General Care Discussion :: New Turtle with Shell Problems

[Kurtni]

My boyfriend recently adopted a RES from some college kids who didn't want it/didn't have room for it. I was over at his apartment helping him set up the tank when I saw this poor girls shell..



I had no idea what that white stuff is and her scutes are completely messed up. Do you think this is something she needs to see a vet for? Should we be feeding her anything in particular? I can't really answer all the questions mentioned in that thread accurately, because we've only had her for not even a week, but..

How big is your turtle?7 inches
How long have you had it? a weekish

What is the water temperature? 77 degrees
Did you use a thermometer? yep
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? its a 75 gallon tank filled
Are you using a water conditioner?no
Are you using any filtration?yes

What is the basking temperature?89 degrees
Is there a basking light?yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes, she basks frequently, now at least.
What kind is it or what is it made out of? corkbark
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Im pretty sure the people who had her before only fed her pellets, because she isn't touching any veggies. Except carrots, which I had to hand feed her. We tried lettuce, dandelion leaves, and kale. She ate some sweet potato too. She has a cuttlebone too, but I can't tell if she's actually eating it or just playing with it.

When was the last time your turtle ate? Today, just pellets and carrots though

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 75 gallons
Is the tank near a window?no,
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Kind of, it's in the living room. There is activity when he's home, but he works/goes to school most of the time,

Have you read the Basic Care section? Repeatedly.
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? I have no idea what exactly is wrong, so I wouldn't know what a similar situation was.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Just her funky scutes and that white stuff.

[BullDog]

Is that the shell dry? It doesn't look too bad of condition over all. It's hard to tell what the white is.

Is it whispy? Have a smell? Soft? Scrape off with your fingernail (gently)?

My first thought (Just a guess!) was that it looks like perhaps some superficial chips in the shell, though I certainly don't know for sure.

[Kurtni]

Is that the shell dry? It doesn't look too bad of condition over all. It's hard to tell what the white is.

Is it whispy? Have a smell? Soft? Scrape off with your fingernail (gently)?

My first thought (Just a guess!) was that it looks like perhaps some superficial chips in the shell, though I certainly don't know for sure.

We dried her off before we took the pictures with a towel, but she may have still been a bit wet.

It's not whispy, doesn't smell and it's not soft, it feels just like the rest of her shell. And no, it doesn't come off. I didn't even notice it at first because it was covered in algae.

[LeslieMW]

could you maybe get a close up pic of it?

it looks to me like it could be some sort of fungus. i don't think it requires vet care just yet. since you have her in all ther right conditions and she's basking it may just go away or come off with a shed.

[Swaypippin]

To me it looks like my Orlando's shell. And what happened to him was my bf tried to "help" him shed and picked off too much of the scute. which apparently revealed bone underneath. But his is very bright white, it looks like your turt's has been healing.

I could be wrong, but like I said that's what I thought from the pictures.

As for what I know about what happened to Orlando, there's really nothing you can do about it other than maybe give them more calcium. I haven't had him vetted though.

[Bumby's Mom]

Hmmm. I can't really tell from the pic but if it is completely hard like the rest of her shell it is probably an old injury. Injuries to the shell usually don't heal up and look "normal" they will always look different from the rest of the shell.
Does it look like this?

Link to larger version: http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2103/176 ... f2f5_b.jpg
That was underneath of my adults scutes when she shedded. If you have a vet you can take her to then I would definitely take her. Just to get her checked out and make sure she isn't sick or having parasites. If you do take her to the vet make sure to take a poop sample so they can check for parasites.