General Care Discussion :: What's Wrong With My Turtle's Shell?

[pan1k]

My turtle's shell looks dry. She's been shedding scutes a lot lately, when I changed her water today, her shell looked liked this:



Any ideas on what to do?

[tauc87]

Yeah Greeny's is looking dry too
most of it is the camera flash but some dryness



is it scuting? can someone explain scuting to me please lol

[Tenodera]

I dunno, but it looks like your turtle has an abcess, too.

[rockstar]

might be a hard water issue?

[pan1k]

Could be a hardwater issue. The water here makes my skin dry. I use additives, do I need to correct the pH balance or something?

[Threepwood]

Wow. I wish I could give you an answer, but I honestly don't know what would cause that. It probably wouldn't hurt to get a water testing kit to check ph balance and alkalinity and what not.

How's the turtle been acting? Otherwise normally?

[rockstar]

have you tried cleaning him with a soft toothbrush?

[xsavingsaturdayx]

Kind of looks like fungus to me Does the shell smell at all? Does anything come off of it? Does she have UVB light?..You know, looking at again, it looks kind of bumpy too..

[SpotsMama]

One possibility is mineral deposits from hard water. If you rub on the white areas with a Q tip that has been dipped in white viniger, does it rub off? If it doesn't rub off it's not mineral deposits.

Did the white start in just a few places then spread from there to more and more scutes? If so, then it's probably a fungus infection.

It really looks like some of those scutes are overdue for a shed. Aren't they lifting at the edges?

[pan1k]

No lumps or bumps on my turtle.. green stuff is just algae, it comes off rather easily once a week I'll get a test kit.. she's super happy though I think she is out growing her tank already.. she just out grew her dock! Yes I have a UVB light for her... she's been shedding scutes like crazy this summer! I give her cuttle bone to munch on for calcium.. I think it's just hard water since when she's submerged you don't notice it..

[pan1k]

Ok.. I'm getting more worried.. the center of the top of the shell is soft.. what shall I do? It looks like it's spreading to other parts. I'm taking her out at night to get completely dry. Other than the shell issues no weird behaviour... any info is appreciated!

I took some scutes off that were about to come off...I just hope i'm doing the right thing by keeping her out of the water at night.. oh she's been escaping from her tank a lot more often if that counts as weird behaviour..

[marisa]

Exactly how soft? Does the shell depress when you push gently on it? If this is an area that hasn't shed yet and it feels slightly soft to the touch, it could be water between the scutes that need to shed. Does any water ooze out when you press on the center top scutes?

Did you try rubbing any of the white areas with a little white vinegar? If so, did the white come off?

In the first pic, especially, it looks like it could be a fungus. The scutes look rough to me as well. When they shed, do they come off in one piece or in flakes and pieces? (If you're peeling them off because you think they need to shed, please don't.) I also see algae on some of the marginal scutes. What does the turtle's shell look like after it's been cleaned up and allowed to dry?

[pan1k]

I don't have any vinegar here but I am going to get a toothbrush and scrub the shell. Do you recommend a sulfa dip? It's pretty soft in the middle of the shell, like it's caved in, when I was rubbing the shell trying to get algae off, she was squirming as if in pain. The previous owner had her in a 10 gallon tank and she's about 2 years old.. she seems to be ok, eating just fine but I want to start treatment before it gets worse.[/i]

[SpotsMama]

I think you're going to need some help from a vet for that shell. If you're going to try some cleaning you need to be very gentle especially if the shell seems sensitive. You don't want to create any breaks in the shell. Also, if it seems as if she's squirming in pain, she may be.

Sulfa dip is a good treatment for a mild fungus infection but your turtle probably needs something stronger. There are other medications out there that you can get by perscription that would be more effective. If the shell is getting soft it may be that something else entirely is involved like a vitamin deficiency or calcium deficiency.

It's a very good sign that she's eating with enthusiasm and has energy. Do her eyes look ok?

I'm so sorry your turtle is having a hard time. It's a shame when someone else doesn't take good care and creates a problem then you have to try to fix it.

[Tenodera]

Does anyone else notice an abcess on the turtle?