General Care Discussion

Website · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:10 am **Sixth toe???**

Hello! I took my RES before 2 days.. Here are more information http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=19974

The problem is that when I bought Bubbles I checked his eyes,his shell was tough etc..But at home I noticed something strange..At the bottom of his right foot he has something like a sixth toe!I know it's not normal but is it something that can be dangerous for him??

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:20 am

Hi Annie, can you please show some other pics of Bubbles -- especially ones with his eyes and the white spots all over him. Something looking not too right.

Website · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:37 am

Yes..I'm uploading them now...

Website · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 7:56 am

Here are the pictures..Please tell me what's wrong.. :-(

(I also think that's there's something wrong with his left eye)

Look at the right foot...

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:05 am

what kind of set up do you have? there is something wrong with his skin and shell and ive never seen a bump like that before

Website · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:06 am

If you don't know about his foot, could you please tell me if there's anything wrong with his eyes or his shell?Anyone who knows and tell me something, would be usefull to me, cause I'm little worried right now...

Thanx in advanced...

Website · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:24 am

Daniel3507 wrote:what kind of set up do you have? there is something wrong with his skin and shell and ive never seen a bump like that before

My tank is 60litres (about 15-16 gallons).For now, the tank has an internal filter with carbon, light and a basking spot.Tomorrow I'll buy a uva/uva lamp and a heating lamp and probably a heater.
But I have him only 2 days..He is lethargic,he hasn't open his eyes yet and he hasn't eat anything.He was like this when I bought him..What should I do?

Here's a photo of the tank

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 12:52 pm

It looks like he's got a severe fungal infection that's spread to his skin and face.
You clearly bought him ill, so it's nothing you've done.
For a case that serious I think you're going to need to see a vet to get the appropriate creams to treat him.

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 1:29 pm

hey, welcome

your poor turtle is infested with fungus. I have a friend that has a turtle thats in a similar condition as yours but his is due to improper care. your tank actually doesn't look that bad and I was kinda surprised when I saw the lego basking dock! I like it.

for now, just make sure your turtle has clean water and that the temperature is okay. also, do you have a basking lamp for your turtle? if not, how warm is the room temp?

Website · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 1:31 pm

Unfortunatelly,the problem is that here in Greece it's very hard to find a vet that has knowledge about reptiles / turtles etc...Even at the pet shops the RES that they sell are all in the small plastic tanks,and even the ones that they are in big tanks are not cared properly.No one provides them uva/uvb lamps or heating light or heater and from what I saw the water is not so clean..And when you buy a RES you are told that they don't need any of these..And the reaction of all sellers when I asked them for a big tank for turtle and all the other stuff, was that they looked me like an alien!And I went at many stores,and they were all the same..And imagine that,that was the healthier turtle that I found(as far as I could,because all of them were lethargic)!All the other turtles had very weird white closed eyes and other signs..I'll try to find a vet though..But is there any product that you advise me to buy?Any creams,eye drops or something like that if I can't find a vet?

Website · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 1:42 pm

Arisu wrote:hey, welcome

your poor turtle is infested with fungus. I have a friend that has a turtle thats in a similar condition as yours but his is due to improper care. your tank actually doesn't look that bad and I was kinda surprised when I saw the lego basking dock! I like it.

for now, just make sure your turtle has clean water and that the temperature is okay. also, do you have a basking lamp for your turtle? if not, how warm is the room temp?

Thank you about the Lego dock!
Tomorrow I'll buy a basking lamp and a thermometer, but for now the room temperature it's about 22-25 C and the water is not very cold and it's very clean..But he's still lethargic..I also want to buy stones for the tank..
What medicine does your friend use about his turtle?

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:08 pm

Your setup is lovely. You've made quite an effort to make a great turtle home - I'm impressed.

I'm afraid your turtle's skin condition is pretty severe. The best thing would be to get prescription treatment from a vet. Try calling around and see if one would be willing to help. If there isn't one close by, at least maybe you can find one that will give you a prescription. If they need to see what's going on, you can email them the photos you've showed us.

If you absolutely can't find a vet that can help, here's some advice on treating skin problems from another well respected turtle site. Scroll down on the link until you find skin infections. Since your turtle's is pretty advanced, it may not be sufficient, but maybe it will. Acriflavin, the medication recommended on here, is a fish medication and around here we can get it at pet stores that sell fish.

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/medshell.htm

Do you have the ability to check the ph of your water? Ph that's too high (acidic) encourages the growth of fungus, and ph that's too low (basic) encourages bacteria. The recommendation in the link assumes the problem is fungal since it's advising that you lower the ph. Of course, if the infection is really bacterial, then lowering ph would not be a good idea, so it would be very helpful if you could find a vet to tell you which type of infection it is.

Website · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:17 pm

Now that's a strange thing..
The previous pictures were taken this morning!Now Bubbles's eyes (actually only his left eye seemed to have a problem) seems to be in a better condition!In my opinion,I believe it's the water.The water at the tank where he was at the pet shop looked very dirty.And the water that he is now at my tank is very clean. Another problem from what I see is his shell..What can I do about these white spots??Are because of the water?Because I use water conditioner.Do you think it may get better now that he is at a cleaner tank?
Look at his eye!!!
The picture I took the morning

The picture I took before a few minutes

Website · Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:21 pm

SpotsMama thank you for your good words!

I'll try to find a vet and I'll buy some pH tests.Thank you very much for your advice!

Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 2:38 pm

Undoubtedly the problem was caused by dirty turtle water at the place where you got him. Isn't it a shame they didn't take better care. The poor turtle was basically living in a toilet. If I were you I'd tell the store about this and what they need to do to prevent it from happening again. It isn't all that hard to change the water in a turtle tank.

General Care Discussion :: Sixth toe???

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