General Care Discussion :: What is this?

[novroz]

I found this on Kroten's carapace, can anyone tell me what is this? and how can I cure it?



Thanks in advance

[n00bEmpty]

It could be pyramiding. What have you been feeding it?
Pyramiding is caused by overfeeding your turtle.

[novroz]

no she has no pyramiding...I'm trying to ask about the white stuff on her carapace.

[worldpeace]

Hmm...does is smell? Is it soft? If it's none of these too then we can rule out shell rot.
It could also be scute shedding. From the second picture, I can see the the whiteness continues down even on the bottom part of the shell.

[novroz]

no smell and it's hard. Yeah it does go go down a bit.

Could it be fungus?

[Seroster]

It does look abnormal to me. Usually shedding scutes look like they have air bubbles in them, and usually happen in a small area that's on the scute only. The images you showed look more like the general area is actually discolored.

Not sure what it could be (I'm not that experienced), but yes fungus leaps to mind. Hopefully someone else can give some more feedback.

[marisa]

It looks like a baby scute that never came off, and now a bit of fungal infection has developed. From what I can see the rest of the shell looks OK (except for that other white area). I'd clean it to get a better look at what's there.

[novroz]

Thanks Seroster

@Marisa how can I clean it? I tried peeling it with my nail but she gets really irritated.

[aal]

WOW. Peeling a shell with your nail is like digging into your flesh with a butter knife. They have nerves all over their shell and it hurts like hell when you do that. Just make sure it basks enough and try to get it to the vet. A lot of my terrapins have that white stuff too but in 3 months it all healed for most of them. I wouldn't say its serious unless redness and softness appear.

[worldpeace]

novroz - You can use a soft tooth brush to clean the shell. I do this regularly with my turtles. One of my RES had something similar to yours. Instead of shedding an entire scute in one piece, the scute started to flake off and it looked just like yours.

[novroz]

@aal I'm not peeling the shell just the white stuff...just to know her reaction.

@Worldpeace so you think it's just a scute problem? not a fungus?

When I tried peeling it with my nail, it does come off looks like flake...but I can't keep doing because it irritated her...So I'm going to do waht you've said...using toothbrush. Should I use warm water? or any conditioned water?

[worldpeace]

I don't use any special water. I'd put her in the sink or another container that she can fit in, put enough water that it covers her shell and then you can brush lightly. I've heard someone lets the turtle soak in some warm water before brushing so the shell becomes a little softer and the brushing will be more efficient, but I'm not sure if it matters or not. I just use water about the same temperature as in their tank. By the way, Charlotte hates it when I have to clean her shell and splashes the water like a crazy turtle. It probably tickles her

[novroz]

yeah Kroten does that too...splashing the water around.

I'll try brushing her today and see what will happen. thx

[steve]

Hi novroz, that is yeast/fungus. It is contagious, so you do need to be aware of that. They also spread quickly, so it can get out of control. Can you get silver sulfadiazine cream? It's a prescription medication in the US, not sure if you need one where you are.

[novroz]

If I can find the cream...Can Kroten be put inside her tank again? or should I let her on dry land for a moment?