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Question
Sorry or the trouble. I have a RES and he just died. He was a baby and he started to get white things that kind of look like bread in water for a long time. He is now dead but I want to know the problem so it won't happen again. I don't know any vets in Hong Kong do you? Please help

Answer
Hi Max,

I'm sorry for the loss of your turtle.  It sounds like he may have had a bacterial or fungal infection that caused his death, but there are probably reasons why he got sick in the first place.  RES are farmed in huge numbers, mostly in the U.S., and exported all over the world.  They're cheap, so there's not a lot of effort put into making sure that each hatchling is healthy and doing well.  Many of them do get sick and die, unfortunately.  The other thing is that you may have been given bad care information; that's very, very common.  For some reason pet stores don't seem to have a clue as to how to care for RES properly.  For example, you can't keep them in a bowl and feed them dried shrimp.  Hatchling turtles are really pretty tough, but they have to be cared for properly.  Essentially, they need a tank with swimming room and a basking area (and RES grow to be pretty big, so eventually you'll need a large tank of at least 50 gallons for a male, larger for a female); water temperature of about 75-78 degrees and a basking temp of 88-90 degrees; a good source of UVB; good filtration; and a good, varied diet that includes both animal and plant material.

Here's links to some good websites that you should read over:

www.redearslider.com
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-red_ear_slider.htm
http://tortoise.org/general/watcare.html

I'll check around for a Hong Kong vet.  If I find a name for you, I'll post it.  Please post back if you have any other questions.