General Care Discussion :: White shell

[slapjack413]

Hi,
My RES is about 1 year old, he is around 2 inches long. Pretty much right after I got him (9 months ago) he developed white stuff on his shell that is still there. The white stuff does not come off when i rub it. He basks a normal amount. Milton has the right lighting and right water temp. The only thing I can think that it might be, is that I have hard water. But the white stuff is not all over his shell, and if it was hard water, wouldnt it consume the entire shell? I have taken a picture of it, so if anyone has any idea what is on it, will you please let me know?

Here is his shell...



Here is his tank in case it helps...

[SpotsMama]

Well, I think you are right to have questions about that shell. If it's just mineral deposits, it should come off if gently rubbed with vinegar on a soft paper towel or cloth. Be sure and rinse real well afterwards.

Another possibility is fungus. Here's a treatment:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... biclens%2A

Read down to the next to last comment, the one by marisa. It's a good description of how to treat. However, if it is fungus, then it's really extensive and it would probably be advisable to take him to see a vet.

Has he been shedding scutes?

Something that really caught my attention is his size. If he's only two inches at a year old then he's way small for his age. He looks small to be a yearling, too. May I ask what he eats, how much and how often? What are the temperatures in his water and on his basking site.

One more thing - very important - I see gravel in the bottom of the tank and, unfortunately, although it's beautiful it's also dangerous. Here's a link describing the perils of gravel:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ght=gravel

Here's another with a sadder outcome:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ght=gravel

My advise would be to get all the gravel out ASAP!

Hope all goes well. Keep us posted!

[pumpkinsherbet]

gravel is the devil! i had a lot of people plead me to take it out when i had my first tank setup. fortunately i took it out before my little ones had the idea to try to eat it, but i learned quickly it is superbad for the turts. they may try to eat it and won't be able to pass it, that could kill them.

[steve]

Hi, I posted my response in another topic of yours: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=72847

[slapjack413]

Milton has been eating Reptomin baby once a day, around 5 pellets. His water temp is around 78-80 and his basking temp is 93. About the gravel...unfotunately I have had him in gravel since I got him about 9 months ago. Good thing he never ate any of it. However, it was blue before and now it is more of a natural color. I don't think he will eat it considering he never has, do you still think I should remove it even though he has never eaten any?

[SpotsMama]

Yes you should remove it. He could decide to start eating it this afternoon. Other people on here have had turtles that didn't eat the gravel for a long time then all of a sudden started. The consequences are just too awful to risk.

I don't know about the feeding regimine. Perhaps someone else on here with more knowledge in the area can help. I'm just concerned that he's not growing at a normal rate. In addition to the pellets, do you also feed him vegetables? Does he get cuttlebone?

[pumpkinsherbet]

do you feed them veggies or any type of fish? a good regimen involves a variety of vegetables and the occasional live fish (they need their protein, esp. the little ones). i feed mine pellets every day, fresh veggies every other day and live feeder fish about once a month. i've asked several times if that was good and so far my responces have shown i am doing okay with it.

mine really love green bell peppers and carrots.

[SpotsMama]

What about the quantity of Reptomin Baby?

[N4784N R4613]

Is that tree root type thing his basking spot? Can he get up there pretty easy? Or is it hard for him to climb up there? I think you should get him a bigger, more easy to climb up to basking spot.

[slapjack413]

To answer all of your questions haha...
Milton eats about 5 pellets a day and a guppy every once in a while, with some fresh Romaine lettuce once in while (which I will start to increase)...

I will remove the gravel ASAP...thank you for the advice!!! What about sand?

Yes that is where he basks, he gets up there fine and really seems to be enjoying it....he has only had this tank for about a week, his last tank was small but it had a much larger basking platform. I was thinking i would get him something bigger to bask on...but he is fine. Also I am going to do an above tank basking area in a few weeks. Even though he basks a lot...do you still think I should get a bigger platform for right now?

Thank you guys for all your help.....please let me know!

[N4784N R4613]

1. You really don't "need" anything on the bottom of the tank, but if you want to put something there, you could try river rocks that are bigger then your turtles head. Here is what can happen with sand...
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... light=sand

2. As long as he is basking, I think you can wait until you build his new one.

[marisa]

The shell looks mainly like the result of a poor diet and habitat. In that picture, is the light a combination mercury vapor bulb (something tells me it's not). If it isn't, where is the UVB light? If that is a UVB light, where's the heat light?

[slapjack413]

It is a zoo-med 75 watt light bulb. It says its a basking spot lamp for turtles. I think it is a bit of both? Is that not good?

[N4784N R4613]

I also have that bulb, it is ONLY UVA. I bought it as a cheap back up, in case my mercury vapor bulb ever burnt out, and the next one was still being shipped to my house. You will need to get a UVB bulb to go with that bulb.

[SpotsMama]

The rule is, if a bulb provides useful amounts of UVB, it will advertise this on its packaging and will say what percentage it provides. It really bugs me that so many bulbs are advertised as "full spectrum" or "basking bulb" when they really only provide part of the light needs. False advertising!

There are two types of bulbs that provide UVB:

1. Flourescents. They come in two styles - tube and compact. Reptisun makes good ones and some of the others are also acceptable. To be useful, the bulb must provide 5% or more - preferably more - UVB. These bulbs also provide UVA. If you use one of these you also have to have a separate light to provide heat. The flourescents are cool. Most people use a plain, ordinary household incandescent bulb to provide heat.

2. Mercuty vapor bulbs. These are very strong and are all-in-one bulbs - they provide heat, UVA and UVB. The drawback is that they are so powerful that are not suitable for tanks smaller than 55 gallons. They are terrific but you need to be careful about the distance from the basking spot and the type of fixture (must have ceramic base).

None of the bulbs that provide UVB are cheap, unfortunately, and the UVB will wear off before the bulb wears out. They have to be replaced periodically.