Urgent Care :: Please help!!!

[little2small]

I got this new RES turtle, and i name it toto, but on his shell there is a white mark, can you tell me what it is??

[marisa]

You have to be more specific about this mark. Where on the shell? How big is the mark? Is it on the surface or a part of the shell? Is the area where the mark is soft at all? Is there any type of odor coming from the area around it?

Can you post a pic of the shell when it's dry? It's difficult to offer an opinion from what you posted. Seeing a pic would be the most best way to try to determine what the mark is.

[little2small]

here is some pics of toto, and his shell

[marisa]

OK, I see 1 picture, a bit blurry. Does the white come off if you gently rub it and if so, is the white cottony? Is the area soft?

I'm also looking at the back right of the shell, the scute to the right of the very last vertebral scute (which is the last scute going over the spine). Is the outer edge of that scute turning white as well, or that just in the picture?

Without knowing the answers to the above, if more than 1 area is turning/has white on it, I'd suspect a fungus or *possibly* the beginning of shell rot. If the white is only that one mark, it's possible the turtle somehow scraped or otherwise injured himself. But I'd wonder if some bacteria had gotten under the scute and if there wasn't the start of something like shell rot there as well. If you go to http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/medshell.htm there is some info and pics on different shell conditions. Does anything there sound/look like what's on your turtle's shell?

[little2small]

its just the picture

[little2small]

no it doesnt feel soft, but the white line on the shell looks like its peeling.

[marisa]

Take a look at the link above, especially the info on Dry SCUD. The other area I mentioned isn't turning white as well? The white mark could be the result of a scratch/break in the shell that's gotten/is beginning to get infected from not being in clean water. (Where did you get him?) Cleaning the area with a q-tip and a weak solution of betadine (the color of weak tea) once or twice a day if you can't get something called Nolvasan/chlorohexidine, and letting the shell dry would probably help. (Don't put the turtle into a solution of this, clean only the affected area.)

Make sure he has a good, easily accessible basking area to dry off on and a UVB light as well as a heat lamp to bask under (temp 88-90F). Both are important for the health of the shell. And keep his tank water super clean. Since he's new, he really should have been quarantined from your other turtle for several months. It would be good to give him his own set-up with all the necessities if you can. Shell rot, if that's what it is, is contagious.

[little2small]

I got him at the mall, and whats betadine?

[marisa]

It's an antiseptic that's used to clean wounds. Dilute it before you apply it to the area with a q-tip.

[little2small]

well i took him to petland, to see whats wrong with him, and they said it was just fungus. So I have nothing to worry about.

[jenaero]

"just fungus"? What a load...if your turt has a problem, take him to the vet. The people at pet stores are not qualified to diagnose any kind of health problem. Even if it's fungus, it still NEEDS to be treated.

[marisa]

You said the shell was peeling...Fungus is cottony and some should come off if you rub it. From what you said, it didn't sound like fungus (and you never really answered all of the questions asked above). You also never answered my question about the other area that looked white in the picture (see my post above).If there is no other white area on the shell, it doesn't sound like fungus to me.

On the chance, however, that it is fungus, it would be good to try some salt baths in aquarium salt (not regular table salt) for a few days. If you do that and you don't see any improvement, it would be best to consult a herp vet.

[sarah]

Just curious here, but did you find out what it was?
Is your turtle better???