Soft shell turtle issue. Need advise

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JohnnyTBags

Exodon
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Mar 14, 2018
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hey everyone!

Post a bunch on cichlid threads as I’ve been a keeper for years but I just recently set up a small turtle tank for a baby soft shell.

At first he was active and eating like crazy. Now he won’t take food and seems to literally fall asleep on the spot. Constantly sleeping. He’ll be swimming. Get to a nice lead purch and fall asleep immedeitly. It’s very odd and not sure what to do. He’s in a 15g planted tank with a couple guppies. Water quality is fine. Just did water change and heat is around 78 degrees. Any help would be amazing
 
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JohnnyTBags said:
hey everyone!

Post a bunch on cichlid threads as I’ve been a keeper for years but I just recently set up a small turtle tank for a baby soft shell.

At first he was active and eating like crazy. Now he won’t take food and seems to literally fall asleep on the spot. Constantly sleeping. He’ll be swimming. Get to a nice lead purch and fall asleep immedeitly. It’s very odd and not sure what to do. He’s in a 15g planted tank with a couple guppies. Water quality is fine. Just did water change and heat is around 78 degrees. Any help would be amazing
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Got a UVB bulb? What's the air temp?
Any pics? Is he basking?
 
It’s the light that came with the aquarium. Air temp is prob 65-70 degrees. He is not basking, legit snoring away behind heater or sitting on top water plants head submerged. I’ll get some pics and upload
 
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JohnnyTBags said:
It’s the light that came with the aquarium. Air temp is prob 65-70 degrees. He is not basking, legit snoring away behind heater or sitting on top water plants head submerged. I’ll get some pics and upload
Click to expand...
That's probably it, without proper UVB lighting they can't function properly
 
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Agreed. You need the uvb light. I have a combo lamp on mine. My little guy spends a lot of time basking in and completely out of the water.

Does yours have a spot where he can completely get out and dry off?

That picture you posted scares me because they can easily drown if they don’t have a ramp or area they can rest comfortably with their head out of the water. Mine never sleeps floating like that.
 
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He does this all the time. And I don’t have an actually ramp but the tank is filled with plants that float and act as a bed. He’s up there a bunch just hanging. Nothing tho that he can come 100% out of the water. I thought softies didn’t need that. My buddy has one in a huge pond with no where to come out of the water and he’s 10 years old. Illy local FSE has a bunch large and small and none of Ramps
 
Well I don’t know what to tell ya about others keeping them without basking spots, but everything I’ve read says they need it. And my little guy is out of the water a lot. Just as much, if not more then my helmeted turtle.

I too have floating plants my guy climbs on, but that’s just for a quick breath of air. He’ll use his floating dock to bask and to sleep in the water with just his head poking out.
I think you’ll notice an improvement by adding a place he can come out of the water and adding the light.
 
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JohnnyTBags said:
He does this all the time. And I don’t have an actually ramp but the tank is filled with plants that float and act as a bed. He’s up there a bunch just hanging. Nothing tho that he can come 100% out of the water. I thought softies didn’t need that. My buddy has one in a huge pond with no where to come out of the water and he’s 10 years old. Illy local FSE has a bunch large and small and none of Ramps
Click to expand...
Ramps are needed for most species, esp when young
 
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