yellow bellied slider? from the lake...

Question
my sister and I found a little tiny turtle walking on the road away from the lake we live on. we took him home and put him in a little tank. i know he's a lake turtle because there are lots more just like him in the lake. we want to keep this one as a pet, though. recently we noticed that he is all fuzzy. it looks like he's growing fluffy lint all over him. if you try to pull it off, it's attached pretty well and doesn't come off. what is that? is he going to die? what do i do? he's still very active and seems like he feels good, but i'm worried.

Answer
kori,                                                                   The fuzz is probably a fungus.....add some erythromycin to the water. 7 days change the water. Remember turtles need water changes often. Their water needs to be kept at at least 74 degrees. You can get submersible preset heaters. They need a good uva light. You want to put that over the are you have made for them to get completely out of the water. Do not pull it off.....after the 7 days take a soft toothbrush and clean his shell. Make sure you are feeding him baby turtle pellets and definitely supplement his diet with greens like collards and turnip greens. They love blood worms, krill,white tuna,chicken breast(no fat)boiled. Try all these things find out what he likes. Don't let him get picky. You can make a turtle lasagna.... chop everything in a food processor not too fine layer and freeze it. Break off pieces to feed him. As he gets larger you will be able to sex him males have longer nails and a short fat tail. Females have neither of these. When he is about 4 inches start feeding him in another container. Just a cheap dishpan from walmart. Just make sure the water is deep enough he can swallow it while he eats or he will choke. Also as he gets bigger make sure he has filtration for his water. Feeding him in another container will keep his tank alot cleaner ....they are very messy eaters....Good Luck, Tina