<Hi, Pufferpunk here>
I was given a turtle who is roughly 3 years old. The previous owner got him in
FL at one of the many shops. He is a small turtle with a red spot on the side
of his head so I am guessing that he is a red eared turtle.
<That's red eared slider>
Anyway, about 2 weeks ago, his plates on his back started coming off. Now it
looks like the skin on the bottom of his shell is shedding. I am no idea what it
is! I took him from her because she was not taking care of him. Please tell me
what to do! He may be just a turtle, but he is still a pet!
<Not just a turtle if God made it & you love it! Not to worry, shedding it's
scutes, is how it grows. Be sure it has lots of swimming room & clean
water. Add vitamins to it's food & a calcium block to it's water. It also
needs a nice basking spot under a light. Good luck with your "flaky"
friend! ~PP>
Rebecca
Shedding Turtles 1/16/06
Hello, I have three red eared sliders. I think I have 2-females and
1-male. I think one of my females is pregnant but I don't know how to tell if
it is. Could you tell me how you can tell? I wanted to know how to tell if I
have males or females, too.
< Females are larger than the males. Males have very long front claws. It is
difficult to tell if a turtle is pregnant. The first sign is usually she is
digging a pit in the dirt to lay her eggs.>
My two bigger turtles shells look foggy or kind of like they have
chalky. (whitish) on different spots of the shell. It also looks like they may
be shedding. Is this normal or could this just be my water? I have really hard
country well water.
< Hard water is water with lots of minerals in it. As the water evaporates the
minerals are left behind. The minerals would resemble a whitish chalky
appearance on the shell or around the perimeter of the tank. If they are getting
ready to shed then the scutes on the shell would get cloudy just before they
fall off.-Chuck>
Turtle with Shell Rot - 1/6/06
I have a male Peninsula or River Cooter that is 2yo. He is housed in a 20
gal aquarium with a 6 inch feeder goldfish. I use ReptiSun UV bulbs and I
have two over the edge filters, one at each end of the tank. He doesn't have a
great basking spot, so I take him out of his aquarium for 4-5 hrs a
day. Sometimes he goes outside if the weather allows, otherwise he hangs out in
a Rubbermaid box in my garage. He eats ReptoMin sticks twice daily
and crickets or mealworms occasionally. I've been fighting a spot on his
plastron for about 2 months now. I thought it was shell rot because it was
soft and it was a round area where his shell was missing. It has never been
"cheesy" now has it had any odor or discharge. I treat it every day with
Betadine and allow him to stay dry for a period of time. It has grown from 3mm
in Nov to 7mm in Dec. It doesn't seem to be getting much larger, but
the tissue inside of it is puffy and firm, like a soft tumor. It is a little
rounded from his plastron and now the edges of the outer shell are
starting to peel, like it wants to grow again. The tissue looks white to pale
pink and sort of rough. Is this still shell rot or something entirely
different? My husband is not exactly thrilled with taking the turtle to the
vet; I'll have to work on him! Thanks for any help you can offer in the
meantime.
< A trip to the vet is probably in order. This is a bacterial infection. A good
hot basking site would have probably prevented this and dried out the shell. The
basking site should get up to 85 F. The correct light bulb is very important for
vitamin development but heat is required to fight infections. Think of it like
you getting a fever when you are sick. Turtles cannot generate their own heat so
must seek an exterior source.-Chuck>
Hello,
<Hi!>
We have had two map turtles for 2 years now. We keep very good care of
them. They are in a 60 gallon tank that is kept at 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and
there is a floating basking area with a heat lamp above. We have a Fluval 304
water filtration system.
<Sounds great.>
One of the map turtles has developed something new on its shell that
caught our attention. There are small spots on the top of the shell that look a
slightly lighter color. I believe the discoloration is due to air pockets on
the shell that get filled with water. When the turtle is out of the water, the
shell is not discolored. The shell is nice and hard everywhere. Except, at the
locations where there is discoloration in water, it seems like there is a very
thin layer of the shell that is loose. I can see it move slightly if I rub it
hard. It is very subtle. Otherwise the turtle is doing well. It eats well and
is behaving normally. The other turtle displays no symptoms. Please let us
know what you think.
