Baby Yellow Belly Slider and Map Turtle

Question
QUESTION: I have a few concerns about these two.

They live together and have developed a coat of slime on their shells.  It's similar to the slime on the rocks in the tank. Also, the YBS leans to one side when he swims, could this be due to over-feeding? Could there be other problems? They are in a 3 gallon oblong container. They have water and land. They bask together under a heating lamp.
Thanks for your help!

ANSWER: A thin layer of algae on a turtle is not a problem, but swilling lopsided usually is a sign of pneumonia- a tricky problem to deal with.

I would also suggest that a 3 gallon tank is far too small- they really should be in a 20 gallon tank mostly filled- and they will outgrow even that in a year or so.

It sounds like someone has passed on some outdated advice on caring for these turtles. You may want to look at the care sheets at a good site for more accurate help.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-mississippi_map.htm

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/cs-yellowbelly.htm

And here is a link to pneumonia care:
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/medinjuries.htm
Good luck!

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks so much for you help! I read on one of the websites that an External filter is preferable. I bought a tank and it came with a filter that can be submerged, and I assume thats not an "external" filter, so I went to Petland and asked one of the employees and she recommended basically the same type of filter. What do you suggest? Is this okay?
Really, thank you so much for your help. I'm really worried about my babies :(

Answer
The articles on water quality at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com talk a lot about filters, and  it is my personal experience that...

a.) External filters do more work for less operational cost and with less work from you. Submerged filters are cheaper, but take a ton of upkeep when used with animals as messy as turtles.

b.) Pet shop employees rarely really know much beyond what the box says, or what someone told them, or what some caresheet they read said. There are certainly good employees out there, but I have to say that in our local stores, there are only a couple I think know anything about turtles.

c.) I know that it can seem like a lot of work and money for a rather inexpensive pet sometimes, but if you like turtles, a good habitat will bring you lots more joy as you watch the turtles move and interact in a more natural way.

Good luck!