Re: Why my 2 baby softshell died.A lesson to be learned.

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Posted by Luis on December 21, 2002 at 21:06:18:

In Reply to: Why my 2 baby softshell died.A lesson to be learned. posted by Flavia Guimaraes on December 21, 2002 at 11:29:31:

:OK guys Im not happy at all.Today I found 2 of my 5 babies softshell dead in their tank...On the beggining I had no idea why...Now I know what happened but I would like to know if you can discover why...Just a test to know how much you know about softies husbandry....
:One month ago I bought from a restaurant 5 tiny tiny baby softshell. I brought them home, I put them in a clay vase in my balcony, with sand on the bottom and a rock for basking. I changed the water each 3 days.I live in a tropical country where the weather is perfect for softshells.Its hot and sunny and humid.I gave them the best turtle pellets.They were doing great.Eating like cows, fighting, bullying each other, digging and growing. Just perfect!Thursday I asked my maid to change the water and clean the vase very well.She did that.She even scratched the interior of the vase to kill eventual bacterias.No, she didnt use soap or detergents only water and a brush.Yesterday I noticed that 4 of the softshell were basking.They even spent the night on the basking rock.Today when I woke up I found 2 of them dead with the back of their shells looking black and crushed. The 3 ones still alive have the same problem.Can you discover why??
:It looked as a complete mystery for me!!

:I couldnt figure out what was the cause of their death!...Then I noticed that the plant I bought a few weeks ago was dead too.Then I met a guy from a plant nursery and I asked him to come to my house to see what happened to my plant.He came and gave me the solution for the death of my plant and for the death of my turtles!!
:Well, according to him, people that make and sell clay vases want to make profit.So they want the vases to be ready soon.So they use a lot of very acid quimical produts, to make the clay dry sooner.With the water, these products after a few weeks start to dissolve and the acids will kill any living being put in contact with it.Doesnt matter if it is a plant or a turtle.

:He said to me to immediately take the remaining 3 babies softshell from the clay vase and to NEVER put any living thing inside no properly coated clay vases again.Did you know that???

:Flavia

Sorry to hear about your turtles.here in america NON GLAZED clay pots are very safe.I have used them for years for plants in aquatic tanks and have tested the water they leached nothing.I guess its different in your country.However treated glazed clay pots do leach harmfull chemicals so in that case use plastic pots.Sometimes pellets that are eaten while dry expand in turtles stomach and cause problems to.
Once again sorry about your turtles.Hope the other 3 thrive.

Follow Ups:

The 3rd one died today in my hands! Flavia Guimaraes 12/22/02 (2)
- Re: The 3rd one died today in my hands! honuman 12/24/02 (0)
- wow those pots are lethal n/m Luis 12/23/02 (0)