Urgent Care :: Abrasian on Neck from Shell

[cprcheetah]

How big is your turtle? 7 Inches
How long have you had it? 2 Weeks Tomorrow

What is the water temperature? 78
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? 12 Gallons (I know it's lacking...working on it...just rescued him 2 weeks ago)
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? Yes, Hubby combined a couple, used a Hot Magnum "Tank" which the impeller slot was all melted, so we are using the 'tank' part, with a Power Head for intake/outtake of the water and it's working FABULOUS!

What is the basking temperature? 90
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? Turtle Dock
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Romaine, Carrots, Turtle Pellets, shrimp, feeder fish, Crickets
When was the last time your turtle ate? Today

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? Only 20 Gallons, again I know it's lacking but we are working on it.
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? Other than constant 'begging' LOL none other noted!

My concern is this...I noticed today when he was sticking his neck out he had a red spot on his neck, it's 'deep' in the neck part. I was wondering if it's from his "Gular" on the plastron side of his shell. It seems to be 'jutting' out, which I don't think is normal...but he's my first turtle so I don't know. The skin seems to be shedding around the area as well. My Dad, (Vet) also thinks it is due to rubbing on the shell. Here are some pictures:




Of course it's in a most difficult place to get a good picture of it. Here are some other pictures:
http://s63.photobucket.com/albums/h141/ ... h=imgAnch1

So what does it look like? You can see on the right side of the Gular that there seems to be a 'chip' missing where it creates a non smooth surface which is why my vet is almost positive it is the rubbing which has created a sore. What is the treatment? Can we 'dremel' his shell down some so it doesn't rub? That is what my dad suggested but we are both researching it further before doing so.

[sonyj]

There was an instance not long ago similar but it was with the top of the shell rubbing and keeping an injury re-injured so to speak. I believe they applied a band-aid on the shell to keep it from rubbing while the sore healed. But in your case this sounds like a permanent issue with the shell rubbing, so I'll let someone else answer about the dremel part.

For the sore part, if it is an open wound, you need to make sure that his water stays extremely clean so it doesn't lead to an infection. Also applying some neosporin cream on the sore and letting it soak in for a little while before placing him back into the water is a good idea to help heal it.

[CountryGirl68]

I found this info on the internet - a site called Turtle and Tortoise Shell Repair. This might help your vet.

Repair fractured or surgically invaded plastron and carapace (first cleaned with several applications of ether or acetone and air dried) with single or multiple layers of sterilized fiberglass cloth impregnated with freshly prepared, rapid-polymerizing epoxy resin, and topped with several coats, allowing each to dry before the next coat is applied. (Cut and autoclave round pieces which will overlap the defect by 1.5-3 cm; square ones tend to unravel at the edges.) To insure good chemical bonding is achieved, the dried rapid dry epoxy should be lightly sanded and wiped down with diethyl ether or acetone before the next coat is applied In aquatic or semi-aquatic turtles, a top coat of slower polymerizing boat-repair resin should be applied a day or two after the patch.

Epoxy is applied to the periphery of the defect - not the edges and never inside the defect or cavity...if it gets on the edge of the bony plate it may impede bone healing.

The first patch is worked in to the ring of epoxy. A light coat of resin is applied to the center of the patch enough to just coat and get worked into it -- not saturate through into the coelomic cavity. You will know you have enough worked in when the cloth becomes transparent and the weave sort of disappears. The patches must be completely water- and airtight to prevent invasion by any microorganisms. Generally two layers, plus the top coat, is enough to complete such repairs.

The two-part epoxy components are used in a 1:1 ratio, the time for polymerization is about 3-5 minutes. The resin loses its tackiness and hardens in another 4-5 minutes.

Before placing that chelonian back in its enclosure, spraying the patch with a vegetable oil spray will help prevent substrata from sticking to the fresh patch, especially on ventral patches.

Several sources (not specified) have described the use of cold-curing dental acrylic plastic. Per Frye, regardless of the type of resin used, a laminating layer of the impregnated fiberglass cloth should be used to reduce wear and tear, abrasion, etc.

Hope this is helpful.

[steve]

My female RES would occasionally get a similar abrasion on her cheek. Not sure how she gets it, but it usually goes away after a couple of days.

[marisa]

I see what appear to be some lines on the plastron that look like they're scutes that should have shed a long time ago. Any chance that those two scutes under the neck need to shed/will come off?

To help prevent infection, I'd dab a tiny bit of Neosporin on the irritated area and keep your turtle out of the water for a while to let it sink in.

[cprcheetah]

Not sure. Still getting used to the whole turtle thing....He has shed about 5 Scutes on the top, and underneath where they were looks quite Healthy. He has many more that are needing to shed too. I think as he starts getting more and more of the right diet, light and housing he will continue to do better. I will start putting some neosporin on the irritated area. Anything to do to help those scutes shed? If that is indeed what he needs.

[marisa]

What you mentioned---a good habitat, basking under proper lighting, a good diet, i.e, a healthy lifestyle---will help. You're on the right track .

I was asking about the shedding, because with the scutes that are toward the outer part of the shell in particular, I've noticed that as they get nearer to shedding, they seem to get "longer" (only because the new layer of scute underneath pushes the old scute on top of it outward because the new scute is larger). My RES had a nuchal scute (the one on the carapace right behind the neck) that was quite sharp. When he shed it, not only was the new scute smoother, but the shell where the old scute had been had actually lost a little bit of length (compared to the scutes adjacent to it, which still needed to shed).

Maybe it's the pic, but those two plastron scutes under the neck to me look noticeably longer than the others, at least in the top two pics...

[cprcheetah]

Yes they are...they seem to be 'jutting' out from the rest of the shell. So I guess I need to read up more...wasn't aware that they shed their plastron scutes too....LOL! I tell ya, I am in constant amazement of all I am learning here.