Urgent Care :: Head skin peeling

[Ag_86]

Hi, I have a friend who has had a red eared slider for 12 years and just recently he has had strange peeling skin on top of his head. It is in two oval spots on top of his head. One spot has already peeled and the skin underneath is white. Other than that he is acting lively and eating well. Does anyone know what this is?

[grey goose]

Could you post a pic?

[SpotsMama]

Are the spots swollen?

[Ag_86]

They're not swollen. The skin has come off them both and it looks a little raw underneath. He has been scratching a little lately since he moved into a larger tank. He also has gravel in his tank for the first time in his life and plant. Could any of that cause it? I have been suspecting it could be fungus because he didn't bask previous to this tank. I will post picture later on today when I go see him.

[octpusgirl8]

If he never had a chance to dry off it could be fungus. I would suggest that the gravel be removed ASAP, turtles sometimes eat gravel with disasterous and sad results. Read these threads on the subject: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2342
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ght=gravel
I'm not sure if the skin problem can be treated without a vet, i would say to have him looked at.

[SpotsMama]

Octpusgirl8 makes a very good point abou the gravel. Another person on here just lost a great turtle because he ate gravel. The owner didn't know it was a problem until it was too late. You don't want your friend to be in that position!

I don't know about the skin problem either. A good vet is probably your best bet.

By the way, I'm so glad to hear your friend is upgrading the turtle's habitat. If it has been living in substandard conditions for awhile it's not surprising if it has developed some problems.

[steve]

Could the cut have been caused by the nuchal scute (its the small one on the front of the top shell)? Regardless, it does sound like a vet visit is in order.

[Ag_86]

I will have my friends remove the gravel as soon as possible. I did suggest for him to take the turtle to the vet, but that is up to him. It does seem like the marginal scutes right next to the nuchal may have done it. He has moved into a much larger tank recently and has been more active as a result. When he was moving his head back into his shell the piece of skin that was still on was get pulled off more and more every time. When I go see him tonight I will take the pictures and actually bring my camera this time.

[marisa]

Is your turtle basking now? Is it an actual cut or does the area look as though the skin has been rubbed off? One of my painteds developed a white area on the back of the neck a while back (not on his head). I cleaned the area daily with chlorhexidine (you can get Hibiclens, which is a form of it, at pharmacies), let it dry and then applied some Neosporin, leaving him out of the water for a bit. In time the area grew more crusty and eventually peeled off. Is your turtle is rubbing his head against the shell as he brings it into the shell (are there any sharp areas on the edge of the shell?)?

[Ag_86]

He was looking better yesterday. The spots seem to be healing. What kind of substrate can I put down instead of the gravel? I will post the pictures in about two hours as I am in a rush right now. Thank you all for helping out!

[octpusgirl8]

You don't really need much on the bottom of the tank, the more stuff you have down there the more gunk collects and it becomes harder to clean. Just a few river rocks, and maybe a plant or two is good.

[Ag_86]

Okay, here are the photos. These are the best I could do with his antics. How long can a RES live?

[SpotsMama]

It does look like his shell may be cutting his neck. Is he doing anything that might cause him to be injured? Does he fall over on his back? Bump against the side of the tank?

RES can live 20, 40 or 60 years, depending on who you ask. A long time!

[industrial_girl_2000]

He was looking better yesterday. The spots seem to be healing. What kind of substrate can I put down instead of the gravel? I will post the pictures in about two hours as I am in a rush right now. Thank you all for helping out!

Clean bottom (aka "no gravel") is best since the dirt won't accumulate. Feel free to throw some river rocks in the bottom since the turtles like to arrange them in the tank & those kind of rocks won't trap dirt (easy to clean).

[marisa]

Are the areas you're talking about those two mottled pink tear-dropped shaped spots? Are they raised at all? The area on my painted was more in the center of the neck and was totally flat. Your turtle's isn't what I was imagining...When you say they appear to be healing, are they forming scabs?

I'd clean the area and keep the water really clean to help prevent infection. Does he bask? Getting some air on those areas would be good as well.