Soft shell turtle 4 foot tank

[jojo_nature]

This is my soft shell turtle , not sure what exactley i think she could be Apalone spinifera but not really sure . I'm getting most of my information from austinsturtlepage.com , can anyone tell me what she is or anywhere with good info for softshell's ?

 

[jojo_nature]

[YT]TLqM8OSdaLE[/YT]

 

[barracuda123]

Her back looks alot different to my baby's back

 

[jojo_nature]

I think i wasn't giving her the right diet & uvb lighting when i first had her so that's down to me , ive done more reasearch since though & am hoping everything is ok now but am always open to good advice from anyone .

 

[olllie]

How about give him a BIG tank so he can strech out?
And as you said yourself, a UVB light. Big one too.
His body is WAY too small in comparison to his head and limbs.
Nice clear water though.

 

[zooherper]

Back looks like a nutritional problem. Excess protein in the diet and/or a lack of calcium (either supply or absoprtion) can cause the humpback effect you got going on there. An easy way to cover both bases is to toss the turtle pellets and feed only whole fish and shellfish with insects occasionally. Turtle pellets are really high in protein, and very easy to overdo it with them. Stick with the more natural "whole food" diet and you should be good. Hard for me to tell what kind of softie that is (it's a busy thing, trucking around like that lol)but it looks like a spinifera. I like you tank, it looks pretty nice. I would add some sort of floating plant so the turtle can feel "hidden" underwater.

 

[Natalie]

I love softshells. You have a nice pet there, but he's going to outgrow that tank really quickly. The sand bank is taking up valuable swimming space. Why not get rid of the sand and place a floating basking dock at one end instead? That way he can have the entire length of the tank to swim.

 

[barracuda123]

I think i wasn't giving her the right diet & uvb lighting when i first had her so that's down to me , ive done more reasearch since though & am hoping everything is ok now but am always open to good advice from anyone .

Well, what I am doing is forcing my turtle to bask in the sun one hour a day. I get a small tub, put the tub in a dog cage to stop predators and leave her. I also offer pellets rich in vitamin d3. Finally you should do something about the sand bank. No offence but its not my 'cup of tea'. I suggest you larger tank, add a platform where your turtle can sleep on at night.

 

[jojo_nature]

Thanks for the advice all , i think the back problem is down to excess protein early on . I didn't know enough about their diet & gave him to much prawn's, worm's , cricket's & high protein pellet's iv'e since got her a range of balanced pellet's veggy pellet's too , i did.t realise at first that she ate veg either so i think iv'e got her diet ok now & have got a repto 10 light in the tank now. I did buy a floating corner island that attached with magnet's but she's too big & just end's up floting free around the tank & she can't get on it then so i gave up & did the sand bank instead , i think trying to build her something to bask on might be the task .

 

[barracuda123]

make a dock that does not float.