abnormal feces/ lesions

Question
QUESTION: Hi!I have a red-eared slider, female. She's about 8.5" long(shell). I rescued her from the flood about two years ago. Lately , i noticed she have this soft feces with liquid every time our temperature drops or when we put her in a basin with water enough to submerged her totally. She doesn't want to be in the water. She wants to just roam around our terrace. Our terrace doesn't have a roof so she can get enough sunlight.we provide her a shallow basin with water where we feed her. we live in the Philippines so when it's rainy, she have this abnormal feces.. Her diet is consist of lettuce and pellets. She is active, her eyes are clear.. What do you think is wrong with her? Another concern of mine is, I found this lesion , i think, in her feet. It is round and hard. Looks like a callous with yellow color.. I'm getting worried.. please help..Thank you very much.. :)

ANSWER: Cristy Ann,    Como estas, I hear this problem alot from the warmer countries. You still need to keep her in a controlled environment. The problem with the bottom of her feet is from not being in her water enough. She is desperate to get to that sunlight without it she will not digest her food correctly. She will not create the vitamin D-3 she needs to create calcium to keep her bones strong and healthy. The water you feed her in try to make it as close to her tank water temperature. Which should be at least 75 to 80 degrees consistent. She needs a basking area she can dry off totally and it should be 90 to 95 degrees. I will send you a care sheet to set her up better. Her diet needs abit of work. Lettuce is full of water and has very little to no nutritional value, unless you are feeding the mustard or collards or turnip greens. Soften the greens abit in some boiling water (your harder greens). They love squash !!!! As far as protein I put a couple feeders goldfish in my tank for exercise and food or I give her tuna fish and sometimes some boiled chicken. Limit her protein intake to maybe twice a week with her greens. Another way to get her the veggies easily is buy a bag of frozen and see what she likes. You want to keep her diet as varied as possible. The pellets always but, more as a supplement. When your rainy season hits she feels the difference in temperature like a baby so you have to keep it consistent as I said. The size tells me she is probably older maybe over eight years. Don't let her train you!!!!!lol She needs to be in the water but, it needs to be temperature friendly. Get her habitat set up abit better and get her off the lettuces and this should take care of her runny poo. One of your most important things is your lighting and heat. If you can heat the water and have the basking area your ambient temperature should stay ok. The UVB lighting is her life giving light it is not for heat just calcium production. Here is a sheet for you. If you have any questions please ask.  http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm  Good Luck, Tina

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my cute turtle   QUESTION: Hi Tina! In our language, como estas is "kamusta", means how are you.. :) Kamusta Tina? :)
Thank you for your advise.. I'm now giving her mustard greens and she loves it.. So, should i put her in water to treat her lesion ? i noticed, everytime  she's dry, the lesion turns brown but if she is always wet, it is yellow in color..
Another Question, i'm putting her in a diet right now because she is a bit overweight.. how should i feed her? i'm afraid to give her chickens or tuna because i'm afraid she gets fat again..Salamat ng marami. (means thank you very much).. God bless you, Tina.
i attached pictures of her.. :)

Answer
Cristy Ann,   Thank you for the correction. If I can remember, excuse the spelling Mya Uumen. Is that I am well? She does need abit of protein because of the type of turtle she is. If she is abit overweight stick with the tuna it is leaner and her veggies. At her age it is not necessary for her to eat everyday. You can get the weight off of her faster by feeding three times a week. Even though she's going to pout...lol be tough and don't feel guilty. The weight is sooo dangerous. She needs to be able to pull her whole her whole head into her shell. That extra fat is going straight to her liver and collecting there. Watch for yellow lines down her legs if she gets there she needs to go to a vet immediately for medication. The problem is that the when the liver starts to fail and it happens quite rapidly the other organs start to fail. So the diet is great for her. Oh and they love squash too!! She is adorable. She looks like shes not too overweight though her carapace is sitting kind of high but,she doesn't have the bulging at the arm and neck area yet so your just in time. Great mom!!!

         The lesion, what will heal it quick and it is cheap is betadine solution from your drug store. You will want to mix this with dechlorinated water or water you set out overnight open so the chlorine can evaporate  then add betadine till you have a nice medium tea color. Make it only as deep as it needs to be. Soak her once a day for about twenty minutes. This will kill all the bacteria and stop the lesions growth and permit healing. Rinse her very well before returning her to her tank. You can use the solution more than once if need be but, not more than three times before making a fresh solution. She may always have a small scar there always watch it that will be a susceptible site for infection from now on. That should take care of that.

         A couple tips to keep her tank cleaner and make it so much easier for you, you can feed her in a separate container and not her tank. A decent size dishpan will usually do the trick. Fill the pan and let it sit overnight. Make sure it is full enough for her to drink while she eats or she may choke. They do not create saliva and their tongue is fixed. They usually poo not long after eating then take her to sun or back to her tank. Another kool fact is that the shell is not actually a shell. It is part of her skeleton. This is her ribs and invertabral spine. Another reason to watch weight. She is about full grown and will not grow to meet her weight. So the pressure inside her being crushed by her ribs no good. She looks wonderful though. A little diet never hurt any girl with a little extra back fat....lol She is a very lucky turtle!!!!! God bless you guy's too!!!, Tina