whats up with my florida softshell????

[Mampam]

i have a florida softshell i bought from an exotic pet store, on 9/23/07
he was about (1 1/2 in)
and i dont even think hes grown an inch to this day!!!!
but if so, thats about max!!!

he was never very active, but i know hes healthly, (spending much time
just sitting on the bottom)

i didnt let'im burrow for a while hoping hed get used to me, that didnt work!!!! he is still scared of me

i have a basking light, which he uses

i know youll think im crazy, but hes been living with my snapper for a few months, they get along great lol!!!!, and i think thats what made him a bit more active

but the snapper has grown about 4X larger since i first got'im 8/3/07

ill post pics asap

 

[Miguel]

small softshells are always afraid of people. they also are slow growers, very slow growers.

Is it eating?

what do you mean by using the basking light? Does it climb out of the water for that purpose? Softshells in dry land, basking, is, in my experience, a sign of poor health.

keeping him with the snaper, forgive my french, is plain idiocy.

turtles are not friends. Nor do they need friends.

 

[Vicious_Fish]

What's your water temperature like? The reason he's probably basking so much is because it's too cold for him.

 

[Mampam]

lmao, i guess i didnt explain everything

i put him with the snapper like 6months after i got him, in which before he still wasnt growing

he dosent bask all the time, but sometimes, (thats not a sign of poor health, ive read
several times softshells love to bask) i guess it depends on the individual

the water is warm due to the two lights (about 75-78 degrees maybe)




my first softshell (spiny) denies many of the things u guys are saying

in only 5months, he almost TRIPLED in size

he basked alot

lost fear of me in about a month (and begged for food)

and lived with my cooter (who disappeared from my pond)

the reason he died was cuz, when i was cleaning his tank, i took him
out and put him in a fish bowl, but before i could gently place him in there
he slipped out of my hand an fell onto the glass, (only about 2in)

a few days later the front of his shell became deformed, and
he died