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Possible shell rot?

PostPosted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 7:50 pm
by Sniffa
One of my turtles has an area of the shell will it kind of craters down and green mold like stuff tends to build up.

I have some pictures but the quality is bad because it came from my phone.
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I took a rag to the green and it came off with some light scrubbing.
But if anyone could tell me what the problem may be and how to fix it i would be one happy turtle owner. Also do i need to worry about this spreading to the other turtles? And i have this stuff if it will do anything

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PostPosted: Wed Feb 17, 2010 8:29 pm
by n00bEmpty
It could be algae.

PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 8:42 pm
by marisa
It looks like algae. Can you gently rub the green with a q-tip and see if it comes off?

Once it's clean, check---is the underlying area soft at all? Is there any odor?

PostPosted: Thu Feb 18, 2010 8:54 pm
by Sniffa
marisa wrote:It looks like algae. Can you gently rub the green with a q-tip and see if it comes off?

Once it's clean, check---is the underlying area soft at all? Is there any odor?


The green stuff wiped off and the next layer is still hard, it just kinda concerns me because its like a crater in the side of the shell

PostPosted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 5:23 pm
by marisa
Can you get a close-up of the area?

PostPosted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 7:30 pm
by Sniffa
I couldn't really get a good close up but these pictures are a little bit more clear. and it actually looks like the area has grown back a little.

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PostPosted: Sun Feb 21, 2010 3:14 pm
by mikee
Sniff -- I am not a vet and any advice that I give is my own opinion. I would suggest that you see if the carapace under the green area is soft or smells. If so, you need to take it to a vet. If not, I suggest that you use a soft tooth brush and use a salt solution to brush it off. After you do that I would also suggest that you dry dock it for about 8 hours in a warm place. Keep the basking area at 90 to 91 degrees and the water at about 79 to 80 degrees until this area is cleared up. Also make sure the uvb lighting is good. They wear out in about a year and need to be replaced. Good Luck!