General Care Discussion :: What's wrong with my turtle? Shell problems...*New Picture*

[JennJenn]

Hopefully somebody knows what this is:

[urbancleopatra]

It's hard to tell because the shell is wet but it looks like it could be one of two things... the scutes are going to start shedding or shell rot. What do they feel like? Are they soft and smelly? Are they peeling back? If you rub it gently will it come off? A little more information is needed before anyone can make a real diagnosis. But those are two possible suggestions without knowing all the details.

[Safdar]

Take a pic when the shell is completely dry

[SpotsMama]

I agree with urbancleopatra - it's probable that your turtle's starting to shed although it's possible there's a fungus problem. A pic of the dry shell would be most helpful.

Some signs of shell shedding: a whitish or dull opaque appearance, slight lifting around the edges of scutes just before they come, water leaking under some of the scutes (if you press gently on them you may see water ooze out), metalic or coppery looking patches when the turtle is underwater (this is from air trapped under scutes).

Also, try dipping a q tip in some white viniger and rubbing it gently on some of the white. Can you rub the white off? If you can, this means you've got hard water and mineral deposits are building up on the shell.

[Tenodera]

It doesn't look like scute shedding to me...the white isn't on the very edge...

[JennJenn]

Here's a dry shell picture:



The white stuff does not come off at all. It seems to be under the schutes. The shell isn't soft but if I push down on the schutes they do move down a little.

[DavidY]

Looks like he's getting ready to shed. That's a good sign that he's growing. How is the water quality in his tank? Do you have a test kit for pH, ammonia, nitrite and nitrate? If you don't you can probably bring a sample of water to your local petstore and they'll usually test for free. Also does he have a basking platform where he can climb out of the water to get completely dry? If the water quality is good and he basks/dries off regularly then most likely it's not shell rot or fungus.

[JennJenn]

Yep they have 2 basking platforms under basking lamps. This turtle basks more than the other two. Usually at least a couple hours a day. The water is good quality and I do partial changes twice a week. I will probably take it to a petstore and have them double check it though. Thanks for the advice everyone!

He/she seems fine but I like to be careful when it comes to my animals.

[DavidY]

Sounds good!

[SpotsMama]

You are wise to be careful!

My experience is that fungus usually starts in one or a few spots, then spreads out to the other scutes. In your case, it looks like the whole turtle is affected, which is more like shedding than fungus.