Urgent Care :: Mold on shell?

[Nettle]

I know it seems I was just on here about a pink plastron, but now there are spots on their shells. I was just cleaning their tank when I inspected one of them and found what looked like gunk stuck on his shell. I took a soft brush and tried brushing it off, but it seems to be under their shell.

I've read on the main site about fungus and discolored spots and I'm pretty sure it's one of those, but I'd just like to make sure with you guys.
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How big is your turtle? 2.5 inches
How long have you had it? 8 months

What is the water temperature? 78*
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? 45-50 gal
Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? 90*
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? floating zoomed
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? reptomin
When was the last time your turtle ate? they munch all day on lettuce

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 55 gal
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? my room, but I put up a barrier so they can bask

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

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I know I'm going to have to see a vet. How much do they usually cost?

Here are some pics:




Sorry that my camera still sucks. The area along the ridge that's light colored is the odd color. There are also tannish colored spots on the scutes that the camera didn't pick up.

[TheComputerGremlin]

I'm not sure what you are talking about in terms of the pictures. I think the lighting is bad, not your camera (and don't take pictures that are too close to the camera, zoom in using a photo program instead). Maybe try taking the picture under the UVB light or in sunlight.

[Nettle]

I'll try sunlight tomorrow.

[steve]

Could be fungal (whitish color) or it could just be a scute starting to shed (golden color). A pic when it is dry will be real helpful.

[marisa]

It looks like the turtle's shell is dry to me, but I can't see the spots (unless you're talking about the white area on the left in the first pic, which doesn't show up in the second one). If they appeared suddenly, judging by the amount of retained scutes, the shell could be trying to shed. The line down the spine, if the shell hasn't been scraped somehow, could also be the scute lifting as it loosens.

Do you know when the last time the turtle shed was? Another pic of a dry shell with less glare would be good.

Vet fees can vary. The last one I went to charged $54 for the visit, anything else was extra. It's good to call a few and get a ballpark figure before you go so you don't have any nasty surprises.

[Nettle]

Okay, so I dried them off and took pictures in the best light I could.

This is Turtle 1. His shell is a little worse than the other guy's. The circled parts are tannish colored.



Turtle 2 has a better shell, but he's still got a little of the tan stuff.


2 has the worst pyramiding of the two, though.


2, hating my guts with an evil stare.



I thought maybe it was air bubbles, but the last time they shed, it was just whitish clear. I know they've got some major scute shedding to do, and now that they've got a uvb light, it should come along soon.

[steve]

Some of the areas you circled looked no different than the areas. It could be an early stage of shedding or just some of the pattern becoming more pronounced (or I'm still not seeing it right).

[watcher]

It seems like a typical result of overfeeding. I recommend to check the related threads.

[Nettle]

I know that they were over-fed, I'm talking about the tan discolorations I circled.

[Take-One]

I can see a golden thing in the very first picture. i really dont know.

[marisa]

The pics look quite dark to me...

[Nettle]

Maybe I'm over-reacting. It just looks so prominent in water and my camera takes lousy pictures in water. I'll just take them to vet if it spreads.

Thanks anyway!

[marisa]

Ooh---different computer, and I can see the shell much more clearly. I wouldn't worry about that line. You're turtle looks like a shedding is needed.

[Nettle]

Phew! Thanks! My nerves are at rest.