General Care Discussion :: MAP Shell Question

[RunninWideOpen]

My map's shell is concerning me. He started to get some green around the edges of his scutes about 2-3 months ago. I did a little research and felt that it was algae building up underneath the edges of scutes that were getting ready to shed.

Now, his scutes haven't come off and they no longer look like they're coming off. He looks like he's pyramiding. Not sure why, he's not getting overfed or being fed lots of protein. His main diet consists of reptomin pellets and various lettuce. Sometimes gets some live feeders as a treat. His water temp is 76-78F, however I just bumped it up to 80F to try and encourage shedding.

Also, the green around the edges of the scutes is getting worst and worst. It's to the point where it looks like someone took a green sharpie to a couple areas.

Anyone have any ideas on what's going on?

A little history....I got him about 6 months ago from a family that didn't know how to take care of him. He was very sick and lethargic when I received him. I immediately got him to the vet and got some antibiotics and he's made a full recovery. Extremely active little guy. He's about 2 years old now and is still only about 2.75 inches, but he's starting to develop sexually anyway. His plastron is taking a concave shape and his tale has grown a ton, getting thick with the cloaca towards the end. So, I'm pretty confident he's a male.

Anyway, here are a few pics. They're cameraphone pics, so excuse the quality. I hope you can see the green spots.

[octpusgirl8]

Yeah it's pretty tough to see from the pictures. In some of them, it looks like maybe it could be that his new shell growth has more coloration than the old due to getting better care. Then there's the little green patches in between some of the scutes that look like algae. Have you tried to gently rub it off?

[RunninWideOpen]

Actually......you're absolutely right. He's much greener now than he was when we got him. Just went back and looked at some pics. I thought that green edges were algae too, but I'm not so sure anymore. It's actually becoming more bright greenish.

I did try scrubbing him gently with a toothbrush. That didn't make any difference.

I also noticed something else somewhat interesting from the old pic I looked at. He had some faded areas back when I got him, looked like something between the scutes but it was like a complete lack of color...... From the old picture and looking at him now I'm thinking that those areas are what is now bright green. Here's the old pic, not sure if it will help:

[SpotsMama]

A few questions:

1. How much does he bask?
2. What kind of light does he have over his basking area?
3. Has he been checked by a vet for internal parasites?

[RunninWideOpen]

He basks very regularly. Does not mind people being around at all most of the time except kids.

60 watt heat, exoterra UVB 5.0 coil

No he's not been checked for parasites. A good friend of mine actually has a Masters deg in parasites and might check him for me.

[SpotsMama]

He's much smaller than you'd expect for a two year old, as you know. The first thing that comes to mind when a turtle fails to grow and thrive is parasites. I suppose it's possible that parasites could cause a generally poor condition which could also be causing the situation with the shell.

It appears that little Spike is retaining scutes - he's not shedding them when he should. Here's a good article on the subject. My turtle retained scutes for a long time when he wasn't basking and drying out like he should but it sounds like your turtle is ok in this respect. Another possibility, as suggested in this article, is a need for vitamin e in the diet:

"Scutes that are shed will often appear to lift up on the edges as they begin to release from the shell. Sometimes they will not come loose completely and air will get trapped underneath. This will give a metallic, copper-colored appearance underwater. This is normal. However, if the scute is not shed in an acceptable amount of time (usually a week or so), then you might want to gently assist the turtle in shedding these scutes. Most times, gentle pressure or a gentle brushing with a soft toothbrush will do the trick. Never try to remove a scute that is not ready to be shed. This can cause injury, bleeding and can oftentimes remove too much, leaving the bone and soft tissue open to infection. If your turtle is not shedding properly, then an evaluation of the diet is in order. Most times, failure to properly shed scutes falls back on a lack of vitamins in the diet, mainly Vitamin E. An increase in Vitamin E in their food is required."

[untsmurf]

What food items contain vitamin E?

[SpotsMama]

Here's a list. Most of these things, though, are not recommended for turtles. I'd get some vitamiin e capsules and soak a few pellets in the stuff then feed it to the turtle. Be careful not to overdo it. A couple of pellets a week like that would probably be enough.

Also, I'd get some hibiclense (you can get it from a place like walgreens - it's an antiseptic hand wash for people) and dilute it to half strenth with water and then gently wash that shell with it. After he's been washed, keep him dry for a couple of hours before putting him back in the tank. Repeat that a couple of times over a week and see if it helps the shell any. Be really careful not to get any on his face or eyes and hold him really low over the sink because he will be very slippery when the hibiclense is on him.

[RunninWideOpen]

I have done the hibiclense thing before....didn't really do anything. I will try adding some vitmin e to the diet and see if that helps. Thanks!

[DavidY]

I think maps are supposed to be green. Has something to do with the color of the water in the creeks and rivers that they come from. They blend in better.

[kmichael55]

Hey spotsmama, you said here's a list, but I don't see one... I had never heard before that turtles need Vit E

[RunninWideOpen]

hmmm....intersting davidy.....that does sound somewhat familiar. Maybe he just wasn't green before because of maltrution and sickness?

I don't think the big green spots are normal though......I also just read that mineral deposits can cause that. he is in water directly from a well, so that could have something to do with it?

[DavidY]

Maybe check the pH and water hardness of the tank water. If your water is really hard then it will accumulate quickly in the turtles tank if you're topping off the evaporated water with more well water. It's probably worth testing at least.

[SpotsMama]

Sorry about the vitamin e link! I forgot to paste it in. Here it is:

http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5554.html

[kmichael55]

oo yeah those don't look very turtle friendly..maybe spinach/asparagus/sweet potato?...but turnip greens are on the list.