Urgent Care :: White stuff in turtle's mouth.

[buffyfan9005]

I came home from school today and went over to check on Veronica. After she saw me pick up her pellet container she swam over to me and I noticed her mouth was open a bit. When she opened her mouth to bite at a pellet there was some white stuff in her mouth. It looked thicker than just maybe her pulling off some of her shedding skin or something (she's not really shedding that much right now anyway). I didn't really get a good look at it before she started eating her pellet.

She seemed to swallow fine. I teased her with a pellet so she'd open her mouth to take it out of my hand and upon second look there didn't seem to be anything in her mouth.

I think she's still holding her mouth open a tiny bit but her mouth looks clear now.

Has anyone ever had this happen with their turtle before?

She's a hatchling (I've had her since Dec 2nd) and she's been doing fine. She's in a 30 gallon tank with all the necessary equipment. She's the picture of turtle health, very active.

[marisa]

I've never noticed this with any of my turts. Perhaps it is just skin, since you said your turtle is the picture of health otherwise. If your turt was in poor shape, mouth rot would come to mind (a cheesy substance) but it doesn't sound like it from what you wrote.

Is your RES's mouth a healthy pink inside? If so, I wouldn't really worry, just keep an eye out (as one always should).

[steve]

Last summer, my female RES had what seemed to be dried mucus that formed after she basked for long periods of time. She would also make an occasional croaking noise, but that behavior disappeared over a couple of days. Do you know how long she was basking and what the temperature is?

[buffyfan9005]

Marisa, her mouth is a healthy pink inside.

Steve, this morning I watched her closely as I fed her and her mouth seemed to be clear and back to normal. Her basking temp right now is in the late 70's/early 80's.

Since I'm not home on school days she probably feels really comfortable in my empty room and basks a lot. There is a possibility she was basking a lot yesterday.

[cam722]

Her basking temp is in the 70s/80s? What is the water temp? The Basking temp should be in the mid-hi 80s to low 90s, approximately 10 degrees warmer than the water temp.

Glad her mouth seems to be fine

[buffyfan9005]

Cam, next week I'm getting her a second clamp lamp that will raise her basking temp up. I've just not been able to do to um, funds. Just a couple weeks ago I spent over $100 on her set-up so I've had to wait a few weeks before I can get her a second clamp lamp.