General Care Discussion :: Quick Shell Question

[Threepwood]

I just noticed this today. It's probably just algae or something, but I thought I'd post a picture just to be sure.



So what do you think? Is it soft toothbrush time? Or nothing to worry about?

Thanks for your help.

[Opus]

It looks like a little piece of algae too me,get a soft toothbrush or cloth and try too get it off.Or has his shell always been that color?maybe it could be a change of color in the shell!what do you feed it?because you know,you are what you eat.Is it fuzzy?

[Tenodera]

looks like algae to me! If your turtle basks regularly it should control the algae growth. But its not bad for your turtle, its just ugly.

[Threepwood]

Got it. Thanks for the replies, folks.

Just to answer your questions there: I've never noticed this before. I feed him pellets, romaine lettuce, carrots, etc. And I'm not sure if it's fuzzy. Do turtles' shells really change color like that?

I'll probably try to gently wash it off tomorrow, maybe. But as long as it isn't an urgent concern, everything is okay.

[steve]

Cute little guy. You can try wiping it off and if that doesn't work, you can use a new toothbrush and water that is the same temp as the tank water (78F-ish). Is he basking regularly?

[Threepwood]

He basks on and off, though he honestly hasn't done it much in a day or so (to my knowledge). But the good news is I finally got a UVB bulb to go with the heat bulb, and I've got everything set up the way I want it for now (until I get a larger tank for him), so hopefully he'll feel a bit more comfortable and start basking more often.