Urgent Care :: RES Turning Red under shell

[jeffmeiers]

This is my 22 year old RES Freddy, that I've had since i was 5.

Lately her skin has been turning red. At first, I thought it was sunburn, since I got a new bulb about a month ago. Its a 65 watt heat bulb. But it never seems to go away.

Also, she has been shedding and has developed white spots on her shell.

Her shell is very hard, has been eating normally and still has plenty of energy....Could it be sun burn and mineral deposits on her shell?

With an addition to the small filter and air pump you can see, I have a Fluval 306 canister filter. Its a 72 Gallon Bow tank with about 35 gallons of water. I do a 1/2 water change every 2 weeks.

I will admit, the photo is a bit aggressive on the red hue, its not thaaaaat terrible, though it is noticeable.

Any information would be great.

[steve]

It's not unusual to see a bit of pink tinge on some areas of the skin, however redness is usually a sign of septicemia. Considering her age, I would consider having her checked out.

[jeffmeiers]

Are you sure? Her appetite has been consistent. It is more of a pink, than a red. Do you think it could be sunburn?

Also, what do you make of the white spots on her shell?
Ever since the age of 5, her shell has been an ugly brown. She sheds every 4-5 months, I guess? Is there anything you can suggest to do, at this point - besides using a toothbrush and lightly massaging her shell (i started doing that)

[steve]

They wouldn't get sunburn. Is the 4-5 month shedding of skin or scutes?

[jeffmeiers]

Scutes.

[jeffmeiers]

I also found this on your site, regarding the red color:

Keep an eye out to see if the pink comes & goes. Reason why I say this is because RES's have really bad blood circulation & when they sit in the same position for a long time (like basking or sleeping), their blood can pool under the skin & turn it pinkish/reddish. This pinkish color should disappear in a few hours after they start moving around again.

Keep an eye out on your turt & see if the color comes & goes.


She isn't red now....perhaps this could be the redness.....any idea regarding what can be done about the shell?

[jeffmeiers]

again, it was more of a pink than red

[steve]

I don't think the redness is related to the scute shedding, but shedding every 4-5 months would be a lot and not normal. The shell might have fungus, can you post a larger pic? As for the other advice... it's up to you. A blood test will determine if there is septicemia or not.

[jeffmeiers]

I've attached two images.

Please let me know if you have any ideas

[steve]

I'm seeing some shell fungus underneath those scutes, which in itself is manageable. However, it can cause secondary infections which you need to be on the look out for. I'm not sure if I'm also seeing some redness on her scutes... might just be the picture.

[jeffmeiers]

Is there anything else you would suggest, other than using a soft tooth brush and cleaning it? I've been doing it once every other week for about the last 2 months. I also started using the vitashell cream. Does that help?

[steve]

No, Vitashell does not help. Search the forum regarding fungus and silver sulfadiazine... it's treatment is well documented.