General Care Discussion :: What's wrong with my turtle's shell?

[Kaytatsu]

My turtle is a red-eared slider, and he has been slowly accumulating an algae-like substance on his shell over the last three years. His tank gets a lot of sunlight from the window and I'm wondering if that's contributing to the growth?

Also, his shell looks kind of rough and not as smooth as other red-eared sliders'. I feed him ReptoMin and Rep-Cal pellets as well as the occasional dried shrimp and leafy green lettuce.

Can anyone tell me what the problem is? See picture attached below.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y204/K ... C02684.jpg

[Touche the Turtle]

I'm not sure about the algea, but it kinda looks like he retained some scrutes instead of shedding them.

[Kaytatsu]

Yeah, you're right. I should've mentioned that he almost never shed pieces of his shell... I think he wouldn't have this problem if he shed regularly He's constantly shedding skin from his neck and limbs though.

What could be preventing him from shedding scutes?

[steve]

Hi, welcome to the site. There is some algae and retained scutes (and some pyramiding). There might even be some fungus from the white specs. How old is he and how long have you had him? My concern is the retained scutes... if you gently press against them, does water seep out?

[PridgNYC]

He needs exposure to UVA and UVB light for proper scute development and shedding. Being next to a window is not sufficient, as glass filters out UV rays. Too much protein in his diet can also cause the pyramiding

[Kaytatsu]

Oh no... I once saw a thread on here called "History of Curing a Turtle's Shell" where the owner cured her turtle's fungal infection and made his shell all smooth by using something called nolvasan soaks and silver sulfadiazine. I am wondering if I can do something like that for my turtle?

To answer your question, my turtle is a little over 4 years old and I've pretty much had him his entire life. I pressed his shell gently but nothing seeped out. In fact, his shell gets really really dry when he stays out of the water for more than a couple minutes. I had used one of those UVA/UVB lights before but I'm kind of skeptical about them because whenever my turtle sits under it he starts looking really dry, which isn't surprising given that the temperature rises well over 80 degrees. Also, my friend never uses those lights and his turtles look completely healthy, so the problem probably isn't that he has inadequate lighting but rather he gets too much direct sunlight, or something along those lines. I know most people recommend using those light bulbs though. I'm just not sure they'll solve this particular problem.

Yes, he is getting too much protein! I'm trying to switch over to a pellet with more plant material but he's reluctant to eat it... hopefully he'll get used to it soon.

Thank you everyone for helping! Still seeking advice so keep it coming ^^!

[Diamondbacks4Life]

There really isnt a thing as too much light and high 80s is a perfect temp. If it is too hot the turtle will twitch alot usually and generally get out of the light. As for the too dry part a turtle should be completely dry but maybe your gets a weird look because of the fungas when its dry it will turn the shell completely white where it is.

Actually does your turtle have any actual heat light at all or are you just using the light from the window?

[Kaytatsu]

It's mostly just light from the window. My room gets a lot of sunlight and most of it goes directly to the basking area so it gets pretty hot there on sunny days. I'll start using a UVA/UVB light now, but is there anything I can do in the meantime to cure his shell? What do people think of the two drugs mentioned in my earlier post? Any suggestions?

[Love of Animals]

The two drugs mentioned in your earlier post are for shell rot, shell infection or shell injuries. Lets see what changing your turtles habitat will do for the shell. A UVB light, a heat light, a basking area with temperature at 90 degrees. Water temps between 76 -78 degrees. Try feeding more leafy green veggies like dandelion leafs, red leaf lettuce. You can feed a blueberry occasionally and if you can get your hands on it Koi wheat germ pellets. That should help promote a shed. He might have a nice shell under there.

[PridgNYC]

Not really, he needs to lose those scutes, and having a basking area that is well supplied with UVA and UVB light is critical to proper development and shedding. He needs to be able to completely dry out when basking, he'll go back into the water when he gets thirsty or too hot. Sunlight through your window and the glass of the tank will not do it.

The problem with trying to treat him now is that the medications don't penetrate the shell, and he has so many layers built up that the medication will only treat the surface. I've read that feeding a diet high in wheat germ (koi pellets based on wheat germ) will help him to shed the scutes, but the UVA/UVB is also very important.

Love of animals beat me to the punch, but I am going to post anyway to +1 it.

[Kaytatsu]

Thanks for all your replies. So I need to get a good UVB light and change his diet around a bit to include more plant material and wheat germ. Then maybe I'll try to get my hands on some of those medicines.

Last question: can anyone recommend a good brand of UVB light bulb? I think some are better than others.

[Love of Animals]

It really depends on your habitat size, the type of basking area and whether you have to use a clip light or a tube light. Can you post a pic of your habitat?

[steve]

You have to look real close for any seeping water around the edges.