Urgent Care

Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2011 2:17 am **White and yellow dots on underside of shell**

How big is your turtle? 7.5 inches
How long have you had it? 2 years (she's 20 y/o)

What is the water temperature? 24 degrees celcius
Did you use a thermometer? no
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? About 30-35 gallons in a 40 gallon tank (saving up for an 80-100 gallon tank)
Are you using a water conditioner? no
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? no idea...
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? large exoterra turtle bank
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Most of the time HBH Turtle Bites, once a month goldfish as a treat. Recently switched to ZooMed Maintenance Formula and ZooMed Gourmet Aquatic Turtle Food, but wouldn't eat it. Started to re-introduce the old food, but won't eat that either.
When was the last time your turtle ate? 3 days ago.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 40 gallons
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? She's not eating at all now and she's basking all day and sleeping on her dock. I don't ever see her in the water. I just noticed the white and yellowish dots on the underside of her shell. The top of her shell is in perfect health. I've also tried brushing the bottom of her shell but it's definitely not going to come off.

Any help on this would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

I'm not sure what that could be... when's the last time she shed some of those scutes?

She shed about a year ago. Do you think it looks serious enough to take her to a vet? Or should I see if she starts eating again first?

thanks!

Does it look pitted at all? Is there anything in her tank she can scratch it on? I would be more concerned with the basking all the time and not eating. That could be normal for some turtles occasionally and the sign of a serious illness in other turtles. Can you put a thermometer in her basking area for a couple of minutes to see what that temp is?

It doesn't look pitted. I don't think she's been scratching on anything. Yeah I'm pretty worried about the not eating. I figure she's basking a lot to heal though. I think I'll get some fish tomorrow to see if she will eat. She usually gets ridiculously excited over fish.

Can you tell if it is penetrating the scute or just growing over it? Can you post a picture of it dry?

I think it's growing over it... Here are some dry pics...

On the bright side, I just put some fish in the tank. She's been chasing them around like usual. I just hope she starts eating regularly again soon.

I'd try some diluted betadine and use it for a gentle scrub. You might need something stronger (probably SSD cream), so you would need to consult a vet.

Thanks. I just decided I'm going to take her to the vet on Saturday when I have some $$.

Well I took her to the vet. He's the same one that saw her back in 2008 when she was with a different owner. She's grown more than twice the size since then and has much brighter colouring. So the doc is very very happy with how I've been taking care of her. He just said that I need to start feeding her out of tank and separate my 2 big plecos. So I put them in my old tank so that my turtle doesn't have to deal with all their poop messing things up! Actually, one of my plecos is about 8 inches in length now!! ...Oh and I have to rub betadine over her affected areas of the shell for 30 days. Put it on, keep her out of water for 20 minutes and then rinse off. The doc said the problem with her shell is caused from too much poop from the fish.

Thanks for the update... let us know how it progresses.

Yes, thank you for the update. Is she eating or still basking?

She's eating a little. Not very much. I think she just needs to get used to eating out of her tank. It's definitely an improvement. She's also basking normally

Urgent Care :: White and yellow dots on underside of shell

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