<It could just be that he's shedding. Turtles do shed the outermost
layer of shell once in a while. Otherwise, if it seems to get worse and is not
resolving itself, I would heartily recommend that your turtle visit a
veterinarian that's used to dealing with reptiles, just to be on the safe side.>
His name is Talui. Thanks.
<Tell Talui we wish him the best. -Sabrina>
Possible Shell Rot 10/6/05
Hello! I have recently purchased two red eared sliders, they're very small,
their
shells are maybe 2.75-3 inches long at most. They might be illegal, but I
bought them from a licensed pet store .One of them has a white spot on
(her?) shell that has been there since I bought her. At first I thought it
was shell rot but it's not soft or fuzzy and it hasn't changed in the few
months I've had her. She's very active, eats well and enjoys basking on her
island under her lamps. I keep the water very clean and she shares the tank
with her brother and a handful of hearty zebra danios. The tank is well
ventilated and I have a very good completely submerged filter that agitates
the surface of the water. She eats turtle pellets and I keep a calcium block
and a medicated block in the tank with them. What could the white spot be
and how could I get rid of it? It has a sort of darkish ring around it and
I'm afraid she might be sick. Thank you! Sarah
< Keep an eye on the spot and measure it. If it gets bigger then it may be shell
rot. This can happen underneath the outer layer of shell too.-Chuck>
Treating Sick Turtles 10/5/05
There is no vet in this area that know about turtles. I have checked
already. That's why I wanted to ask you about it. Is there any way I can treat
it without driving a long ways to a vet. Please help. Jessi Rae
< Treating shell rot can be done at home but it is very difficult. You need to
get a sharp Exacto knife and cut away the infected areas down to undiseased
shell. The cleaned areas should then be treated with a wound control antibiotic,
like Repti Wound Healing Aid from ZooMed. The tank must be very clean. A Dr.
Turtle Sulfa Block by ZooMed needs to be in the water to help prevent
infection. The basking spot needs to be at least 90 F. Supplementing the food
with vitamins would be a big help. Good Luck.-Chuck>
Turtle With Shell Rot 10/3/05
I have one more question about this abandoned turtle I have found. I was
holding her yesterday because I check the shell every day. Well on the bottom
of her shell she seems to be losing parts of it. There are red spots where it
looks raw, and white spots where it just fell of recently. I'm not sure what it
is so I don't know how to treat it. Please help me ASAP she needs to be taken
care of properly and I want to be the one that does it. Thanks much Jessi Rae
< Shell rot is a bacterial infection. The area must be cleaned before
antibiotics are applied. You should take your turtle to a vet.-Chuck>
Turtles With Shell Rot 9/26/05
Hi, I'm Jennifer. I just got 2 baby red ear sliders from a little stand in
Brooklyn.
< Bad Idea>
They don't treat them very well.
< That's why it was a bad idea.>
Anyway one of them has grey spots on it's shell, like 3 blotches. and the part
of the shell between his tail and left leg are very soft. I have only had them
for 3 days, but I have them in a tank with rocks and a filter and a heat lamp,
when winter comes I will put a heater in the tank. I feed them turtle pellets
and dried shrimp. Is he sick?
< Yes. Shell problems are very serious.>
Should I take him to the vet?
< Yes, a good vet will be able to treat your sick turtle with antibiotics.>
Will he get the other one sick?
< Maybe. If the tank is not kept clean and the proper conditions are maintained
then you other turtles can get sick too.>
My last 2 turtles didn't have any spots on them. Please e-mail me back, I saw
some stuff about a pinkish color and a cheesy looking bacteria, but this isn't
like that and I am very worried.
