General Care Discussion :: Shedding, Fungus, Shell Rot or what??

[Buddy777]

What is up with my turtles shell it has been like this since I got her exactly two months ago. I have read and read about all the shell issues on the websites, and i cant figure what exactly this is. The shell doesnt smell, its not soft and i picked a piece of the white off and under it is like a charcol color with whitish spots. Also does the tank have everthing I need, I have a place for her to dock a heat bulb (flukers), heater, filter, thermomater and four fish. But it seems like i am lacking something. I am constantly at the pet store looking for more to make a better tank for her. Oh lately she has been shedding non stop, can she be going through a whole change of shedding and shedding the shell???

[Buddy777]

[roseK]

thats definitely not shedding, but im not sure if its a fungus or shell rot.

that looks like a really big turtle for the tank

[erinemcgreevy]

Do you have a uvb? It is very important for your turtles health.

[pinkcadillac]

Hi buddy, from the pictures you posted im sure its not scute shedding. It doesnt look like any type of shell rot ive seen pictures of but I am no expert. Are those spots concaved or convexed? One of the pictures makes it almost look like a growth.

As to your tank set up you definitely need UVB light, but other than that you have the nessesary supplies. Also how large is the tank that your turtle is in and how large is your turtle? It looks like he/she might be outgrowing it.

[Buddy777]

I think the heat lamp is a uvb bulb, i was looking last night and the bulb just says 60w, i bought it in the reptile section at the pet store and do i need one of those floresent bulbs. Does anyone know if I should try the sulfer dip stuff??

[scripta_elegans]

Don't do the sulfer dip. It does more harm than good in the long run. If she hasn't had a place to dry off completely in a long time, she could certainly be shedding off a whole layer of shell, and more. The main things that you need to do to help her are; 1. Be sure she can get completely out of the water and dry completely off. The basking area should be maintained at about 90 degrees. 2. Give her cuttlebone daily with the hard backing peeled off, and broken into smaller than her head sized chunks. You can get this in the bird section cheaper than the marketed turtle bone. 3. Get a UVB light of at least 5.0, and preferably more for now if she hasn't had UVB exposure. The Bulb you have now is probably not a UVB if it doesn't say it is. I like to get these online because they are waaaay less expensive than in the stores.
If you are in a warm climate, real sunlight is the best way to get her UVB. If it is not AT LEAST 70 degrees outside, don't take her out there. If there is any glass or plastic between the turtle and the UVB light, it won't reach her.
The areas in question look like partially retained scutes with a slight fungal/bacterial growth under them. I, personally, would go to the vet to be sure that she doesn't need a topical cream of some sort to keep the growth from spreading. If that's not possible for now, keep an eye on them, and she if she gets rid of them on her own with a proper basking set up.

[Elise19]

Stewie is having the same problem with her (found out he is a she) shell as well i am supposed to go to the vet to pick up the cream this week. Stewie's shell looks exactly like that if not alil worse...

[RunninWideOpen]

I would suggest a good herp vet visit.

To me, the shell looks like physical damage. I have a boxie that has some damage from being chewed on by some sort of animal, it looks very much like your turtles.

FYI, you're turtle is way too big for that tank. if would be very difficult to keep her healthy very long with that little water and room to move. rule of thumb is 10gallons per inch of turtle (length of shell).

[industrial_girl_2000]

No sulfa dip needed.

From what it looks like, you have a big adult turtle! How old is she? Did the pet store tell you when you bought her?

I can tell you from experience (I have an older turtle) that as the turtles age, their shell can tend to be a little bit fragile & the outer "brown" layer is easier to damage than the younger turtles. My turtle has had the spots your turtle does and they do grow out as long as you have a good strong UVB bulb & feed lots of veggies daily. All of this will help the white areas eventually flake off, revealing brown shell underneath, but it will take a lot of time (maybe as long as a year before you see an improvement since the shell grows very slowly). And the new brown areas of the shell may look "pitted" after the white spots fall off but that isn't going to harm the turtle.

In the meantime, make sure you are doing regular water changes & keep your turtle very clean. Make sure your turtle isn't trying to jam herself under the sharp rocks (mine loves to rearrange her tank so all the stuff I have in her tank is smooth or plastic so it doesn't damage her shell).

How big is your turtle (how long is the shell from head to tail)? She looks like she is a fully grown adult. What do you feed her?

[marisa]

No sulfa dip. A 60-watt bulb will give your turtle heat, but your turtle also needs a UVB light (flourescent if you buy a conventional one).

[LOBO]

yes not all heat bulbs are uvb. infact i think only mvb give heat and uvb. u need a uvb bulb.

[SpotsMama]

There are two kinds of UVB light bulbs. You can only get UVB bulbs from pet stores or on-line pet supply sites. Bulbs from a hardware stores won't work. The UVB bulb must be positioned so it shines down on the basking platform.

1. Fluorescent. UVB fluorescents come in compact and tube forms. Fluorescent bulbs are cool to the touch so when you use one, you must also use a heat bulb (a typical household light bulb will do for heat - like a 60 watt or 75 watt bulb). If the fluorescent bulb doesn't specifically say it provides UVB and the percentage of UVB it provides, then it's not providing enough to be useful. Don't be fooled by a package that says the bulb is "full spectrum" or "basking bulbs" - these aren't good UVB bulbs. The best UVB bulbs provide between 5% and 10% UVB. A 26 watt strength is a good strength - 13 watts is usually too weak to do the job.

2. Mercury Vapor Bulbs (MVBs) - Unlike the fluorescents, the MVBs are very hot so you don't need to use a heat bulb if your UVB bulb is an MVB. These bulbs are very powerful and it's important to follow instructions on the package on how close to put the bulb to the turtle (too close and it will burn). They are too hot to use with small aquariums - they are recommended only for aquariums that are 50 gallons and larger. A very good MVB is a T Rex 100 watt flood light. If you can't find it in a pet store you can order it on-line. Pricing on-line is much better, too, than in the pet stores.