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Herplover461   Gottee guy   Kiddiemenumeal  
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 #1829867


Herplover461
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 Soft shell help

ok so i was fishing the other day and this guy came down to the water holding a little critter ceeper which obviously had something in it so nosy me asked what the heck it was come to find out it was a baby smooth soft shell turtle that he was going to relese into the river so i figured that it would do better with me than in a highly polluted river. so now ive got myself into a pickle, I’m not sure what to feed the little guy he is so small (roughly the size of a silver dollar) i am giving him chopped up night crawlers and he loves them, he seems to be in good health he is very active and loooves to swim. right now he is in a 20 gallon long aquarium with enough water for him to sit on the bottom and still get air he has a little underwater cave and a basking spot with a basking lamp im going to get some sand for his home this week sometime.

any suggestions would be highly appreciated and tell me if you think i dug myself a hole i would rather give him to a GOOD pet store to adopt out then not give him the proper care with me. thanks in advance.

will post pics soon
08/13/08  04:39pm

 #1829964


Gottee guy
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   Message To: Herplover461   In reference to Message Id: 1829867


 Soft shell help

first, get a UVB light.nothing should be blocking the UVB light when you put it over the cage. it should be around the basking spot or wherever your softshell goes the most.
make sure there is nothing he can get caught into
second,they eat turtle pellets,worms(mealworms,waxworms,superworms,earthworms,silkworms, nightcrawlers,etc)(but don’t feed the first 3 kinds of worms i listed very often)feeder guppies and minnows(but NO goldfish),collared greens,fruits,crickets,insects,only romaine lettuce, etc.
it will eventually need about a 200-250 gallon pond when it gets older,or maybe even a bigger pond if possible.soft shelled turtles grow big.
10 gallons of water per inch of turtle. a 2 inch turtle,a 20 gallon at least.
make it a bit deeper.the water depth should be at least the height of the turtle,when it is vertical.
all turtles love fake and live plants. i’d get some.
playsand is a good substrate for them.it just takes a while to settle.
i wouldn’t give him to a petstore.they way overcrowd their turtles,no doubt about it.
08/13/08  06:11pm

 #1830012


Kiddiemenumeal
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   Message To: Gottee guy   In reference to Message Id: 1829964


 Soft shell help

I have one and he eats fish, worms, and pellets, romain lettuce.
08/13/08  07:09pm


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