General Care Discussion :: Checking Shell Health

[nh198921]

Hi

my girlfriend and i have a RES named Clyde. he was brought to us by her parents from myrtle beach in april. i am unsure of his age, he is approximately 3.5 inches in shell length, i would guess. (i know gender is hard to determine until 4 inches in length but i tried ID him and i think he is male). i would like to have some opinions on his shell health.

he is currently set up in what i will admit is an insufficient environment due to lack of knowledge. we really want to give him the correct environment and thanks to this site i have the knowledge now and am in the process of moving him to a larger tank with a better filter and heater set up as well as a better basking area. i just wanted to post a picture of his shell (the best one i can get, he is a fast mover) and have some people let me know if something is wrong. the back of the shell is where i am concerned. he has shed, maybe too much because of too much protein intake, but, like i said, we are fixing his diet. also getting him cuttlebone to hopefully help. i do not see any odd shape or pyramiding, just what looks like a peeling in the back portion. it has been there for a few weeks maybe more i would say. he has shed slightly a few times. is this a problem?

pics attached hopefully i did it right. thanks in advance.

nick

[steve]

Clyde looks more female in those pics. Was he only a hatchling when he was brought home?

I see some retained scutes, not sure about pyramiding from the pics. I do see some original "baby scutes", so the growth has been fast. There also looks like there is some shell fungus developing. Both can be addressed but you'll need to invest some money into the habitat and time into the diet.

[tomster]

Do you have a reliable reptile vet in your area? I've never had a case of shell fungus with my turts, so this isn't from experience, but it seems that most people see success with getting rid of the fungus when it is treated with silver sulfadiazine, which is prescription.

[nh198921]

Ok, that doesn't sound too great. Clyde was only About 1.5" when we got her? I guess ... i later found out this was illegal. I really want to get her All set and heslthy ASAP. i am meeting with someone about a 75 gallon tank very early next week from Craigslist. i just ordered last Night online a fluval fx5, an eheim jager 300 watt heater, 2 thermometers, a zoomed uvb and a heat lamp as well as a python for water changes.

We must've been over feeding Clyde so that makes me very nervous. We have reptomin pellets and red shrimp which we gave Clyde wayyyy too often after looking on here. What do we need to do diet wise?

Also very concerned with the fungus. How do we address that issue? Thank you very much for your help Steve.

[nh198921]

I have no idea about a reliable reptile vet. There are vets close by we take our dog to but not sure about turtles so ill have to look into it. I will make some calls today and get Clyde checked. Thanks for your input... Anything to do in the mean time?

[tomster]

Well, diet, feeding times, those are things you can change easily, and make sure she has a spacious place to get out and get completely dry without leaving her back end in. A couple of years ago my boyfriend and I updated our basking area by cutting glass, sanding the edges, and using an aquarium safe sealant to glue it to the upper part of the tank, on supports, then added a ramp. We lined the top with a piece of cork bark. It was a good solution for us.

When you call the vets, make sure they have experience with turtles, as a couple I have called have said they would see the turtle, but when asked, didn't have any experience. What? That is a warning, find someone else in that case. You may have to drive a bit, but it is worth it.

[nh198921]

Right. She has outgrown both her tank and basking area but we are in the process of getting both squared away. So she needs to get her shell completely dry... The basking area now is still large enough for her to get all of her shell out but it's small. Thanks for the tip on the vet... Going to call today. Any specific diet tips for helping Clyde out? Thanks everyone

[nh198921]

Update: Clyde has an appointment with the vet to get checked out this Tuesday the 23rd. I am still looking for some information about properly feeding Clyde, I'm sure we were giving him too much protein in the past. I have read through the site and other forums but I think I am being overwhelmed with information. I was planning on giving him green leaf lettuce and maybe some other vegetables on a daily basis and pellets every other day. So should Turtles be fed once a day? Or twice a day? If I feed twice a day on a day with pellets, do I only give pellets at one of the meals? Sorry for all the questions but just trying to get as much information as possible so I make the habitat enjoyable And the diet appropriate. Thank you

[tomster]

If you read through all of the topics and feeding lists on this site, and others, it is definitely overwhelming- and everyone does things a little differently. A lot depends on the age of your turtle. I think the general rule of thumb, and someone else can correct me on this if I'm off on my numbers, is if you are feeding a juvenile, they are slightly more carnivorous than adults, and about 40% of their diet should be protein. If you are feeding an adult, 25% should be protein.

For myself, I feed my RES every other day, or every two days. He gets 6-7 pellets twice a week. He eats a lot of romaine, dandelion greens, and I supplement with carrots, turnips, sometimes tomato, apple peel, or any other appropriate veges as I get them. And he gets to enjoy cut up grapes with the skin off every now and then. He also really like anacharis, which is a water plant, but I don't get that as often. I also make cuttlebone available for him in his tank. This is just my feeding schedule (my guy is about 7 years, by the way), and may not work or be agreed on by everyone. I am always open for improvement though.

IMO, I would think feeding twice a day is overindulging, but that's me. RES are notorious beggars and would eat all day if you let them, especially pellets- at least my guy would. We fed our guy too many pellets too often when he was younger, and as a result he has a minor issue with retained scutes because he grew too quickly, so I would do a lot of reading and get different input from other people on what they think about the pellet situation.

[nh198921]

after taking clyde out of his tank the discoloration became more visible. is that normal of a fungal infection? when we put him back in the water after about half an hour, his white spots where it looks to have a peeling appearance seemed to be even brighter white. is this normal with a fungal infection? thanks again

[steve]

In all the situations that I know of, it becomes more noticeable when dry.

[nh198921]

ok, thank you for the info. if that is the case- would you recommend that when i take Clyde to the vet on Tuesday that i bring him there in a dry state like transport him in a bin without water so the vet can get a better look at the shell?

[steve]

Yes, don't transport them in water... a dry box or bin, lined with paper towels or newspaper is a better way. Good luck!