Urgent Care :: georges shell

[steve]

The whitish growth looks similar to what my turtles had. It was infectious in nature but the vet could only preform a fungal test, which came back negative. It could be bacterial or viral as well, or a fungal infection that has ceased completely. It's penetrated the very thin layers of their scutes, so it will take a few shedding cycles to get rid of the discolored shell. If your turtle is not basking enough, then it will get worse. Perhaps your vet will have a chance to diagnose it and offer some plan of treatment.

[Andrew7769]

he basks quite a bit but i am building a new basking area for him.....heres some preliminary pics of it in pieces




^doorway


all the pieces...the piece that is clamped down is gonna be the side w/ a plexi glass window on it, i took a router and made a place to set the plexiglass and i have it all assembled mostly now....but i am making it in school so these pics are actully for my woodworking class portfolio, all the guys think im a geek for making a turtle "house" i just gotta put the floor on and seal it up then im thinking of just mounting my turtle dock as a ramp for it...... once i get more pics i will make a seprate post. i think this will help george feel more secure.

[Andrew7769]

now that i think of it he has slowed down in the basking department but i think thats because its getting colder....when ever i come home from school he is on the turtle dock in the superman pose and his shell is completely dry so i think he is ok, but some times he likes basking on the ramp part with his butt in the water so maybe thats why the spots are on the bottom of his shell....will keep you posted

[SpotsMama]

FYI, over several years time my turtle's shell went from having a little bit of white - like yours, Andrew7769 - to being almost entirely white today. The white seems to have damaged the outer layer of his shell. He's never shed. I've taken him to two vets and neither seemed to know what the problem was.

Until about 6 months ago Spot didn't have UVB light and he didn't bask much. Since I found this site I've made a lot of improvements and now he has plenty of good light and he basks a lot. But his shell still isn't right.

I saw a post from Reptilegrrl where she lowered the ph of her turtle's water and his shell got a lot healthier and he started shedding. Our water - like Reptilegrrl's - is very alkaline. I'm working to lower that ph (it's hard to do!) and am hoping that it will finally cause Spot to shed that damaged shell so he'll be all healthy again. See the post at http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... highlight=

Some of Spots scuts were lifting before I started lowering the ph and I think a lot more of them are lifting now. I've broken off some small pieces and the shell is dark and healthy underneath.

Andrew7769, if your water is very alkaline you might think about Reptilegrrl's experience. Maybe lowering the ph will help your turtle.

[Andrew7769]

yes it is pretty alkaline........ill try out the ph thing, he has shed a bit since ive had him i would say about 6 scutes total non of the ones with the white spots though

[steve]

If this condition is still getting worse, then it will not get better. On my turtles, it has stopped spreading. It is under one or two thin layers but should be clear after a big shed or several smaller ones - provided it stops spreading first.