shedding on red eared slider

Question
I just got two (boy and girl) red eared sliders 1.5 years old.  They are healthy,
like to move around a lot, but they are shedding like crazy.  I have them in a
70 liter tank with about 45 liters of water, but when they stand there is quite
enough room between them and the top, though I know they will need a new
tank soon.  they have an excellent filter, as well as a heating element at about
80 degrees (I think), I have been changing all of the water everyday.  I read
the previous post by the owner of yellow Eared sliders and know about the
stress of moving, though they have the same tank and everything.  I do not
have a UV lamp for them yet, (5 days today), but they have been shedding
tremendously (the water gets murky with their dead skin) since I got them.  
The only thing I could think of so far was in the beginning I filled their tank
with lukewarm water cuz that's what the owner told me, let it acclimate 30 m
in, then turned on the heating element and let that acclimate for 30 minutes.  
I read that hot water comes from old pipes so this time I used cold water, but
don't expect any change.  Help please!

Answer
1. As you know, your tank is small. A bigger tank will allow more time top pass between cleanings, adn be less stressful.

2. Shedding skin rarely fouls the water- that is usually waste materials and things in the water growing on it. The other pollution comes from decaying food, often at the bottom of the tank where the filter cannot hit it. Change water by vacuuming off the bottom the tank to get rid of this stuff.

3. You mention a filter- if you check the articles on filtration at http://www.austinsturtlepage.com you will find some good stuff about good filters that will reduce your work load. Get the bigger tank first, though.

4. Grab a cheap thermometer so you know the water temps. Aim for between 75-80F.

5. There is no such thing as a 'yellow-ear slider', it is the Yellow-bellied Slider- a near relative. (Minor point, just offered FYI).

6. Next time, 'lukewarm water' is a bad way to start. Use your thermometer to get the tap water close to 75-80F to minimize thermal stress to the turtles.



Basically, it sounds your turtles need some tweaks to their basic cares. The shedding may be a sign of stress, or it could be some fungal growth on the skin- both will go aaway as things in the tank get better!

Besides Austin's Turtle Page, another great site is hittp://www.redearslider.com