Urgent Care :: HELP!!

[sammymigs]

I believe my RES has Metabolic Bone disease!! Each section of his shell is starting to peel up!! and also in the middle of his shell going down the "spine" there is now three white spots that have developed. I looked into it and found that it is causeed by a lack of calcium. So i am now feeding him the pellets twice a day. I am very very concerned about this and dont know what to do. Should i take him to the vet or keep feeding him twice a day and wait to see if it gets better? Is this something that is normal with M.B.D.? And if so how long does it usually take to heel?
WHAT CAN I DO!!!!! PLEASE HELP!!!!

[Karl]

how old is the turtle? is the shell strong or soft? are you sure it's not just shedding? (which is pretty normal) try not not to overfeed him. give him foods that contain a lot of calcium (boiled egg shell for example) A picture of your turtle would help and also answers to the questions in the sticky. do you have a UVB light and a basking lamp?

[Caphits]

You need a uvb light, and cuttlebone.

[SpotsMama]

Can you show us a photo? Actually, several photos would be good from several angles. Take them when the turtle's shell is dry and get the focus as good as possible. A shot of the plastron (bottom of the shell) would also be good.

[marisa]

Welcome. From what you wrote, it doesn't sound like your turtle has MBD. They shed scutes (those sections of shell) as they grow; the white spots could be a number of things. You really need to post a pic of the shell (dry) to give a clearer idea of what's going on with the shell.

How big is your turtle (shell length not including the curve of the shell)? How long have you had him? Has he grown in the time you've had him?

You said you now feed him twice a day---how much were you feeding him before? How much does he get at each feeding? What other foods besides pellets does he get?

What is his set-up like?