General Care Discussion :: Is there hope?

[Krzyspam]

I recently fell into the world of turtles and the turtles I acquired had some shell infections. They were seen by a vet and I have some medical soap that gets deluted with water and is applied using a soft scrubber brush. They look better...but I don't think they look good. The vet cut parts of the larger turtle's shell off and that has since healed, but there are still areas that don't look good. Looks to me like scar tissue of some sort. Will this ever go away? Does it hurt the turtles? I'm worried that I'm not doing enough. They also have some algae left on them from their old disgusting tank, but I've scrubbed most of it off...and the parts I couldn't remove...well the pleco seems to be helping with that an awful lot lately. I took some pictures of their shells so maybe someone can give me some advice. Thanks in advance for any help!!

PS... they are still in treatment...


Lilo and her scars....








Lilo and Stitch.... (and Stitch's stubby front leg...not as stubby as his back leg though)







They are obsessed with their own reflections...




Stitch...





Please help!! Rosco is worried about his new friends....

[megcornell]

Stitch truthfully doesn't look very bad to me.. he seems to have a few broken scutes, but with a few good sheds he'll be looking much better.
Lilo definitely has some shell damage, and I don't think you'll ever have him looking perfect. Overall though the shell looks pretty good. There's no real pyramiding or deformities. The meds should help clean up the shell rot areas, and so long as it's not spreading, that's good. It will probably take a while for you to see results, adults don't shed as often as juveniles, and with every shed, things only look a little better.
I think you're doing a great job with them though. They certainly look happy and healthy. The important thing is that you've improved their habitat and gotten them the medical attention they need. Take pictures along the way, and you'll see the improvement. Sometimes it's hard to notice when you see them daily.

And, if you think things aren't progressing like you'd like, talk to your vet. Maybe there are other options that will work better for their shells.

[Krzyspam]

Thank you so much meg!! I will definately keep taking pictures. I think maybe tomorrow I will tank them out of the tank and take "dry pics" so I have a clearer view. And then maybe continue with weekly pictures....start a little "progress diary". Thanks for the kind words. This is a whole new world for me and its a little scary feeling like I'm messing up. I appreciate the encouragement.

[RESnTX]

Meg is right, your turtles don't look that bad at all considering the conditions they were previously living in. BTW, you did a great job cleaning and upgrading their home. It takes a long time before a turtles shell looks better after and infection or injury. Just think about how long it takes for a bad hair cut to grow out.

[steve]

I think you're doing a great job too. With any type of infection, you really need to stay on top of it. Since my turtle had a previous infection and some pitting, I do a visual inspection twice a week to make sure there is no relapse. Water-borne infections are especially opportunistic. Definitely make sure they are basking, have good UV and calcium in their diets.

As megcornell suggested, the appearance of the shell should improve over time, though it's a slow process. A photo journal is a good idea to mark progress and continue to consult with the vet.