General Care Discussion :: Turtle help

[emma]

My baby l inch slider has a missing nail! It is in the front and where the nail is missing it is sort of white and purply. Like a tiny bump where the nail is supossed to be. Will the nail grow back on its own or is there something that i need to do for it to help it grow back!?! thanks everyone for your help!

[SpotsMama]

Is this the same slider that has the shell problem? It might grow back if the nail bed is still in tact but if it's damaged then it probably won't.

What happened to the nail? Did one of the other turtles bite it off? That would't be surprising. Turtles get aggressive with one another especially when they are crowded together. Yours are pretty small to be showing aggression but if they are, then they'll have to be separated. If it's just one that's being aggressive right now, you might put him/her in a separate container.

You can rub a little antibiotic salve (like Neosporin) on the wound after the turtle has dried off. Keep the turtle dry for about an hour after you put the salve on before putting him back in the water. It's especially important if the turtle has an open wound that the water be kept very clean. If infection sets in then the turle should be seen by a vet.

[emma]

no it is not the one that has the shell problem.

[marisa]

One of my painteds lost a nail late last winter and although it's growing back, it is doing so ever so slowly and is still much shorter than his other nails. Do you know how the nail was lost? Do the other nails look normal?

Try to keep the area clean to prevent infection. I used to wash the nail bed with Nolvasan (you could use diluted Hibiclens as well), let it dry and then apply some Neosporin or Polysporin to it with a q-tip.

[emma]

ok thanks!