General Care Discussion :: Red spot?

[C_ruffini]

Hi,
My 2 year old female red ear slider, Franklin (oops, didn't know he was a she until it was too late) has recently developped a red spot under her chin... I'm not sure what it could be, is it normal for sliders to develop pigmentation after awhile? My other slider, Ginelle, who is younger, does not have this spot...
Any ideas?

[SpotsMama]

I'm not aware of sliders having red under their chins. If it recently appeared it could be an injury. Try putting a little (thin layer of) neosporin or some other sort of antibiotic cream on it. She's not going to want you to fool around with her chin, so try putting the cream on a q tip and, when you can coax her to extend her head, quickly put a little on the red spot. Keep her dry afterwards for about an hour for the cream to do it's work. Keep the water extra clean while it's healing. If it starts to look bad, you'll need to get her to a vet.

Now the question is - assuming it's an injury - how did she get it? If I had to guess I'd say Franklin was injured by Ginelle. It's very common for turtles to start fighting even if they've gotten along before. This is more likely in crowded conditions but can occur even when there is plenty of room. Just keep a very close eye on them and, if you see any indications of aggression, you'll have to separate them.

[marisa]

Welcome to the forum. Does the red spot look raw? If so, could the area have been rubbed on something abrasive? Could your other turtle have nipped at it? Can you post a pic of the area when the skin is dry?

How big is the tank your turtles are in and how big are your turtles (shell lengths for each without the curves)?

[C_ruffini]

Thanks so much for the responses...
The spot doesn't seem dry... I will post up pictures and the size of them soon.
The tank is pretty big about 3 feet wide by 1 foot deep and 1.5feet high.

I have a floating platform that looks like a rock, that franklin likes to dive off of in a hurry... perhaps she did injure herself...

The red is the same colour as her stripes though thats why I thought it was a pigmentation.

Thanks again.

Christina

[C_ruffini]

Ok so, my tank is 2 x 1 x 1 (in feet)

Franklin's shell is 4 inches long (9cm)
Ginelle's shell is 3,25 inches lone (8.5cm)

The more I look at it the more I think you are right, she must have scratched herself on something.. it looks kind of like a scab. Would the neosporin help her heal faster? I am worried about it getting infected if I just leave her in the tank with Ginelle, should I separate her? Here are some pics of the injury, I'm not sure how good the image is, my camera is a little on the old side... hopefully you can see it well enough.



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[Tenodera]

You should try taking pictures with the camera farther away from the turtle and take the pictures in a bright spot. The pictures are kind a dark and fuzzy to tell.

[SpotsMama]

Yes the neosporin will help her heal faster. If you can separate her it would be best. She needs to stay very clean and the wound will heal better if it's dry. You can't keep her dry all the time but if she gets some dry time right after you put the neosporin on that will surely help.