How big is your turtle? 12 year old male, about 9 inches x 6 inches (shell)
How long have you had it? 9 years
What is the water temperature? 78.5
Did you use a thermometer? yes, I have a digital installed
Are you using a water heater? Not this time of year
How much water is in there? 350 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? Seachum Pond Prime
Are you using any filtration? 2 800 GPH pumps with large filters
What is the basking temperature? today, about 85-90
Is there a basking light? outdoor
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes, rock formation in pond with large sand beach
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Natural shale and rock
Is there a UVB light? Indoors, yes
What have you been trying to feed it? Minnows weekly, shrimp, romaine lettuce, peas and naturally growing algae
When was the last time your turtle ate? Today
How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? about 12feet x 15 feet
Is the tank near a window? Outdoor
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Quiet backyard
Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes
Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? No, he is eating and acting normal. He is very friendly and loves to be with us.
Melanistic RES with white spots or shell rot?
Hey everyone! I'm so glad I found this forum. I have a 12 year old male RES who lives in an outdoor pond with goldfish. Here in AZ, it's getting over 100 F degrees and I'm getting ready to take him indoors to his 90 gallon pond for the next 3 months, but he still sleeps at night in his pond. He doesn't sleep otherwise. Water is around 70 to 85 degrees, so he'll have to sleep indoors for July and August.
I change 60 gallons of 300 gallon pond every week. Ammonia is 0 or .25 ppm at the highest. Nitrates are 5 to 20ppm, and if 20 I do a water change immediately.
I am a bit overstocked in goldfish, but plan on a new pond in September. T-Rex never eats any fish in his pond. Lol.
My female is 25 years old and lives in a 400 gallon pond far from him, but still manages to make visits. They get along, with supervision, lol. She has no signs or symptoms on her shell.
About 2 years ago, my male started turning black (melanistic), and the last few months thereafter developed white spots on his shell. Now, it seems to be progressing. We have super hard water in the desert, and I clean him with a toothbrush every 2 or 3 weeks to remove slight hard water buildup, but it has never been a problem.
Now, the white spots have progressed and it does not come off with a soft toothbrush. I have used betadine for the past 3 days and dry docked him indoors for 3 to 4 hours. Since I applied betadine, there are more white spots and it appears they are spreading. Also, he may have a reddish tint due to betadine treatment in the photos.
There is no odor to his shell, no soft spots or cracking noted. I've never seen bleeding or pus draining. No open areas. He basks every day in full sun and his water temp is under 80 degrees during the day and never less than 70 degrees in the winter.
Does it look like shell rot to anyone?