General Care Discussion :: shell rot/shell fungus?

[LeslieMW]

so i have been having constant trouble with my little hatchling stella. first she wouldn't eat, but i finally got her to take some fish. then she got an eye infection, but that cleared up. but she was so stressed out i thought some of the problems were caused by stress, so i left her alone...only cleaning out the tank and putting some food in.

she would rarely come out of hiding underwater, so i think she developed some sort of shell fungus..or shell rot.

she is basking more now, i think she is a little bit more comfortable..while i looked at her basking i thought her shell looked awful.


new pics


i heard dry docking a hatchling is bad...so should i take out the water and only fill it up so that it doesn't cover her shell?

i took a toothbrush and lightly scrubbed and alot of the white came off.

any suggestions?

[untsmurf]

What size tank is your turt in and how much water is there? When you touch those parts of the shell, does it feel soft? Does it smell?

What kind of filter do you have in your tank?

[LeslieMW]

the turtle is 1/2 inch and it's in a 10 gallon tank, filled up halfway. the parts don't smell, but the white spots are soft.
and i'm not sure what kind of filter it is, but it is a good filter, the water is very clear.

[LeslieMW]

anyone know anything? i have turtle sulfa dip, should i use it?

[megcornell]

Here's a good link on treating mild shell rot.
http://www.turtlepuddle.org/health/shellrot.html
I used nolvasan on my rescue turtle, Ezra, when I first adopted him, and it cleaned his shell up nicely. I found it at a local drug store, so it shouldn't be too hard to come by.

[LeslieMW]

ah thankyou! i will stop by a cvs tomorrow.

and the turtle basked practially all day, and the shell is already improving, but there is still some white spots.

thanks for the link!

[Daniel3507]

that shell is beautiful

[LeslieMW]

aw yes i know! that's why i want to make sure it stays healthy!

[steve]

What are you using for the basking light? UVB?

[LeslieMW]

yes i have uvb basking light. she is basking alot now, but before i think she was just nervous in her new home to get out and bask.

so maybe being in the water all that time, she developed some sort of fungus?

[mikee]

Les-MW -- Those areas do look a little curious. It could be pre-sheding but Don't know. Stick with clean water, proper water temps, basking temps and more calcium. Make sure your uvb light is working along with the basking temp. Good Luck!!

[LeslieMW]

well can they shed at 1/2 inches?

[SpotsMama]

She can shed when very young. Do the edges of the scutes seem to be lifting?

[LeslieMW]

well not really, a few look like they are lifting but i'm not exactly sure if it's from a shed. i don't really think it would be shedding, it's so young!

[SpotsMama]

How does she look when she's underwater? Are the pale areas a bright white or are they hard to see?

It doesn't look like typical shell fungus to me but it could be. You might give it a few more days then post another picture. Or just have a herp vet check it out.