Urgent Care :: 2 Baby RES, not sure if they have fungus infection

[KWilson25j]

How big is your turtle? Both are about an inch each
How long have you had it?

What is the water temperature? 77 F
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? 30 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? External and cannister

What is the basking temperature? 87 F
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 dock from pet store.
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Romaine, blueberrys, pellets, the occasional shrip, small amount of tomato occasionally
When was the last time your turtle ate? Noon local time, 6/12/10

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? The tank is 45 Gallons, my guess is the water is 30-35 gallons.
Is the tank near a window? its off to the side of one
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? activity varies by day.

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?

They haven't been acting different. I've just noticed that on one of my turtles the shells has been becoming discolored lately. There's an odd amount of white becoming visible. But the shell isn't shiny when completely dry and it doesnt smell.

The other turtle just has a tiny white dot near his head on the shell, hardly visible unless up close. That doesn't smell either. It hasn't changed since I recieved him. Again, when dry, his shell isn't shiny either.
Neither has a soft shell, well softer than what's expected from a baby turtle. And I've only had these guys for about a month.

I'm just wondering if it is a fungus or if its just how the shells going to be colored?

Olly:



Filbert:

[worldpeace]

From what you're saying and the pictures, I would think that's not fungus.

Turtles' shell colour change a lot over time. The whiteness that you're seeing might be just some scutes getting ready to fall off and so air gets underneath them and they become white-ish.

Keep an eye out though, and let us know if there are any changes.

[steve]

Hi KWilson25j, it does fall under the criteria that I would classify as fungus. It usually starts at one point and is infectious to other RES. If the density of the white spots increase and/or spread, then I would look into getting some medication to quickly treat this. Getting to it early makes it significantly easier to deal with than when the whole shell's white and shedding is impeded.