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RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 2:19 pm
by Jeremiah
I recently adopted two RES from the local Humane Society. They live an a well-filtered, outdoor pond, with access to natural sunlight and dry basking areas.
They've also been actively swimming/walking/eating/defecating on a regular basis.
Essentially, they seem perfectly healthy, until I took them out of the pond yesterday.

This was on the male's shell:
Image

This was on the female's shell (the pinkish patch to the right; it's darker in real life):
Image

I've gone to a reptile veterinarian, and she said that there isn't very much need to worry, as long as there are no significant behavioral changes--since these wounds are very small, in comparison to the turtles' overall sizes.

Any advice is much appreciated!

Re: RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 3:26 pm
by steve
Do you know if these are new injuries or from when they were still at the humane society? Are the areas sensitive to touch?

Re: RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Fri Jun 07, 2013 4:44 pm
by Jeremiah
The male's injuries were present since the Humane Society, but the slight redness is new; the female's appeared two days ago.
None of them are sensitive to touch--I've even (gently) run some clean water over them, and the turtles didn't even seem to notice.

Re: RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 2:58 am
by penelope
Did the vet say what the problem might be?

Re: RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 1:25 pm
by Jeremiah
The female's shell issue had not appeared at the time, so the doctor's advice was mainly directed toward the male's care. Since the turtles came with very little background information, she couldn't make any definitive diagnoses--she only said to watch out for behavioral changes (i.e., lethargy).
However, turtles are very adept at "hiding" illness, so I'm not sure if that's even a very reliable parameter.

Re: RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 9:56 pm
by CactusJohn5
are you going to an exotic vet or a regular vet?

Re: RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 9:58 pm
by Jeremiah
Overall, the clinic has a few vets, each with their own specialty (i.e., Vet A usually sees dogs/cats, Vet B usually sees birds, and Vet C usually works with reptiles). I went to see "Vet C".

Re: RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 10:54 pm
by CactusJohn5
my rescues had some serious scars when i got them 2 years ago, now they are barley visible, a healthy diet and proper basking will help with the shell issues.

Re: RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 2:36 pm
by Jeremiah
Sounds good! Thank you for the advice. I'm thinking of adding frozen vegetables to their diet, as well--is that generally well-received? (i.e., corn, peas, carrots).

Re: RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 5:20 pm
by steve
I'd stick to fresh veggies.

Re: RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 2:04 pm
by Jeremiah
I'll start integrating some fresh vegetables, then.

Another update--the male's "holes'' look smaller! The areas that were previously "open" also seem to have been "filled in" with hard (but whitish) shell. Should I be concerned by the coloration, or is it just trying to heal over in layers?

Re: RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 7:00 pm
by steve
Keep a close eye on it. Have you felt it? Is it smooth?

Re: RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 7:11 pm
by Jeremiah
I've felt it, and it is quite smooth--it feels the same as the rest of the shell (which is healthy). The only difference is the whitish color.
The slight redness around the area is nearly all gone, as well.

Re: RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 8:25 pm
by AlexisAwesome
Your basking dock is rough, hard, or solid?

Re: RES Shell Injuries

PostPosted: Wed Jun 12, 2013 5:48 pm
by Jeremiah
They have two different basking areas--the first is a layer of slate (textured, but by no means rough). The other basking area is just a large-sized floating platform that are typically sold for aquariums (the rods and suction cups have been removed).