Urgent Care :: White Spots on Shell

[afallan]

Hello,

I used the search function and have found related topics, but I'd rather a couple opinions just in case. Anyway's I've noticed several white spots on my turtle's, Toit, shell. At first I assumed it was algae, but it started spreading more, but not together. I just assumed it was scutes and it would eventually come of, though I'm not sure of my analysis. It could also be a fungus. I'd rather have some of you guys tell me what it is. Here are some pics of her shell.






Anyway's here are her specs and that of the habitat:

Length: 5.5 inches
Water Temp: 72-75 degrees (heater/thermometer)
Tank Size: 40 gallons
Heat Lamp: Yes (87-92 degrees)
UVB Light: Yes
Basking Platform: Yes
Filtration: Yes
Food: Reptomin/krill/shrimp/bananas
Activity: Yes especially when she knows it's feeding time

Also, I have male RES, Mike, in the tank also. I know 40 gal is not enough for the both of them, but I'm currently saving up to build a pond in our backyard, at least 120 gallons. Mike on the other hand appears to be healthy. No white spots or anything like that. He's about an inch smaller than her. I've had them for the same time, about 2 years.

So any advice and treatment would help.

Thanks,
afallan

[Nettle]

I'm no expert on shell afflictions, but it looks like some fungus got underneath the loose scutes. You can see that the scutes near the front of the shell have air bubbles underneath which means that it's shedding, but the ones in the back are pure white.

For the time-being, I'd separate the two so it doesn't spread (if it is a fungus).

Also, your turtles are developing pyramiding. I would stop feeding them krill, shrimp, and bananas. They're collectively too high in protein and sugar. Try feeding them some greens; at five inches they need it.

Here's a link for nutrition info from the main site:

http://redearslider.com/index_nutrition.html

[steve]

I'm not ready to say fungus, though it is a (likely) possibility. Normally, the fungus has a spread pattern, while in your pics they look limited to the older scutes. Can you take any macro shots?

Fungus is contagious, so you should separate them if possible.

[afallan]

Those were actually taken on the macro setting. I'll try to take some pics of just the white spots.

afallan

[marisa]

From those pics, it looks like the white is on the baby scutes that never shed. Are they coming off at all?

[afallan]

She shed her scutes like she's suppose to do, but I don't really keep track on which part of her shell they come from. So yeah, she's shedding her scutes, but I don't know if they are what you refer to as baby scutes.

[steve]

Baby scutes are the original scutes. You can see that as she has grew, the shell growth expands from the baby scutes.

Several of the white spots are located in those scutes.

[afallan]

So should I be overly worried and is there an over the counter remedy I can use? I was thinking of dry docking her to give her more time to dry off and hopefully the fungus stops. Any advice other than separating my 2 turtle apart?

[steve]

If it is fungus, it will continue to spread. If it penetrates deeper, it will cause the scutes to be retained. Silver sulfadiazine is prescription only, but easy to find online. It's not too expensive, so you might want to consult a vet to make sure about using this treatment.