General Care Discussion :: About growth and calluses

[Kyurois]

I just have a few questions about my Sir Ruari of the Tubby-buns.
(Yes, he's very fat, my dad feeds him whenever Ruari "asks" AKA splashes and flails at the tank wall where he gets fed)

I got him in the end of September and since the he has grown at least an inch, maybe more, he's very squirmy. So, my question being, how much growth is normal within that time period for already 5 3/4 inch RES before this growth spurt?

My other question is has anyone heard of calluses on a turtle? Ruari seemes to have a callus on his right arm, right where his skin rubs on his shell. I'll take a picture tomorrow, but right now he's basking and I don't want to disturb him. Here's a good picture of him though, well a link to where it is anywho, my photobucket account is acting wonky. He's very photogenic. But aren't all turtles?

http://kyurois.deviantart.com/art/Ruari-licious-74676866

[steve]

I'd say that is excessive. You really need to control the feeding, especial with pellets.

www.redearslider.com/index_nutrition.html
www.redearslider.com/pellets.html

[megcornell]

I can't tell much from the picture, but from the feeding description and given how much he's grown I'd say he's overweight.
Excessive feeding can really shorten a turtle's lifespan, it puts an incredible deal of stress on thei organs and causes shell issues.
Like Steve said, you really need to work on a feeding schedule, and should probably explain to your dad that he's hurting the turtle by overfeeding it. Worst case he can feed him lettuce when he begs.

[Kyurois]

We have put him on a diet, and are in the process of finding veggies he'll eat, he hates green and ignores my hopeless attempts to give him lettuce, even if let to float. He seems to like red, I thought I would try red lettuce or carrot.

Although the callus I don't think was a callus. I noticed today that it looked particularly swollen, and the "callus" had a open ring around it, so I took him out to get a closer look, and with the help of tweezers (He bites, and I don't ever handle him unless he needs a shell cleaning or when I measure him, which is once a month) the thing popped out. It's sort of a pea soup green and about the size of half a dried pea, and it's soft. It left a big hole in his arm, which I will keep an eye on, but is all puffy and pink.
If it gets infected, what is safe for me to put on his wound? Just short of the vet, though, because the only place that does turtles within driving distance is only open weekdays so I want something to have on hand.

[dawn9800]

oh my!

[SpotsMama]

You can put a little Neosporin on it. Wash the area with a 50%/50% solution of betadine and water, let it dry thoroughly, then apply a thin layer of Neosporin. Let the salve soak in for 20 minutes or so before putting him back in the water. Repeat twice a day until he sees the vet.

A better alternative to betadine if you can find it is Nolvasan. It's gentler on tissue than betadine. An alternative to Nolvasan is Hibiclense. Hibiclense contains the same key ingrediant as Nolvasan. It's a hand wash for people that's found in stores like Walgreens. Cut hibiclense to 50% strength with water and cleanse the area with it, then rinse it off and let the area dry before applying the antiseptic salve.

[Kyurois]

O.k, thank you. It seems to be doing a great deal better today. The flesh is much less swollen today, now it actually fits in his shell and doesn't seem to be bothering him anymore. I think it was quite itchy, like anything swollen would be.

[marisa]

How deep is the hole in his arm? Could you possibly post a pic of the area?

[Kyurois]

It's not really that deep, and the swelling is all gone now. I can try to get a picture, he's really not a fan of my fingers though.