I spent a long time looking but could not find a similar post, so please forgive me if this has been covered a million times:
Aysheaia, who is around 5, is a great turtle. As you can see, he does have some pre-existing shell issues related to diet/lighting. Even though I thought I'd done the right thing (great basking platform, good water quality, large space) he didn't get the UVB he needs (only UVA and heat). He also hates greens and supplements. He will just lick the tuna water off any greens or ignore any treats with supplements on them. That said, I should have provided better lighting. I hope that once I start following the program he will shed the retained scutes and look more normal. So here's the problem: I went away on vacation for a week and had my dad watch him. My dad did a great job, gave him some tasty bugs and sunshine. Except something weird must have happened while I was gone.
I just got home and I noticed he has a white spot on his shell. It's not like the other white spots I've seen. This almost looks like part of a bone sticking out, but it's not. Is this fungal? He definitely needs to shed about 5 retained scutes in that area, but why is this spot white? His shell is hard, his eyes are clear and he's eating but I'm worried. I am planning on taking him to the vet on Friday or Monday, but I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'm happy to provide more details if needed. He's not really orange-y, but a nice dark brown, save for two lighter colored areas that he's had since a baby. A vet looked at those and said it was normal color variation. The spot is on the right side. Any other discolorations are from the lighting.
Thank you.
- He is dry here