< The pinky-cheese stuff is the bacteria that is under the shell. Many times a
vet needs to get into the shell to treat the bacteria that is living under and
in the shell. Once the infected shell is cut away then antibiotics are applied.
It is a shame that a stand is allowed to sell sick turtles like this.-Chuck>
Turtle Troubles 9/20/05
Dear Experts,
My Son has had a RES since May 21st (my Birthday!!)
The RES is about a 4" shell. He "looked healthy" when we got him, BUT he has
always been very picky about eating, and recently --for about a month now-- he
appears to be NOT eating at all. We have a long 20 tank, with a heating/UV lamp,
with a bio-wheel filter, which is cleaned frequently; a basking (plastic) rock
(also provides hiding underneath), a REAL biggie rock (for quieting the filter
splash flow) and little more in he tank. His tank temp is always between 75-80
degrees. His water is almost ALWAYS clear enough to see right through, and is
fed from softened water, (so doesn't need chlorine treatment)
HERE are my primary concerns:
1. shell rot area on top of his shell now beginning to s-l-o-w-l-y spread
outward, with peeling shell.
2. not eating, despite food sticks, fresh feeder fish galore, real meat, veggies
and lots of variety...
3. poops (I think they're poops) which look like long white stringy muscle
shreds, or fat thread.
What's going on? Thanks so much!!!!Paul
< Use a thermometer and place it on the basking site. It should get up to 95 F
plus. This is where the turtle goes to increase his body temp to fight off
diseases, help digest his food and utilize minerals. I suspect that this area is
not hot enough and has lead to all these problems. Get a bigger wattage lamp or
move the source closer. Get a second florescent light that provides UVA and UVB
lighting. The shell rot will require exposing the affected areas, cleaning them
out and applying and antibiotic ointment. The dietary problems of not eating and
white stringy feces are probably related to food rotting in his stomach because
his metabolism has not been adequately warm enough to activate the enzymes and
digestive fluids to dissolve and absorb the food. Find a vet that treats turtles
for adequate treatment for both problems.-Chuck>
Turtle with Spots on Its Shell 9/3/05
Hi! We purchased a hatchling RES in August 2001. We live in Florida. He
is now
in a large wading pool, sunk into the ground, with filter and large basking
ramp. I do have to drain the water every week or 2 since the filter is not
keeping it clear, algae. He eats mainly turtle pellets, lettuce, other
greens. There are always small local fish in with him as well as occasional
goldfish - that he has to catch. All has been well but this summer there are 2
spots on his shell that are turning white. His shell is still hard and looks
great except for these spots. The spots are not soft and we scrubbed the shell
to
get a better look. I noticed on your site you mention sulfur blocks - I will
add one of these. Anything else I can try? THANK-YOU in advance. Laura
< Shell rot can occur under the shell too. Watch the spots closely and monitor
them for any change in size. With elevated summer water temps the water can
quickly foul and become a breeding ground for bacteria. Try and keep the water
as clean as possible by not over feeding and cleaning the pool more often. After
the turtle sheds you may get a better look at the spots and then determine their
origin.-Chuck>
Turtle With Spots 9/5/05
Chuck, The spots have enlarged a little bit over the summer. I will keep
the water cleaner. He shed in Feb or March and I'll watch for his next shed.
Anything to add or soak the shell in - salt water - (on just shell)? Thank-you
Laura
<Get a Dr Turtle Block from ZooMed and put it in the water. This will help
resist diseases.-Chuck>
Re: Turtle Shell With Scarring 9/1/05
How scarred will it be?
< The initial infected area will probably heal up as a black area. Every time he
sheds the black or dark areas will become a little smaller.>
He is only 4.5 inches long right now but the places cover a fairly large spot of
his shell. Is there anything I can do to reduce the amount of scarring?
< No sorry not really. The area affected by the bacteria is gone, eaten away.
Healthy tissue will eventually fill in the darkened areas but they may never
fill in completely-Chuck>
