General Care Discussion :: Retained Scutes...

[Cim*Forever]

Hey there,

I posted a while ago about Rossco and his constant retained scutes. He has been for a visit to the vet, they just dremeled his shell (though I didn't consent to it).
The issue still has not been fixed and so I was asking for advice on here.
I was told pictures of his shell dry were needed. Long story short, my camera was lent to a friend and I just got it back, so I have the pictures needed!. Any suggestions or advice would be great!

Also, Boy or Girl? S/he is 4 inches and just about a year old.

Thanks guys!

Dry shell:


Dry Shell Again:


One More Time:



CLAWS! :





TAIL:



Also, Here is his setup:




Thanks again guys!

[TheComputerGremlin]

I think Rossco is Rosscolina! If s/he is in fact 4" long, with no claws, and a stubby, wide tail, I'm voting girl.

As for the shell, I'm not sure about the retained scutes. The shell doesn't look bad to me, my little one is just getting on me having him for 1 year and 4" (and I'm beginning to think he's a she ...), and no shedding of scutes yet. I'm letting nature take it's course, though.

[taurusgirl]

that is a female
dont know any thing about the shell tho

[Daniel3507]

looks like you have a female. the thought of taking a dremel to the shell scares me haha. do you ever take her outside for some real sun? also, what is her diet?

[Mandyb]

wow really eh dremeled his shell...cause thats safe:|

[Cim*Forever]

Yep, Wasn't impressed with the vet myself. Was secretly pleased that Rossco(lina) bit him. I just don't think the shell looks like it is supposed too...

The diet consists of a mix of reptomin and wardleys turtle food, a switch of lettuce, dandelion leaves, and cilantro almost daily, and he is not fond of carrots, or apple peals but I offer it to him about once or twice a week. He loves his bananas and strawberries, about once a month.

Thanks for the replies guys! Hope to see some more.

[LeslieMW]

what do you mean "dremeled" his..or actually her..shell?

[zoologist]

took a dremel to it to smooth out the shell. they do it to birds to trim their beaks if they get too long. they also do it to turtles when that scute behind the turtle's head doesnt shed and the turtle starts to get open wounds on their necks.

[Turtlebiz]

have you tried feeding her blueberries? they help with the shedding. my turt loves 'em!

[AllisonChains]

I can't imagine what that must have felt like.

I use a dremel on both of the dogs rather than clipping their nails.

[steve]

It looks like fungus to me. How often/long does your turtle bask?

[Cim*Forever]

Mmm its hard to judge, he goes through periods of a lot of basking to periods of not so much. Id say 3 or 4 hours a day is a good guess.

When I brought him to the vet the first time, I was convinced it was fungus also, but the vet (and he was a herp vet) said that it wasn't and just retained scutes.

A long with that, his shell is hard and it doesn't smell funny. I am starting to get frustrated lol.

As for getting real sun, there was probably only one or 2 days that it was actually warm enough to bring him outside, and I was away from home for 2 weeks during that time.

As for blueberries, I have only tried them once or twice for him.
Oh, and I should probably start referring to him as a her
Thanks for all the replies guys!

[marisa]

Based on the tail and position of the cloaca, at a shell length of 4 inches, I'd say you have a female.

The shell looks like the result of inadequate basking conditions, and as it took time to develop, it will take time to fix. Getting her outside for some real sun would be good. What kind of UVB light are you using? How old is it?

[steve]

Fungus, in my experience, doesn't cause a soft shell or smell though it can through a secondary infection. If your turtle sheds regularly, then it shouldn't be a huge problem.

Fungus is also something that is not regularly diagnosed. When my turtle had it, one vet (a rather well-known herp vet) said it was "a lack of pigmentation" whatever that is supposed to mean.

[Cim*Forever]

The UVB bulb is a repti glow 5.0 I think. I replace my UVB bulbs every 6 months, and this one is 4 months old.


If it is fungus, what should I do about it? Any ideas and suggestions are welcome and appreciated.