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I had my turtles for 2 and a half weeks, I hadn't noticed this before but last night my cousin asked me what are those silver spots on the turtle's back. I didn't know what to say or tell him so i thought i might come to you people. Both my brother and my mom told me that the turtle had these spots since i got them but i just want to make sure that this won't harm them. I'll get a picture up ASAP.

K I just uploaded the picture and here it is

Dont mind my cell phone adapter thing, It was on my table when i took my turtle out.

That white areas on the left and lower right? A closer pic of them would be helpful. It looks like the scutes could have been scraped/somehow abraded from what I can see. Can you get a close up of the areas?

sry, any closer and it will become blurry since he doesnt want to sit still and get his picture taken. I'll try and find a better camera

This is the best i could do w/o making it too blurry, i hope this helps.


And theres only 1 area and its not getting bigger or anything. Could it be some sort of rotting in the shell, his shell doesnt smell bad or anything.

I agree with Marisa, it looks like the shell was scraped somehow.

What is your setup like? Do you have a place where the turtle can get out of the water, completely dry off, and sit under a UVB/UVA lamp? Do you have a calcium source like cuttlebone in the water with him so he can get calcium in his diet? How often do you change the water?

Reason why I ask these questions is because it is very important for an RES to be able to dry off completely whenever they want (helps prevent shell rot). The UVA & UVB lights help the immune system & absorb calcium to keep the shell healthy & hard. And the water changes are important to help prevent bacteria from building up too much which can cause nasty infections.

Can you post a picture of your set up?

Okay, first off, I do have a dry place which is under both my UVB and UVA lamp, I have cuttlebone in the water but he doesnt nibble on it (I believe he thinks that its a rock or something) I also have some sort of conditioner which suppose to release calcium too as it desolves, Hes perfectly normal except for that spot. I havent changed the water since i put him in the rubbermaid 50 gallon tank. Anyways, as industrial girl requested I have some pictures of my container. Also I believe that he had this scratch ever since i got him. Also i have a UVA lamp but i had to move it around for me to take the picture.

I would get rid of all those rocks,they trap in all sorts waste,it can foul the water alot quicker,if anything spread a dozen or so on the bottom and your turtle would be fine.Also dont be afraid to fill up the water,that UVB light seems like its a realy far distance from the dock,too far and your turtle will not benefit from it.

I like the plants by the way,great setup.

The rocks are wat keeps the plants on the floor. If i remove them then the plants will float, The light isn't really that far from the dock, I read the bulb information and it says anything under 12 inches will be fine, The distance i measured was 11 inches. Also im going to raise the water level so the dock will be even closer. I have read from this forum that turtles might get swollen eyes if i move it in too close. Do you have any reason's why there is a silver spot or how i can get rid of it?

To me the spot I spoke of in my earlier post doesn't look silvery, it looks white. If it is some sort of injury, a good set-up, balanced diet and giving it time will help it eventually heal.

What brand of UVB light are you using? If you're just using a UVB light (which also gives out UVA rays), your turtle also needs a light for a heat source (can be a regular lightbulb). The basking area temp should be 88-90F. (Basking under proper lighting will help a shell injury to heal as well.)

I have a regular lightbulb from my room which i use. The brand is Reptiglo or something, i forget and i threw out the box

Well if you really want those plants in there, as many before have suggested, you could get a few suction cups, remove the plastic base off the plants, and hook the suction cups to the plants, then finally sticking them in the bottom of the tub.

Having all those rocks in there, while they look nice, do indeed trap a lot of debris, meaning dirtier water, more frequent maintenance, and a much longer time to clean off.

4Lancer4 wrote:The rocks are wat keeps the plants on the floor. If i remove them then the plants will float, The light isn't really that far from the dock, I read the bulb information and it says anything under 12 inches will be fine, The distance i measured was 11 inches. Also im going to raise the water level so the dock will be even closer. I have read from this forum that turtles might get swollen eyes if i move it in too close. Do you have any reason's why there is a silver spot or how i can get rid of it?

My bad about about the UVB light being too far,its just that in the picture it looked like it was set pretty far from your dock.Yes 12 inches is fine .If you want to keep your plants (which is a good idea,because it offers a safe hide out for your turtle) go to any hardware store and find suction cups (shouldnt cost more than a dollar and change) that you can use so you wont have to depend on the rocks.A dozen rocks in the bottom is fine but too much will dirty the water much much quicker,which isnt good for you or your turtle.

And about the silver spots,i dont know realy.I would go with what marisa said,shes pretty knowledgeable when it comes to RES.