Urgent Care :: Baby RES with shell issues?

[kamekichi]

Hello everyone. I'm a first time RES owner and to be fair, I'm one of those who was presented with two babies and told how easy they were. Having furry pets in our apartment is a no-no and I've been wanting a pet for years, so I got them. Only when I came home last week and did the research did I get all the details and how much care they require, but that's no problem, they are great little guys - I just want to make sure I'm giving them the right care.

I have had them for two weeks. Yawara has always been more laid back than Taro but a few days after I got them I noticed little whitish markings on Yawara's carapace. I didn't have a UVB lamp so I had been taking them outside to get sunlight each day. I got the aquarium last week and took them to a vet who said she did turtles on Friday. She noted that Yawara had a slightly soft shell but said she told me to adjust how I cared for them first - get the UVB lamp, more water and heat, and filtration - and felt that should fix it. So I've been gathering and setting up over the weekend and finally got the last piece (the UVB and some calcium) yesterday. Some days they eat better than others, but after I got the calcium, they don't seem to like food coated in it. They don't swim much when the UVB light is on. Here are some pics:

Here is Yawara's carapace on the floating dock.

Their current set up. The water got cloudy after I put the calcium-coated food in.

Close-up on the shell.

After reading about soft shells and MBD, I'm more worried than the vet seemed to be, so my question to you guys is: should I get a second opinion with a listed herp vet? How long should I see if the better environment will help before I go back to the vet? What else can I do for my RES in the interim? I am so worried and had thought going to the vet would give me peace of mind...

[steve]

I'm not certain what's going on, though I think you are right to be concerned. Do the areas have the same texture, just different coloration?

[kamekichi]

Steve thank you for your response. I touched its shell...it doesn't feel different from the rest of the shell but the shell isn't exactly super smooth, is there a certain texture I am looking for?

[steve]

A rough texture might be exposed bone layer, a soft texture might be shell rot. What did the vet say and did they offer any treatment?

[kamekichi]

The whole shell feels rough to me, but I think it just may be I am not used to what turtle shell feels like...at least I hope. The vet on Friday only commented on the slight softness of the shell itself but didn't seem worried - she felt that putting the turtle in a better habitat (getting the bigger tank, uvb lighting, etc) would fix it. I asked how long to monitor and she said it should be fine until a six month check up but reading about turtle bone problems seemed more urgent. I am just wondering, if it were a minor issue, within how much time would it be reasonably resolved before I should see a vet again?

[steve]

Hatchlings will have a sightly pliable shell. The time it takes the shell to recover can vary depending what's wrong with it. Unfortunately I'm not sure what's going on from the picture. I would make sure his setup and water quality is perfect. I would consider some basic measures to see if there is improvement... dry docking, gentle Betadine scrub, for starters.

If there is no improvement or it worsens (spreads, color change, odor) then it should be checked again. If you're not comfortable with your current vet, it might be a worth getting a second opinion.

[kamekichi]

Thank you Steve, I feel much better now knowing what to look for. I will keep a close eye and try some of the solutions you suggest.