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Scooter, my a-little-over three year old RES has a bit of a shell problem. We noticed a small opening on his shell, that has been bleeding a little. After inspection of his habitat, we discovered he has rubbed himself against a sharp edge on his feeding ring. We have removed the feeding ring from the tank, and we have him housed in a 20 gallon bucket with water, a lamp, and basking island, while his 30 gallon habitat drys out. The bleeding has stopped, and after examination, the reptile specialist at Pet Smart seems to think he will be ok. I need to know, should I take him out of the water and put him in a dry habitat? We have put Neosporin on the spot, as directed by the vet (from a previous experience) and the woman at Pet Smart. It seems to be looking better, but I'm going to call the vet in the morning. How much damage could it of done? Is it healthy for him to be out of the water for long periods? He is still eating, pooping, VERY active (at the moment hes running across my bedroom) , and acts normal. Is there anything OTC I can get for him, to maybe avoid a vet exam? Thanks for your urgent response.

Sorry the image quality isn't better, camera really sucks.


http://i33.tinypic.com/300z8fc.jpg

That doesn't look too serious. Keep him in a clean tank and apply the antibiotic daily and he should be fine. Don't keep him out of the tank, it will stress him more.

Okay, first, never trust the PetSmart employees. It's just better that way.

As long as the bleeding has stopped and he is still acting fine (able to swim, basking, eating, etc.), a minor cut can be healed over a few days without vet care. You want to keep his water exceptionally clean. You can apply some betadine and a triple antibiotic cream, like neosporin. Allow those to completely dry before putting him back in the water. You can keep applying them until the cut starts looking better.

After a few days, it should be looking good and starting to heal well. Then you just have to give it time, keep the water clean, and make sure your turtle doesn't start to act funny (like stop eating or become lethargic). At the first sign of any funny acting, you should head to the vet. But otherwise, he should heal up fine on his own.

I took him to the vet this morning. She told me he will be okay, but to paint the area with Sally's Hard As Nails clear nail polish, which I have done before, to seal the area and prevent infection. She also said to leave him OUT of the water for a few days, and only put him in a small amount (less than an inch, she said) for drinking and eating and stuff. She said RES can be without water for 4-5 days.

Alright so I ended up taking him back because we noticed another place on his shell and the other one started bleeding again a little when we put the nail stuff on him. They gave him an antibiotic shot, and he has to get another one on Monday. They also rubbed iodine on him, and said to watch him closely. Pray for my baby!!!

It sure sounds like he's in good hands. You're doing great to give him such care.

Keeping him out of the water except for a few hours a day for eating and drinking is pretty standard treatment for serious shell infections. It's true that a turtle can live like this for quite a while, but he can't go without water altogether for very long.

Did your vet say anything about Nolvasan? It's an alternative antiseptic to iodine that is gentler on tissue. Also, did the vet say to dilute the iodine? Undiluted iodine is pretty strong stuff. Finally, a fairly standard treatment for shell infections (in addition to the antiseptic and dry docking) is to apply an antibiotic salve. People use Neosporin or something similar, or silver sulfadiazine (which is a prescription from the vet).

Good luck. I'll certainly keep you and your little guy in my thoughts. The fact that he's eating and active and the injured area isn't very large are all positives for him.

Sounds like you are really working hard on his care, which is a very good thing!

Turtles often rub their shells up against this or that, and sometimes get little "sores" like the one you described & from what you showed in the photo. I have had this in the past with my turtle as well, and as long as you keep the area very clean, change the water frequently, the problem should just grow out eventually.

No need to keep the turtle out of the water for 4-5 days though....that seems a bit excessive. You could leave him out during the day to dry off & let him sleep in water for 8 hours at night. The container filled with water that you let him sleep in can be a smaller container than your regular tank. Just keep the water heated to the right temp (78-80) and he will be very comfortable. No need to provide a basking area in the "sleeping tank" since he will be out of the water during the day anyway.

Keep us posted on how he is doing!

He got his second shot this morning. He was NOT happy. The vet seems VERY impressed with his shell. I keep him out of water most of the day, and only put him in the water to eat and drink, about 3 or 4 times per day for about an hour at a time. He doesn't seem to mind sleeping out of the water. He had stopped eating, but he is eating a little more now, although I haven't seen him eat today. I'm about to try to feed him again in a little bit. I just thought I would let everyone know he is doing great! Thanks to everyone who helped and prayed for my little guy!

-Tiffany