General Care Discussion :: Help with rescued res

[heliwr123]

By rescued i mean someone came in and dumped him into the petstore.
Confirmed male, very long nails and thick tail.
My questions:
-This turtle basks a lot. It may be due to the fact that he never had a dock before, but is this normal?
**Note that when it is time to eat, he pigs out, there are no other symptoms than basking for hours***
-The turtle has minor shell pyramiding, which i know cannot be reversed but it can be stopped.
For some reason this turtle readily accepts his veggies? Maybe the petstore was just too lazy.
SO:
Is the basking normal?
AND
Can i stop the pyramiding by changing its diet drastically?
------
Age is unknown, the tank is heated and filtered, and temps are correct.
Thanks

[heliwr123]

I ALSO FORGOT:
The shell coloration is TERRIBLE! Its brown and grayish, and just doesnt look nice. The colors arent vibrant as some of the other res ive seen.
Can this change? He is getting back on track with his diet and basking.
Thanks

[steve]

Most RES will bask a lot... it's normal and they should be awake/alert most of the time when basking.

Yes you can stop pyramiding. How old is this turtle? If the shell is grayish and some of his stripes have turned into spots, he's simply become melanistic. Pretty normal.

[heliwr123]

Age is unknown. The store doesnt have much info. Just dumped there
He is very alert when basking. Always watching my every move.
Cant really see any stripes or spots. The shell is overall a mixture of Gray, White, And brown. Hopefully this will improve with a better diet.
Melanistic is...? Lol
Thanks for answering

[heliwr123]

The shell is also flaking in some areas. Not cracks, more like flakes.

[steve]

Any pics? https://www.google.com/search?q=Melanis ... r&tbm=isch

[heliwr123]

will get the pics asap tomorrow. getting rest early for my exam.
thanks for replying, pics will be here soon!!

[heliwr123]

Okay im getting the pics now cause im getting worried about his state. I turned off the lights and heat and he hasnt jumped off yet. Is this normal?
1: http://prntscr.com/be3yfu
2: http://prntscr.com/be3ynt
3: http://prntscr.com/be3ysc
Looking at it now, it looks very bad

[steve]

Ah, this is not melanism. He has shell fungus which is probably making it difficult for him to shed. This can be problematic if it takes too long and he develops an infection underneath.

[heliwr123]

Okay... How can i correct this?
Oh boy do i love rescues. So many hidden treasures with them!
No but in all seriousness is there an at home cure? Is this contagious?

[heliwr123]

Is this a severe case of shell fungus? I really hope it can be fixed

[steve]

It is contagious to other sliders, keep them away from each other. It doesn't look severe, though it has covered the entire shell. Silver sulfadinze cream (requires prescription) works the best, but you need to examine the shell more closely first.

[heliwr123]

Okay so how would one get this prescription? Veterinarian?
And since its covered the whole shell do i dry dock him for an hour and then apply it everywhere?
If i cant get a prescription, what else is there ive heard?
Like Betadine, and like salt baths, and one other good medication that i cant think of right now!
I will get the supplies when i come from my exam. How long could she go on like this? If she was left in the petstore (they dont care about illnesses) how long would it have taken the fungus to take over him and infect him?

[heliwr123]

And why examine the shell more closely? What else should i look for?

[heliwr123]

povidone iodine thats what the other one is.