Urgent Care :: Baby Turtle Shell Help

[ddago003]

A baby red eared slider found her way to our front porch a few weeks ago. She was looking pretty rough out in the hot sun so we took her in to help get her strength up. She has a large aquarium with floating dock and basking lamp. She has eaten a couple live minnows along with a variety of pellets and treats. When we found her, she had white areas on her shell and I want to make sure that we are treating them properly. I'm attaching images here. I believe the edge of shell might just be the scutes shedding, however directly in the center there is a very visible white area when she's dry. I've been applying coconut oil with a drop of tea tree oil to her shell every few days using a soft tooth brush and it seems to be helping a bit. Not sure if it's just something that's going away on its own or if this really is directly helping. Pics I'm posting are from Monday and I did see improvement when I took her out today (didn't manage pics today but I can get some next time she's out - she's sleeping at the moment haha)

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GENERAL QUESTIONS/ANSWERS:

How big is your turtle? Teeny tiny - just larger than a raspberry
How long have you had it? 3 weeks

What is the water temperature? I don't have a thermometer for the water. We keep the house around 73-76 degrees and she's indoors. Doesn't seem sluggish and eats well - I read lack of appetite and slowing down are signs water may be too cold.
Did you use a thermometer? No
Are you using a water heater? No
How much water is in there? She's in a 20 gallon aquarium - water is 3-inches high
Are you using a water conditioner? I have been giving her calcium powder on her treats that also is supposed to condition the water.
Are you using any filtration? No, I change the water every 1-2 days as soon as it gets a little cloudy. It stays nice and fresh for her.

What is the basking temperature? I'm not sure
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? It's the kind that sticks with suction cups to the side of tank and floats up/down with the water level on rods.
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? She has eaten 2 minnow (and befriended 1 haha). Tried giving her "Fluker's Turtle Diet" pellets but she wasn't into it. She is into "Tetra ReptoMin Baby Floating Food Sticks" & LOVES "Turtle Chasers Floating Treats" - I roll these in calcium powder for her.
When was the last time your turtle ate? Today, maybe an hour ago. She eats well and has been going to the bathroom fine.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? She's in a 20 gallon aquarium - water is 3-inches high.
Is the tank near a window? Not directly, but her area does get indirect light when the blinds are all open. I also bring her outside for a little every so often.
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes, all the pics of turtles look so different. I want an answer specific to my little turtle to make sure there's nothing else I should be doing to help her.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? No, she's a bit scared and not used to us still. But I figure that's normal. She does let us hold her and likes to run from one hand to the next. Overall her behavior seems normal for a turtle, just worried about her shell.

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[steve]

It looks like fungus. You'll want to treat it as soon as possible as it will continue spreading. See this thread for reference: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10839

[ddago003]

Thanks so much!! This article is great, could you suggest an appropriate amount of time for dry docking her. I haven’t seen a specific amount of time specified anywhere, especially for a baby turtle and don’t want to overdo it. Would converting her tank with UVB to a terrarium style and placing her in water just for eating 2-3 times a day be sufficient or is that too much dry docking? Alternatively I could keep her tank as it is and pull her out of the water 2-3 times a day for dry docking. My main question would be the amount of time dry vs. amount of time in water for a baby RES to heal from fungus. Thanks again!

[steve]

The least stressful would be to dry dock her overnight, so she would be sleeping/resting. Wipe off any leftover cream and put her back into the tank, then dry dock again at night. If the cream is working (it won't work on all fungus situations), the results should be evident in a couple of days.

Remember to use a very small amount of cream and let her dry dock in a safe enclosure/area where she can climb/escape out of.

[ddago003]

This is wonderful. Thank you so much for your help. I already purchased supplies and plan to start the process today. Hope her shell heals quickly and smoothly.

[steve]

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

[ddago003]

Just here sending an update on Shelby. She seems to be doing really well. I have been taking her outside for sun in the afternoons. Once she dries off she gets a little organic coconut oil with a tiny bit of tea tree oil on her shell. I wash this off before returning her to her tank. Then in the evening I dry dock her through the night with a cloth napkin. It's super cute, she has her routine and understands its time to sleep when we do this now. Before dry docking each night, I wash her shell off with a soft toothbrush and apply Povidone Iodine. I let that dry and then rinse it off before drying her once more. Then she goes in her dry docking bin for the night. I also started doing the same for her shoulders because I noticed a white/grey patching on the side with shell issue. Thank you so much for the help and advice with her!

Shell pics show when we first found her on left and most recent on right. Shoulder pics have older on top and today on bottom.

[steve]

She's looking very good. So you're not using the cream, mainly the oil?

[ddago003]

Hi! So I was dry docking her overnight after applying povidone iodine but noticed the white spots were starting to get worse and even spread to her head a few nights into this new routine. I stopped dry docking at night and also stopped the povidone iodine. Continued with coconut oil and tea tree oil along with basking in natural sunlight during the afternoon. The white is almost gone off her back but it did get to her plastron so still working on healing that. Today I noticed a tiny indent in her shell so I’m pretty worried. I tried contacting multiple vets in my area for the Silver Sulfadiazine but apparently red eared sliders are considered a nuisance in my area. The vets all told me they won’t treat her and one even said they’re legally required to euthanize any that are brought in! I added a heating lamp to her tank this week and have been checking water and basking area temps are in range. I’m hopeful because she’s been eating a lot - live guppies, dried shrimps, pellets & canned tuna mainly. She’s also been more active with the heat lamp. The white being gone is good but I know the indent in shell isn’t. Let me know if you have any ideas how I can get my hands on silver sulfadiazine without a prescription. Thanks so much!

[steve]

Maybe there is a friendly vet you can ask for some? You might have to check the usual places online for some as well.

[ddago003]

I called multiple vets with no luck & spoke with local sea turtle rescue location (I know she’s fresh water but was trying to find help wherever I could get it). They directed me back to vet who already turned me away. Only suggestion I’ve gotten was to use Hydrogel AG since it’s over the counter instead of the silver sulfadiazine. However, this advice was from a nurse for humans, not a veterinarian. I don’t know much about Hydrogel AG, is it basically same as using Neosporin and is it safe for turtles? If you have any input on these alternatives I’d greatly appreciate it. I’ve read some info that these are often a waste of time to use for shell rot. Her shell is still responding to the coconut oil, just not as fast as I’d like. Stopped coconut oil for a few days to see if it was actually making a difference and her symptoms definitely worsened. So, sticking with the oil routine for now. Thanks!

[steve]

I don't know about Hydrogel, though people have tried different otc meds with varying results. While I don't think this is shell rot, I do think applying oil onto it makes the fungus look less severe without actually treating it.

[ddago003]

Here’s an update on the baby turtle, Shelby

To get rid of the white patches… we kept her tank spotless, applied coconut oil with a drip of tea tree oil to the white spots regularly and gave her daily salt baths. She also goes outside to dry off in the sun regularly, in addition to drying off under her heating lamp. The white is now gone and her scutes are shedding. She eats well (loves chasing guppies), has lots of energy & enjoys being outside.

I have noticed during shedding that her scutes are chipping more than peeling off in even pieces. I think this is due to the previous issue because where white was is where it has peeled up or chipped off the most. Here’s a pic of her for everyone happy baby turtle