General Care Discussion :: Spots on their shell

[steve]

Can you post a picture of the label? I would take the Reptoguard out. Do you have a heater? UVB lamp?

[Cindylou]

The picture isn't clear but the jar says Silvadene cream 1 percent contains 10 mg of silver sulfadiazine in a hydrophilic (water washable) base consisting of white petrolatum, stearyl alcohol,isopropyl myristate, sobitan monooleate, polyoxyl 40 stearate, propylene glycol and water with methylparaben 03 percent as a preservative. I don't have a heater. Yes, I have a UVB light.

[steve]

It sounds like you have the standard version. I would make sure you have a correct setup for them (basking area, heat lamp, uvb lamp, heater, filter) before treatment. Improper conditions will allow the fungus to comeback and it will be more difficult to treat.

[Cindylou]

Repeat questions that were never answered- 1) What about betadine and dry docking? 2) Will betadine and Silverdene not hurt the turtles eyes and mouth? 3) Should I feed my little hatchlings lettuce, dandelions and other greens? I've read different things on feeding.

[steve]

Eyes and mouth should not be in contact with betadine or SSD. Personally, betadine does not seen effective against shell fungus. He should have a staple of pellets and leafy greens... red leaf/green leaf are good ones. Dandelions are better (high in calcium) but have a bitter taste so they probably won't like it.

[Cindylou]

Okay, I'll give lettuce and dandelions a try. So for the shell spots should I just put SSD on every day? Do I take them out of water? I hate to sound so unknowledgeable but I'm just not sure and I'm a newbie. Thanks so much for your answers.

[steve]

There are a few ways to do it. Before you start, make sure the habitat is correct. Fungus that returns is much more difficult to treat. You'll need a dry dock area - an area that is warm and dry. My preferred way is to take them out and dry them off at night. After 30-60 min or so, apply a thin, small amount of cream to the affected areas. Let them sleep overnight with the cream on. If it's completely dark and quiet, they will sleep. In the morning, wipe off any residue left... you might have to scrub some of it with warm water and toothbrush. Wipe again and put them back into the tank. Do this for a week and see how it goes.