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Hi everyone!!
I'm a little new to owning Turtles, but I'm learning as I go! I have 2 baby Red Eared Sliders, Rocky & Spazz unfortunately I still don't know if they're a boy or girl, but I'm sure as they get older I'll figure it out. I've had them for about a week and a half and have learned a lot, but yesterday I noticed that Rocky's shell had a white spot that wasn't there before. Initially I thought Spazz had scratched him or something, but as I started to read, I now think his shell might have a fungus or is rotting.

Since I'm new to owning turtles I want to make sure I learn as much as possible to raise happy and healthy turtles.

If anyone knows a way I can help Rocky it's really appreciated!!

Thanks!!

Welcome!

Fungus and rot aren't very common on babies. A picture would be very helpful--find one of Steve's posts, and there are picture-posting instructions in his signature. You will need a Photobucket account, if you don't have one already.

Also, a description of your setup would be great!

Thanks Jeremiah! I'm not exactly sure if it's a fungus, but I'm also not sure what the correct terminology to use is. I have a photobucket account, so I'll upload a picture shortly. It looks like a scratch, but it also looks like in that area the color of his shell is turning white.

I have a 10 gallon tank and a UVB light as well as a light for basking. The tank is about a quarter full and I use the Tetra Whisper 2-10i filter (for now). I have gravel at the bottom of the tank, but after spending the past few hours reading different comments, I'm going to change it asap.

I will upload picture shortly

Hey! I couldn't find a way to make the picture smaller =\ hopefully this is okay. My turtle looks like it's shell has discoloration, not necessarily a fungus but I don't know what it is.

Hi Spazz. Cute little fellow! We've seen this type of thing before, but it's been hard to know what it is exactly or how it happened. It's often on hatchlings, and might have a light or dark appearance. It's also usually at the seams, so that makes me think it's an infection of some type. I would do some dry docking and disinfecting (dab some diluted Betadine) the area to see how it goes. Research some vets in your area in case you need a stronger antibiotic.

Hi Steve! thanks!! I love my little ones : D

How long would you suggest to do the dry docking and disinfecting?
I found some instructions from a link in another forum question and it says to clean the infected area with the diluted betadine and then let them air dry & bask for about 45 minutes, and then apply a coat of Silvadene cream or Neosporin as an alternative. Then it says to leave the turtle in a dry dock throughout the day with a light, but to let them swim and drink/eat for about 1 1/2 hours and to repeat for a few days.

Do you think these instructions are okay? I'd hate to leave Spazz in a dry dock as I know he loves to swim.

One more question
I found other instructions that says to dry my turtle, apply the betadine solution with a Q-Tip and let him air dry and also leave my turtle dry docking for an hour after I put the betadine. after an hour it says to wipe off the betadine and return to the tank.

Do you think these instructions are better? I feel like they are the same, except the other one doesn't allow Spazz to spend as much time in the water

Spazz is just a hatchling, so he may not be able to dry dock as long as am adult. I would do short spurts of swimming throughout the day (probably around 2-2.5 hours in total). Somebody correct me if I'm wrong about that, I'm not an expert in hatchling illness...

However, what I do know is that Betadine should only be used for the first one or two treatments. It should be wiped off a few minutes after application, not left on for too long. Neosporin or SSD should be on for the rest of the time. Some people like to put them in bins with a warm light, and others put them in a dark warm area to reduce stress.

Thanks Jeremiah. I'll do a little bit from both instructions. I'll use a little bit of betadine and let him air dry for a few minutes then wipe him off and use Neosporin. I'll let him dry dock for the most part but I'll also let him swim for about 2 hours as you suggested.

If you guys have any other suggestions feel free to send them my way! I will keep you updated on little Spazz! thanks for the help!

No problem. If you use a heat light in the dry-dock setup be sure to give him a cooler/shadier area to retreat to. Also, include things like old rags or T-shirts on his floor. He can burrow under it when stressed. Again, he is just a baby, so dry-docking will be hard on him. If you don't see any improvement within 1-1.5 weeks, I would consider stopping the treatment and just waiting it out to see if it gets worse.

Good point re: how long they can be out. If you re-hydrate them every few hours, I wouldn't worry about it too much.

If you use (diluted) Betadine, you should be able to leave it on as it dries quickly. At least, that's what I've been told in the past.

Hi Steve and Jeremiah,

I'm having a hard time dry docking Spazz. I bought the betadine and Neosporin and also started the dry docking, but I'm not sure if I'm doing it correctly or if it's helping because of my work schedule. I work a regular 9-5, so what I've been doing for the past two days is over night I leave him in the tank, in the morning i feed him & let him swim & then I put the betadine & then I put the Neosporin. Once it's dried I dry dock him for about 45minutes while I'm getting ready for work. I think put him back in the tank because I'm not sure if it would be best to dry dock the entire day while I'm at work. Then when I get home I put him in the tank to feed him, let him swim for an hour or so & then to the dry docking for about an hour before the night.

It doesn't look like the white spot on his shell is getting worst, but it doesn't look any better. Does anyone have any suggestions on how I should dry dock during the day and night?

I feel like a paranoid mom lol but I just want to make sure Spazz is okay
Thanks!!

Personally, I would just leave it be and wait for any worsening symptoms. If you would like to continue the dry-docking a little longer, however, I would suggest finding a trustworthy neighbor or nearby friend who could come in and give him water after you've been gone to work for a few hours. Given his size, I would say that you made the right call letting him swim at night.

what would you consider as worsening symptoms? sorry I'm still a little new to this.

I would think of things like the spot spreading and/or softening/smelling bad, as well as any excess redness or discoloration on the shell or skin.