General Care Discussion :: Shell condition, appears to have shell rot...what to do?

[luv2paint]

I've had all my turtles for approx 3 years. The person that had them before me took horrendous care of them. I've had many problems with shell health with one of my large girls, but now I'm having problems with my other one. Her shell has broken, minor, I've treated her for the bleeding. When I look at her I see what looks like shell rot is beginning. Could this be because of her previous owners care? What can I do so that she doesn't have anymore problems until I can get her in to the vet (which I'm scheduling an appointment now)?
Also, I always clean their water, but a month ago I went out of town and the person I asked to take care of them didn't clean it. could this have been caused by them not cleaning it? Please help.

How big is your turtle? 8 in.
How long have you had it? 3 years

What is the water temperature? 75-78 degrees
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? approx 400 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes, pond filter made for over 800 gallons

What is the basking temperature? 80-87 degrees f.
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? A container holding sand (nesting)
Is there a UVB light? yes, compact 10.0. Had it for 3 months. I change it every 6 months. (due to the fact that uvb bulbs emit a lot less after 6 months)

What have you been trying to feed it? yesterday she had red and green leaf lettuce, romane lettuce, raddiocco (can't spell it), endive, escarole, and spinach. Today she had red and green lettuce and floating pellets.
When was the last time your turtle ate? 3 hours ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 400 gallon pond
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? yes, but they can't see out, and there isn't much noise around them.

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes, I've found a few, But I wanted to make sure of what I was checking.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? No, she seems healthy other than that her shell is having problems.

[marisa]

Welcome. Do you have picture of the shell dry?

[luv2paint]

Sorry it took me so long. I was trying to find a new vet in my area that actually knew what they were doing...
Here are pictures of her shell. Most are a little blurry because she refused to sit still.

http://s244.photobucket.com/albums/gg24 ... cs/Hudina/

*~*~again, sorry that I couldn't get better pics~*~*

Also, I don't understand why she has so many spots where her shell is broken. Do you think her tank mate is doing it? I don't think that there are any decorations she could have broken it on like that.
Also...again...I'm cleaning her shell every night with a children's soft tooth brush and an antiseptic wash (can't remember it's name at the moment, but it looks similar to iodine, dark brown-orange) and then I'm dry docking her at night, over night. Is there anything that I'm not doing that I should be?

[jozzep]

Bad water conditions and poor lighting is what causes shell rot.
Lets get the conditions right first. Start with the water. Keep the water clean with water changes and clean the filter often.
The basking spot should get up to 85 to 90 F. Get a thermometer and check it. If it is not warm enough then move the light closer or get a bigger wattage bulb. Use a basking light with both UVA and UVB for 12 hours per day. No light at night.
Get a Dr Turtle Sulfa Block to treat the water and prevent anymore problems. . Now that the conditions are right you need to go after the infection. The shell rot needs to be cleaned out down to healthy shell. The openings/pits then need to be treated so they won't become reinfected again. Try Zoo Med Repti Wound Healing Aid.
If you can't handle this on your own,a good vet would probably use antibiotics

[marisa]

Well, it looks like something's going on in that top row of pics and in the third and fourth to the last pics.

When you see the vet, ask about getting some Nolvasan (chlorohexidine) and Silverdyne (Silver Sulfadiazine) cream to treat the areas. When is the appt. for?

I'm confused about the basking area---it's made of sand and doubles as a nesting area? It seems to me that it would be difficult for the shell to dry out completely if the turtle only had that to bask on.

I would skip the sulfa block, go to the vet and get something that will be effective in clearing up the condition ASAP (it will still take some time to heal, though).

[luv2paint]

I'm confused about the basking area---it's made of sand and doubles as a nesting area? It seems to me that it would be difficult for the shell to dry out completely if the turtle only had that to bask on.

The basking area is a large box that they climb into. It is filled with moist sand that allows them to nest. In the back of it there is a large flat rock that allows them to bask and dry completely.

I haven't made an appointment yet, the last vet I had (that I was told knew what he was doing) apparently didn't know a thing about turtle shell health and care. So I'm still searching for a good one that I trust.

[marisa]

How abrasive is the rock? Do they use it?

[luv2paint]

The rock isn't really abrasive at all. I keep the sides under the sand so that they don't scratch or harm them selves on it. I also filed the sharp corners into rounded edges. And yes, they do use it, only they seem to like sitting on the sand more.

[mikee]

Luv-paint – Shell rot and or fungus is due to improper diet (short on calcium), improper lighting and heat. Your turtle’s shell must get dry when basking. I mean dry, dry! The temp should be around 90 to 91 degrees with uvb light. I am thinking that the turtle has its carapace stuck in the sand while basking and does not get completely dry. In regards to your filter; you need to check on the gph that your filter puts out. When you are speaking of a 400 gallon tank the filter pump should put out 5 times the amount of water in you tank. That would put you filter pumping at least 2,000 gallons per hour. If your paper work reads that it is good for an 800 gallon tank that means for fish not turtles. Check your gph for that pump. I/we would be interested in what the vet has to say. m.

[luv2paint]

The appointment is set for next week. I can't change the basking spot yet, she is still laying eggs and nesting, when she isn't nesting I always change it out to a regular platform.The vet that I found thinks that if I seperate her from her tank mate that she will stop having this problem. I described the condition to the vet (over the phone, I still made an appointment) and he said that it sounds like her shell is being broken, possibly by her tank mate biting her. He said that since she isn't having soft spots, fluid under the shell plates, a discharge, or shell plates falling off with tissue being exposed that it sounds like it may be something breaking it rather than it rotting. My filter pumps at 1500 gallons per hour, I hadn't realized that it wasn't strong enough (guess what I'll be buying tomorrow!) I'll post an update on what the vet says after the appointment.