tips on Buying Small Pets