General Care Discussion :: White Outline on Shell, Spreading!

[TurtleObsession28]

Hmm, I'll just end this topic, by asking, wut kind of medicine should i get, and my parents wont send him to the vet or anything, they like hate the turtles, only i care , and u all saw the pic that it was like shell infection or fungus? and i think it spread to another turtle!! the other one started to get pure white spots, im a bad turtle caring person, and since this infection started for over like 3 months for bowser and like 1-3 weeks for ace wut mdeicine should i get!

[SpotsMama]

Here's what I would do. In fact, this is what I did when my turtle had a shell infection.

First, like I said above, the turtle has to be able to bask and dry out regularly and needs a good UVB light to bask under. This is for long term health

Second, for a shell fungus, here's what I'd recommend. A very effective medication for the infected areas is a cream available by prescription called silver sulfadiazine (SSD) or Sulfadine. You should be able to get it from a vet even if the vet isn't a herp specialist. If you cannot take your turtle in to see the vet, try asking the vet if he/she will sell you some anyway because it's the very best thing for fungus.

Every evening until the white goes away, take the turtles out and wash their shells gently with a 50%/50% solution of Hibiclense, which is a hand soap for people that you can get at places like Walgreens. Be careful not to get any on the turtles' heads or eyes. They'll be slippery when you do this, so be careful that they don't wiggle out of your hands and fall. Rinse them thoroughly then let them dry off for about 30 minutes. When they are completely dry, rub the SSD cream on the infected areas, then let the turtles sleep overnight in dry dock (someplace outside the tank). When I've had to dry dock Spot, I put him in a big rubbermaid tub (cost about $16 at Lowes) with some towels on the bottom to make it soft, then I put the lid on to keep him safe. There are holes in the tub so he can get air. In the morning you can put your turtle back in the water but make sure he/she gets to bask during the day under good UVB light.

[TurtleObsession28]

OMG OMG I FOUND OUT WUT THE THING IS ON HIS SHELL!! his shell if softening! i felt today on his sh ell that that the infected parts were really soft compared to the healthy part!! and today i brushed his shell to see if i could get off the stuff, and after a good 10 mins of that his shell was gray, then did a "treatment" that i thought of. i put him in an the sink and put the uvb light above it and did that for about 4 hours, bc i know that the light help, also i tried to see if i had any turtle food with a lot of calcium, here take a look at this, this is the food i use http://www.zoo-hobby.cz/obrazky/5111/nu ... efault.jpg thats a pic of it, and my parents said i cant take him to the vet, so can any1 recommend any type of medicine for this?

[marisa]

For starters, for a soft shell, he needs a good diet with with plenty of calcium as well as being able to bask under proper lighting (UVB and a heat source). Will he nibble on very small pieces of cuttlebone if you put a few in the tank?

The "treatment" you gave him was putting him in a sink under a UVB light for 4 hours? Will he not bask in the tank? The UVB light is good (how old is it and what percentage of UVB does it emit?), but he really should bask under a UVB light AND a heat light.

I don't know what percentage of calcium those pellets have. You might also try to get some Reptomin Baby pellets, which have a bit more calcium than the regular Reptomin. Try other foods besides pellets, though, and not just animal protein-containing foods. How many pellets do you give him when you feed him? What other foods has he been getting besides pellets?

[mikee]

TurtleObsession28 -- The UVB light is only one part of his husbandry. He also needs UVA, which is a heat source. 79 degree water temperature, good filtration, clean water and the rest of it is necessary for good metabolism. Also a calcium rich diet should be added to his diet. Good Luck!!

[marisa]

Sorry, but UVA is not the same as heat (it's a particular wave of light). A UVB light also produces UVA rays. A good UVB light that isn't old (if the one you have is near or more than 6 months old, replace it) and a heat source (which can be a regular incandescent light bulb) is what your turtle needs to be basking under.

[TurtleObsession28]

i only feed them the pellets, and i really need the medicine, and i try to feed the turtles but i only can like 1 every 2 days i know its bad, bc i have to fetch them out of the tank and wait till each one finishes and then always swim away and stuff