I have a red eared slider turtle, who won't grow. I've had my turtle for 10 months. It's about 2 inches. Also, the bottom shell is soft and squishy. Please help. I want to help my turtle.
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For a soft shell please first check your light set up. The turtle needs the right kind of light rays so it can process vitamin D from it's food. This vitamin makes bones and shell more solid and if missed will cause soft and deforming shell.– AllerleirauhCommented Mar 26, 2022 at 20:25
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Have a look to this question for more information: pets.stackexchange.com/questions/26456/…– AllerleirauhCommented Mar 26, 2022 at 20:27
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1 Answer
Here is what I've been able to find about this turtle:
A male red-eared slider reaches sexual maturity when his shell is approximately 4 inches long. Depending on nutrition, that's between the ages of 2 and 5 years. A female's upper shell must reach 6 to 7 inches in length before she's sexually mature, which occurs between the ages of 5 and 7 years.
Based off that finding, it sounds like your turtle is growing at a normal rate. From your question, I don't know the age or sex of your turtle, but if its within its first year, I think its growing just fine. Make sure that it gets proper nutrition to help ensure that it grows at the expected rate.
I've found a video that discusses turtle shell health. One of the things mentioned that could make a shell soft on the top and bottom is shell rot. This could be indicated by pink/white spots on the shell. There is too much information to list here in that link, but check it out. Typically, poor conditions cause shell rot for turtles in captivity. They provide a home remedy for mild shell rot, but its not guaranteed. The video above also shows what a healthy turtles shell should look like. If it looks similar, there could be something else going on.
