General Care Discussion :: Shell problem

[mybrosteve]

One of the baby turtles i got has something wrong with his shell, take a look at the pictures, is this something i should do something about? if so, what should i do? Thanks

The patches are on the bottom left and at the top just left of center.




The shell is also not as rounded out on the right side (with the problem areas) as the left side where nothing is wrong.

[steve]

Could it be something that's dried on? If not, have you tried the old toothbrush technique? Either way, if it's only affecting the very thin top layer, it should come off when he sheds. just keep an eye on the area to make sure that it's not spreading or becoming soft.

Have you measured them yet?

[grey goose]

One of my guys had something like that when I first got him (a little smaller tho). It went away after his first shed. It might just be chipped. If it's not softer than the surrounding area or getting larger I wouldnt worry.

[grey goose]

Pic #3 is so cute......you should enter it in this months contest.

[TheOneCalledRed]

I haven't seen that before. He probably scrapped his hind against something, maybe even an accident?

[industrial_girl_2000]

It looks like a bit of shell damage. How long have you had him? Has he been eating well? Did this damaged area just develop recently? Is there any shell peeling?

Reason why I ask is because the babies are often malnourished before people get them. The sad part about it is that they need a ton of nourishment (especially calcium) right after they hatch, and if they don't get it, shell issues can develop (such as the one side that looks sunken vs. the other side of the shell that is nicely rounded).

Make sure to keep up on the calcium. I would even increase the amount you are feeding him (give him an additional tetra reptomin food stick per day or something like that). He needs to "bulk up" a bit to fill out the shell from the inside.

[diyanahomie]

both of my pets also have shell problem.. but their patches are like white in colour..

is it some illness?

[mybrosteve]

It looks like a bit of shell damage. How long have you had him? Has he been eating well? Did this damaged area just develop recently? Is there any shell peeling?

I did have a few turtles get out from their "pond" before i put up the cardboard, so that one could have gotten out and taken a good tumble. its not easy to make sure all of them eat, but i will try to put that one aside and try to see if it'll eat some extra.

Thank you all for your help!

[missibsu]

both of my pets also have shell problem.. but their patches are like white in colour..

is it some illness?

Are those spots soft to touch, or do they have an odor? If they aren't, do they rub off with a bit of vinegar? If they rub off with the vinegar, it could just be mineral deposits.

Can you get an upclose shot of one of the spots?

[marisa]

When did you notice the problem? In the first pic, the scute looks like it's been damaged somehow. Is the area soft at all or does it have an odor?

The circled areas don't look like mineral deposits to me. A closer pic of the areas, especially the one toward the rear, would be helpful.

[fungke]

my turtle had something similar but it dissapeared after a while.
however....something new appeared...


the line in the middle

is this something i should be concerned about?

[steve]

Pretty normal. Nice, clear pic too.

[diyanahomie]

i'll try the vinegar first then.. hmm, could it be fungus?