Urgent Care :: HELP my turtles shell looks weird..

[alluneedislove26]

Hello! I took my turtle out of his tank today for a bit because i was putting a new basking spot in and i noticed a bunch of white on his shell..Ive never noticed it before bc well hes usually swimming and you cant see it when he is wet but it has me like really worried!! Im a new turtle mom (I found him ab 2.5 weeks ago in a swimming pool so im really concerned ab his health..) and just want to make sure hes ok.. i feel awful that i didn't even know his shell was like this bc of the water I hope hes not sick! thanks so much for your time! i have included 4 pictures of him DRY like he was out of the water for ab 10 min before i took them so you could see the spots..bc like i said when he gets wet they completely disappear,..so odd? thanks again!

How big is your turtle? 1.5"
How long have you had it? 2.5 weeks

What is the water temperature? 75-78 (water heater i ordered should come in this week
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? not yet its coming in on wed
How much water is in there? its a 10g tank and its ab 4-5" deep
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? 80-84
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? a fake rock made for basking
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? turtle pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? 5 min ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10g for now.. currently saving and hope to have him in a MUCH bigger one within the month
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? no he seems very happy! basking, diving, swimming, shamelessly begging for food now, not afraid of me anymore just concerned ab his shell

[steve]

It could be fungus or mineral deposits. Do the white marks show up in the same spot? What happens if you gently scratch it with your fingernail?

[alluneedislove26]

no they dont show up in the same spot actually.. and i just scratched at them and some did nothing and one r two seems to kind of be like flakey.. is this shell rot u think? or shedding? or fungus? Thanks again for being so helpful!

[alluneedislove26]

should i take him to a vet?? he seems happy and normal..

[steve]

Can you dab a small amount of vinegar onto the shell? It might be just hard water deposits, which is not harmful but it could also be the start of fungus.

[alluneedislove26]

yes! Ill do that right when I get home tonight from work! What should I expect to see when i dab vinegar on it? any kind of reaction? Should I just do it once tonight or do it multiple times a day? Thanks again for all your help!

[steve]

It should help it make it disappear. I also suggest taking a series of shots, over a few days to see if they actually do show up in different areas.

[alluneedislove26]

ok will do!!! Thanks so much!! Ill keep you updated and thanks so much again!!

[smartygurl]

Cute little guy you have there. I hope you find out what it is and let us know!