General Care Discussion :: History of Curing a Turtle's Shell

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 4:48 am   

so therefor, no good advice
cage69
 
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Post Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 4:59 am   clean

is it ok to clean with betadine everyday?



ps and btw your forum is really hard to post
cage69
 
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Post Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:23 am   

Image
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I had posted a post in urgent care about my turtles nose and shell. After further inspection her nose I believe is deformed do to a post trauma/injury. Her shell how ever was very dry, red, and try to peel.

These are some photos I took after washing her with hebiclense really well. Her shell looks better then before and the red stuff mostly came off expect for where i couldnt scrub so I think it was some kind of algae or something. But now that i saw this post i think she might have a fungus problem possibly? let me know if its just dry or its fungus so i can get that silver stuff. Do you have to get it at a vets and if so how much?

Also is she trying to shed on the bottom or is the way its peeling bad?
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Post Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:38 am   did you see that?

my turts hav a huge fungus problem

yours is not so much

i just wish i could talk live with somone that likes turts
cage69
 
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Post Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:49 am   need some help betatine

?
cage69
 
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Post Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 5:50 am   

how much time should i leave it on for???
cage69
 
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Post Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 7:47 am   

Diluted betadine would dry up if you apply it to your turtle and then dry dock.
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Post Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 2:13 pm   

Is she sheding ok the bottom or is the way it is right now bad?

So she doesn't have fungus???
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lunabebe4
 
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Post Posted: Wed Jan 21, 2009 9:13 pm   

cage69, if sometimes you don't get a response on here immediately, it's because responders aren't on. We may be at work or out for example. Please be assured that as soon as someone who may have some advice is aware of your question, we'll post a response.

On both of the shell issues, the most important advice is that all the things that make for a healthy turtle habitat (food, clean water, good UVB, lots of basking) are essential to creating and maintaining a healthy shell. It isn't glamorous - it's slow - but in the end if you stick with the program you'll have turtles with gorgeous shells.

The importance of basking under good UVB can't be overestimated in my opinion. My turtle made his most dramatic improvement when he started basking outside in the sun during the summer. He still does that, and during the winter he's inside under the best UVB bulb I could find ( T Rex active heat 100 watt flood light MVB). His shell continues to look good.

For treating an active shell infection, I copied below some very specific good advice from Austin's Turtle Page, a well respected site. The only thing I'd add to this and the advice about overall good habitat is that it really helps to supplement the diet with occasional foods containing vitamin e (steamed sweet potato, blueberries, apple peal, tomato and turnip greens) and always keep a cuttlebone in the tank for calcium.

If there's any sign that a shell infection has gone deep - any significant indentations in the shell or bleeding or oozing - then you really need to see a vet.

In the states, silver sulfadiazine is available from a vet by prescription. It's certainly worth asking around for some as it's very effective.

Here's the quote from Austin's Turtle Page:

"Listed below is a regimen that I have followed in treating shell problems and has yielded great results. Keep in mind that shell injuries will take months and sometimes years to get back to looking normal if the possibility exists. It takes weeks before the shell will look like it's getting better. While treating, you are not looking for signs of healing or repair - you are looking to ensure that it is not spreading.

Clean infected areas thoroughly with a strong, undiluted betadine, iodine or Nolvasan solution. Let the turtle air dry in a warm setting for about 45 minutes.

Apply a generous coating of Silvadene cream. Work into problem areas.

Leave the turtle dry and warm, ensuring that you do not over-heat, for 18-21 hours each day.

The next day, scrub entire shell with a one of the previously mentioned solutions, using a soft-bristled toothbrush

Place them into fresh, clean water. Let them swim, drink and eat for approximately 1 - 1 ½ hours.

Repeat procedure from Step 1.

This treatment performed daily or twice daily, depending on your time allocation, has been successful in as few as 8-10 days but in more extreme cases can take a few weeks. It is difficult to tell success right away, so it is often discouraging. It is, however, quite effective and you will begin to see small improvement (in most cases) in only a few weeks."

For dry docking Spot, I got a 50 gallon rubbermaid tub from Lowe's for around $17. It has some air holes already in it and a good lid. I put towels on the bottom and left the lid on all the time so he'd sleep. I still use it from time to time for dry docking.
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Post Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 6:43 am   

Should I be doing anything for my turtle?? Can you give me some advice from my pics above?if it's fungus I wanna treat it but if not I will just continue with a heathly habitat, lighting and foods once a week that help with shedding. Also cleanng with diluted hibiclense maybe once a week?
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lunabebe4
 
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Post Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 12:56 pm   

Lunabebe4, your photos are good but of course we can't see everything. As long as there aren't deep pits, softness, oozing, then based on what shows up above the shell doesn't look great, may be sort of fungusy, seems like scutes are retained, but I can't see major infections. If he were mine, I'd wash weekly with diluted hibiclense, dry dock him overnight a few times a week, and make sure all the diet and habitat requirements are met with special attention to UVB light, cuttlebone and once or twice a week small servings of turnip greens, blueberries, tomato or steamed sweet potato to encourage shedding.

However, isn't this the same turtle that was in an earlier post where there were some "cream colored spots" on the plastron? Sometimes those cream colored spots are signs of a more serious condition that does need vet attention. It may appear to be on the surface but really it goes deep. Here's a good photo of the sort of condition I'm wondering about:

Image
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Post Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 9:03 pm   

No not like that, it's in here shell, maybe
It's just a decolorization of her shell. I will keep cleaning her, and giving the foods to help shed. She has been getting lots of UVB light. How do I dry dock her?
Charissa =)
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Post Posted: Thu Jan 22, 2009 10:50 pm   

Here's what I do for dry docking: I got a large rubbermaid tub from Lowes (50 gallon tub, around $17). It has a good lid and air holes in the side. I lined the bottom with towels. When I was dry docking Spot a lot I put a little dish of water in there in case he got thirsty but I don't really think he used it. When Spot is in the tub I always keep the lid on and he goes to sleep in the dark.

You can dry dock for short periods - like overnight. If you have to dry dock for extended periods - like 22 or 23 hours a day - let the turtle swim in clean, deep water for around 30 minutes at a time several times a day so he can eat, drink and get hydrated.
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Post Posted: Mon Apr 26, 2010 1:53 am   

great topic... im doing my best to read oh how to prevent illness and diseases
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Post Posted: Fri May 28, 2010 11:27 am   

I recently adopted two 8 year-old male RES from a friend.
When I first got them, their shells were totally white and there wasn't a patch of green anywhere.
But over the months, a little green has pinched in.
Progress is very slow but I think the natural sunlight is helping them a lot.
They were really in a mess; both plastron and carapace was white.
Red eared sliders are for life, not just the weekends.

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