General Care Discussion :: Spot on shell of baby turtle

[mmurray71]

I just aquired a small yellow-bellied slider about 2 weeks ago (my first turtle!)...its shell is about one and a half inches - here are some cute pictures I got of it basking:







I noticed when I first got it there was a blackish spot with brown edges on part of its shell that looks like he may have been physically damaged...the spot hasn't changed in the past 2 weeks, but I wanted to make sure it isn't something I need to worry about. It doesn't really look like other pictures i've seen of fungi or shell rot but i'm still concerned...

I've got it in a 20 gallon long tank with a 13 watt reptiglo 5.0 flourescent and an incandescent over the spot where he likes to bask. It's eating like a champ, loves to bask and seems to be healthy otherwise. Here are some pictures where you can see the spot a little better:







If anyone can tell what this looks like and if this is a problem that I should address it would be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone has any tips on how to judge their age/sex that would be great too..I'm having trouble coming up with a name as i don't know if it's a male or female...

[ZombieTurtle]

i dont know what the spots are but those are some awesome basking pics. i like the one where it has its eyes closed.. you should submit one of the first 3 pics to the monthly pic contest.

currently its to young to know the sex, its hard to know the age. since its a baby it cant be to old but no way to know for sure.
the sex can be determined once the shell length is 4" (about a year old)
males have long from claws and are smaller than females.

most people name there turtles names that dont have a specific gender. and some just name the turtle whatever htey want whether its a boy or a girl.

[marisa]

I see a little pitting as well. To me, it looks like it might have been a touch of shell rot that's healed up. Is the shell hard in that area?

[mmurray71]

Thanks for the compliments on the pictures! Such a cute lil turtle...I'm thinking about naming it Squirt...I know thats a pretty popular name but i like it.

The shell gives in a little to pressure in that area moreso than on the rest of the shell, but it also feels the same on the other side of the shell where there are not any spots. Is that normal around that area of the shell (kind of above where his front legs are attached) on smaller turtles?

[ZombieTurtle]

i think the name you mentioned, squirt is a perfect name for him.
if you like it go for it. i wish i could get a pic of my turtle basking, hes to nervous when hes on the dock and i walk within 5 feet of his tank.
i got one of my turtle sleeping on my cell phone, im going to try to do it agian but with a camera so i can post it.

[Tenodera]

That's not a yellow bellied slider. Yellow bellies have a big yellow splotch behind their eye. It doesn't really look like a cooter either, so I'm guessing its a slider hybrid.

[RunninWideOpen]

Wow! beautiful pics!!! you should definitely enter those in the photo contest.

I am not sure about those spots on his shell either. Could be shell rot, almost looks like they could be teeth marks to me. Just keep an eye on them; if it continues to get worst take him to a good herp vet and have him looked at.

[SpotsMama]

Tenodera, here's a photo of a yellow bellied slider and it looks a lot like this one to me. The stripe patterns are not identical but I'm thinking about our red eared sliders and how their stripes and shades vary. Remeber the "open" red ear stripes and the "closed" red ear stripes in the survey a while back?

[SpotsMama]

On the shell situation, I agree with marisa that it's probably an infection that's healed or is healing.

Things to watch for: If the area grows, if it gets softer where the spot is compared to the same place on his other side, if the spot seems to be going deeper into the shell, if it gets slimy, then you need to start treatments.

Make sure he basks regularly under good light where he can dry out completely - top and bottom - and has clean water and a healthy diet with plenty of cuttlebone for calcium. These things will make a healthy shell.

He's adorable by the way!

[Tenodera]

...

But I read somewhere that the fat S yellow blotch was on all YBS...hmmm...

[SpotsMama]

I'm really no expert of course - I just found this neat website with pictures of all the turtles.

[Tenodera]

Well actually, in that photo you posted it has that yellow S marking behind the eye, but it is skinny.

The turtle that has the shell thin doesn't have it at all. lol maybe we'll never know...

[mmurray71]

Thanks everyone for the replies!

Is it possible to give too much calcium? He loves to munch on the turtle bone when i break it up into small bits for him especially when he's hungry... he's eating a good varied diet otherwise.

[marisa]

How many small bits do you give him? (And are you taking the hard backing off the turtle bone before you break it up?) My turtles will at times be more into cuttlebone than other times. When they readily eat it, I think it's because they need it in their systems (they're programmed to seek out calcium for their bones and shells). When they've got enough, they tend to eat less. I keep a few pieces floating in the tank and they eat it when they want to (or not). If you're leaving several small pieces in the tank and he eats them, you could just wait and give him a similar amount the next day.

BTW, keep an eye on that black area and keep the water nice and clean. Make sure he's basking under correct lighting.

[mmurray71]

I've taken the backing off of the bone...and he maybe ate about 5-6 tiny pieces...i'll see how much he goes for in the next couple of days.

Also, he basks for what seems like a large part of the day...I've got a 13 watt reptiglo 5.0 bulb about 6-7 inches above his basking area along with an incandescent making the temp about 88-89 degrees. Is this adequate? I keep them on for about 12 hours/day.