General Care Discussion :: shell concerns

[SquidSox]

It also looks like it could be a fungus of some sort there is def a bit of pyramiding happening btw your tank is to small you should upgrade asap. Also how is your water quality? His his shell soft?

[paige742698]

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[steve]

How long does he bask for?

[SquidSox]

Have you have the bulbs for a year?

On a 10hr usage the bulbs should be changed roughly every 4mos
On a 14 hr usage they should be changed every 2.5-3mos.

Its very likely your bulbs are no good anymore and not at all benifical

[Gracie Turts]

@squidsox hows your painted turtle doing?
on your first post, pics 3-6, looked a little unusual to me.
like air pockets formed or something. not sure what that is. other than that
and some shedding, the shell looks awesome.

[paige742698]

my bulb is about a year old I think, maybe less. I leave it on 14 hours a day. My light is directly over my dock not that far away maybe 6 inches or so. Im not sure what the basking temp is, but Im pretty sure its not as hot as its supposed to be. Im going to buy a heating lamp as soon as I can but Iv been going without. I also heard that the uvb/uva bulbs need to be replaced every 6 months or so.. I didnt know this before. Is it true? can they not be used longer cuz the ones Iv had so far were about 20$ each. I feed him turtle pellets and some vegetables. Im worried that he also dosnt get enough vegtables because I hardly feed him any in the winter and fall.. its easier when its summer and I can find dandelion leaved growing everywhere and garden stuff but my choices are limited in the winter. I bought him 3 years ago a hatchling and he's still under 4 inches, Its not like I can go buy vegtables just for him, because with the amount he eats it would just end up going to waste...

somebody asked if his shell was soft, it isnt. It doesnt smell or have anything growing on it or anything. Is anybody possitive that he's retaining scutes? is that deffinatly the problem? Also, if it is, do you know how long it will take for his shell to go back to normal once I solve the problem? It doesnt seem to bother him at all, he's heathy and active but I was still worried about him for the past year or so. Will his shell ever go back to normall or will it always be kinda blotchy and ugly like it is now?

[SquidSox]

@gracie
He is doing ok his plastron is shedding nicely but no carpace shedding yet. Still not eating veggies but eating an all natural pellet now.
His shell still looks goofy hut since he's doing fine I'm gonna wait til he starts shedding and go from there. I've been taking him outside for some natural light as well to hopefully help the process along

@paige
If his shell is not soft or stinky its prob not shell rot. He def is retaining some scutes tho. Refer to my last post on bulb life. However it looks like it could be a fungus if you get you hands on some silvidine(sp?) cream it could help. You can also try scrubbing his shell with white vinigar if he has hard water deposits the vinigar will remove them along with any algae he may be growing. Try getting him some natural(supervised) sunlight to help the shedding. Give him some blueberries one a week this is also good for shell issues and shedding. Make sure you get him both uva and uvb lighting asap. You can buy veg in small portions of you have a local farmers market or anything. Also try organic or health food stores its a bit more pricy but it's better quality and u can usually get smaller amounts