General Care Discussion :: Normal shedding or shell rot?

[Lloyd-john]

Hello everyone, this is my first thread as I have just signed up. I bought two RES's on saturday the 21st of january from a friend. They are very active and i have everything needed for their tank. They are both about 3 inches long *their shell* and about a year old according to my friend. He told me they are starting to shed and it is very obvious by the thin translucent shedding in the water but their shells seem to be very dull and losing color. I just want to confirm whether this is what the shedding of the shell should look like or if it could be fungus or shell rot. I am posting a picture of one of my turtles and please feel free to let me know what it is it would be very helpful. If you need more information or more pictures I will gladly provide.

http://www.photoshop.com/users/lloyd-jo ... 8ecd5635bd
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http://www.photoshop.com/users/lloyd-jo ... e73e451511
http://www.photoshop.com/users/lloyd-jo ... 1439e0d466
http://www.photoshop.com/users/lloyd-jo ... a82b8e5a67

[steve]

If it appears golden, it is probably shedding. White and dullness can be fungus or mineral deposits, pictures can be very helpful.

[Lloyd-john]

i added the picture if it isn't a good picture i can give more :S

[penelope]

That definitely seems odd. While not expert enough to say what the problem may be, I can suggest Betadine soaks in the interim. They seem to be the RES equivalent of Chicken Soup. They can't hurt, but they certainly can help. My vet has suggested them for everything from shell-rot to general bacterial prevention. Not sure if you are familiar with them or not, so forgive me if I am telling you something you already know:
Straight off my vets notes: "place in a supervised warm soak with very dilute Betadine. The Betadine should be diluted to the color of very weak tea. Use a soft bristled toothbrush to gently clean the shell. Rinse well after 10 minutes."
The water only needs to be deep enough to cover the shell, so since the visit will be so short term a small container will do. I usually have a container with clear water next to it for rinsing.
Soak, brush, rinse...
Don't be surprised if the little one gets persnickety and clamors to get away. It may look sad, but if you have him/her in shallow water where all they have to do is lift their head to breathe, are using a soft brush and not forcing their head under water, they will live.
Just like children, sometimes they just have to go through things they don't like. Give a few pellets afterwards for positive reinforcement. Soon enough they will be a little less dramatic 'cuz they'll know food is on the horizon

[Lloyd-john]

Thank you for the advice! Do you know where I can find Betadine? I live in canada more specifically in toronto and can not seem to find any pet stores that sell any medication other than the vitashell which alot of people do not recomend. How much would betadine cost as visiting the vet will be something i will do if things get worse than i can handle. Also does this look like shell rot or fungus? They are very healthy and active but that shell is intimidating me!

[steve]

That's a pretty advanced case of fungus. I don't see heavily retained scutes in the pic, which is a good thing, but treatment will be tricky. You might want to wait until after some shedding (fungus will already be on the new scute) and then treat it.

[penelope]

Regarding your question about Betadine is actually a human first aid antiseptic found at any drug store - that is just a brand name for a Povidone-Iodine solution - the brand name is like $15 US, a generic is about $8 US

Glad to hear that a vet is a potential option, especially in light of the response just posted. Ya know, if you can afford it, it is sooooooooooo worth it. They will get a good check-up, set your mind at ease, give you the opportunity to ask as many questions as you want about general care, get a lot of advice on care and feeding and it leaves the door open for calling about those 'little concerns' we all get.
Think of it along the same line as those "well-baby checks" we give our kids.
while I am waving my "Vet Banner" I might as well give my opinion on what I feel is the key to finding a good vet. I was real lucky when I stumbled upon mine. It turns out that she owns 3 RES, 2 Iguanas, a snake, 2 birds and...I forget what else. In other words, she has a vested interest and a lot of knowledge in herp care.
My suggestion in finding a vet would be to check the forums (I'm sure this one has a few), then call the vet and find out their real experience with RES. Twice I took Penelope to 'emergency' vets who claimed to know about RES only to find out after I got there that they were 'book smart' but didn't know much about real life of when it came to RES.
So bottom line: If you are sincere in looking for a vet, take a few minutes and call around. If they really know their stuff, they (or their staff) will be very proud to say so. In my opinion, if the receptionist is clueless or confused when you call to ask about the type of care they offer for RES, odds are the vet may not be an expert either. They key here is to ask "what type of services do you offer for RES?" or "I have a quick question about my RES..." - simply asking "do you treat turtles?" leads them to an easy answer of "sure we do" - so tossing in an open ended question is better than running blind.
Hope this helps.

[Lloyd-john]

So is it confirmed case of fungus? Is that different than shell rot and easier to treat? Also for betadine would i buy it from actual human drug stores? What kind of betadine is it like diluted or undiluted or im not too sure what it looks like or how much i will need. I have found a herp vet fairly close to me where im going to go for a check up next weekend since i need to make some money for it. Is it costly for a checkup for these turtles i really want to take care of them and i dont mind spending money on them but i dont want that money to go to waste because just checkups being over $100 would be too much for me plus the medication im sure will cost alot. How can i treat this fungus for now before seeing the vet like what do i do with the betadine i also heard i need polysporin or some type of cream like that? Thanks in advance i will be posting a picture of my other turtle maybe it will be easier to find out what the real case is here.

[Lloyd-john]

i have included more photos if these will help they are 2 different turtles not all the same!

[steve]

Fungus is contagious, its no surprise both have it. You can buy betadine at drugstores or some supermarkets. You will need to dilute it. The only cream that I know of that works is silver sulfadiazine, but people have been trying other meds too.

[Lloyd-john]

Is fungus and shell rot different? And how do i delute it sorry i am kind of new to this stuff but im learning and reading alot about turtles. Does betadine kill the fungus?

[penelope]

You can find it in the antiseptic section of the drug store. It is iodine.
To use it just put some water in a bucket (just deep enough to cover the shell)
Before putting them in, pour in a bit of the iodine and swish it around with your hand - at first it just disappears, then after a few more shots it will start to show the color. It won't take long to get feel for how much to use...
When you are done rinse it off real well...
I'm a visual person, so I took a couple pics to show you what the stuff looks like in the bottle (I buy the generic stuff) and how it should look for a soak. Note how you can still see the drain. it should look like weak tea...

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[penelope]

Just checked the pics out. I'm not liking the pink hue of the bottom shell. It's far too familiar to me these days. I hope it is just the lighting. Take a peek and see if the skin is pinkish too. If the pink is for real it could be a problem.

[Lloyd-john]

Steve how does this silver sulfadiazine work? Can i find it regularly at a drug store or does it need to be prescribed? Is it just a cream u rub on the shell and it kills the fungus or..? Sorry i just want as much info so i can act out to fix my turtles asap

[penelope]

OK - I'm not Steve, but....I have to get my silver sulfadiazine via a prescription from a vet. However, I saw a link on this site last year -

mountainside-medical [direct link removed per request]

I'll leave the rest for Steve to address...