General Care Discussion :: How does the shell look?

[Turtle_Love45]

Hey! I was posting in another topic since I recently got my turtle. I have noticed that when I first received my turtle, the shell was a little spot where it seemed as if some of the shell was missing. Over time, it has gone worse (not really the word I want to use). I am thinking that it is time for shedding since I have seen other turtle pictures on here and such.

Below is a picture of the type of the shell. I have put an apple peel in the tank and am on a feeding schedule of pellets every other day. I realized that I think some pyramiding has happened (or so it seems), but I am trying to incorporate other foods.

[Lantic]

Could we get a side view?

[Turtle_Love45]

You are actually very lucky to be able to look at that picture! That was the first and only time I was able to get that close. Usually, I walk into the room and it is straight into the water!

The only side picture I have is below:

[Lantic]

Do you have a UVB bulb ? I would start feeding him/she more apple peels. I dont know much, but i am sure alot of people here will tell you how to solve it.

[Turtle_Love45]

I have a UVA light since the guy at the store gave me that one and he breeds turtles, so I took it. I am thinking about getting a UVB though.

I have also noticed that the shell is turning a brown color. You can see it if you look in the first picture.

[Lantic]

You need a UVB asap. If you want to, you can search the forums for tips for shell improvement. There should be tons of them.

[Raphulk]

look through the main section of this site called basic RES care:
http://www.redearslider.com/index_basic_care.html

it will have most of the answers for you..generally speaking.
further and specific instructions can be asked here

[Turtle_Love45]

I have read everything there already and it did not really answer my question so here I am.

[grem89]

what exactly is your question? If your question is the title of your post then i would have to say that it looks like shell rot to me. Smell the areas where you see the lighter spots and if it smells bad, then its shell rot. There is lots of info on the website on how to treat shell rot. For minor cases, dry docking (meaning keeping your turt out of the water for a period of time) and gently pick loose pieces of fungus off with your finger nail. Then gently rub the infected areas with some povidone iodine and a soft bristled tooth brush. But again, this is for minor cases. Shell rot will usually not go away without treatment so you must act on this. If you find that those white spots pitted the shell and extend deep into the shell then you should really consult with a herp vet asap.

BTW
You need to add more water to that tank asap. It looks like you have maybe an inch of water in there. You should have it filled as high as possible without the turtle being able to climb out.

I have read everything there already and it did not really answer my question so here I am.

To me it looks like you dont have a sufficient set up at all for your turtle. Read everything again and you will realize what improvements you MUST make to your habitat. Take some time and read over the whole site (yeah it takes time but everyone here probably has done so atleast once)

Here's a list of things to get you started (this all can be found on the site)

-Aquarium with 10 gallons of water per inch of shell (5 inch turtle requires atleast 50 gallon aquarium or tub)
-UVB Bulb (overtop the basking area)
-Heat Lamp (any incadecent house lightbulb will do)
-A filter that pumps atleast 3-5x the amount of water in your tank per hour IE 30 gallon tank should require a pump that can turn over the water at about 90-150 gph.
-Water heater (water temp 73-80 degrees)
-Basking area with temps 10 degrees warmer than your water temp

[Turtle_Love45]

what exactly is your question? If your question is the title of your post then i would have to say that it looks like shell rot to me. Smell the areas where you see the lighter spots and if it smells bad, then its shell rot. There is lots of info on the website on how to treat shell rot. For minor cases, dry docking (meaning keeping your turt out of the water for a period of time) and gently pick loose pieces of fungus off with your finger nail. Then gently rub the infected areas with some povidone iodine and a soft bristled tooth brush. But again, this is for minor cases. Shell rot will usually not go away without treatment so you must act on this. If you find that those white spots pitted the shell and extend deep into the shell then you should really consult with a herp vet asap.

BTW
You need to add more water to that tank asap. It looks like you have maybe an inch of water in there. You should have it filled as high as possible without the turtle being able to climb out.

I have read everything there already and it did not really answer my question so here I am.

To me it looks like you dont have a sufficient set up at all for your turtle. Read everything again and you will realize what improvements you MUST make to your habitat. Take some time and read over the whole site (yeah it takes time but everyone here probably has done so atleast once)

Here's a list of things to get you started (this all can be found on the site)

-Aquarium with 10 gallons of water per inch of shell (5 inch turtle requires atleast 50 gallon aquarium or tub)
-UVB Bulb (overtop the basking area)
-Heat Lamp (any incadecent house lightbulb will do)
-A filter that pumps atleast 3-5x the amount of water in your tank per hour IE 30 gallon tank should require a pump that can turn over the water at about 90-150 gph.
-Water heater (water temp 73-80 degrees)
-Basking area with temps 10 degrees warmer than your water temp

The dock is floating in the water, and the water is filled about half way. It looks like there is no water because of the way that I took the picture.

I have a lot of the stuff that is needed. My tank is small at the moment, but that is a little beyond my control.

[grem89]

it should be filled up as high as you can without letting the turt escape. You can just tape up a peice of cardboard next to the dock to keep the turt from climbing over the edge of the tank. How big is your tank and turt?

[Turtle_Love45]

it should be filled up as high as you can without letting the turt escape. You can just tape up a peice of cardboard next to the dock to keep the turt from climbing over the edge of the tank. How big is your tank and turt?

The tank is only ten gallons, and before you go on about how I need a new tank, do not even. I know that, and like I said, that is a little beyond my control.

About how big the turtle is, I have not gotten that far. I have only had the turtle for a little over a week. It is on my lists of things to do though.

[JELslider]

My first guess would be shell rot too. Perhaps your turtle was not treated properly before you got them. Did you smell the areas like someone suggested?

The shell does not look like that for pyramiding nor scute shedding... I went through that before.

[JELslider]

Another piece of bizarre knowledge for everyone getting on the new RES owner.

My uncle owned a RES for about 25-30 years now... for most of his life... he lived in a 10 gallon tank, in about 2 inches of water, and ate nothing but meat and fish!

He is still alive and very healthy. Pretty too.

Don't worry RES Lovers, once I got my turt and did some research, I told him he needs to relocate him fast!! So now "SOUP" has a nice spacious habitat outdoors, and enjoys the Florida sun!

[Turtle_Love45]

Okay, so my husband checked the shell, and he said that the spots do not smell and they are not soft. When I got the turtle, the long one on the left was there, and it has since become what is shown above and the shell is turning brown. It has not even been two weeks since I was given the turtle.