Urgent Care :: Damage to shell???

[yeshuaskid]

I'm curious - what's the name of the "shampoo" for Squirt's shell? Is it prescription only?.

The shampoo is called Malaseb and is a medicated shampoo for dogs, cats, and horses. It cost $20 for 8oz. and is supposed to last for three to four weeks. Squirt has to go back to the vet in three weeks. It was given to me as a prescription by the vet but I've seen it online for as low as $12.00.

[steve]

I'm not aware of that being used on a turtle before, though there are other topical alternatives.

Good luck trying to get ownership of Squirt. Perhaps you can setup a petition, I'd be happy to sign it!

[marisa]

Just curious, but is the vet you took your RES to a herp vet? You might want to ask about getting some Nolvasan (chlorohexidine) to use on the shell the next time you take your turtle in to be seen.

[yeshuaskid]

Just curious, but is the vet you took your RES to a herp vet? You might want to ask about getting some Nolvasan (chlorohexidine) to use on the shell the next time you take your turtle in to be seen.

Yes, she's a herp vet. I made sure before we even took Squirt home for the summer. She wanted to try this before using anything stronger. If Squirt doesn't show improvement when he goes for his follow-up in three weeks, she's going to try something stronger.

My DH told me that the preschool teacher told him that we could keep Squirt if we wanted to.

More good news: We just found an 80 gallon tank w/stand for $100 on craigslist. Squirt should be in his new tank by the end of this weekend. I can't wait. He needs a bigger home really bad.

[yeshuaskid]

Quick update:

The 80 gallon tank fell through but, we are supposed to be picking up a 70 gallon w/stand for $100 on Saturday. I'll make sure to post some before and after pics. I can't wait! I'm so excited!

[steve]

Good luck and thanks for the update. I'm relived that Squirt is in your care.

[yeshuaskid]

Well, Squirt is swimming in his new tank as I type! He is so happy! We ended up with a very tall tank. It's 75 gallons w/stand. We bought a screen which we found would not fit because the tank has a wide lip. We also have to go buy another filter because of the same wide lip. It looks like we're going to get a submersible.

Anyway, Squirts tank has about 30 gallons of water in it right now and he is going nuts with joy! We're going to add a couple of inches every few days until he gets used to swimming again. I've never seen him act this happy before. Also, his shell is starting to show a little bit of improvement. Here are the pics I promised:


First swim across the tank


Checking out the plants.


Close up of my happy little swimmer!


Climbing up to the basking area.


Squirt posing for the camera!

Thanks, everyone, for all your help.

[SpotsMama]

He's so happy! He says, "it's about time!"

I'd suggest a canister filter for a tank and turtle that size. Not only do they do a significantly better job of keeping water quality high, but they are easier maintenance and don't take up room in the tank, which means more swimming room for Squirt.

[TheComputerGremlin]

And you can get a canister filter online for around 120$ for a Rena XP3 and 200$ for a Fluval FX5 and a Rena XP4 is somewhere in the middle. They are SO amazing, you will never want any other filter!

Good to hear that all is well with him. I'm sure he'll have a long and happy life with you!!

[untsmurf]

Another way to add some swimming room and clean up the water would be to take the river rocks out. That way less poo can get caught between and it makes cleaning easier.

[yeshuaskid]

I wish I had thought about the river rocks before putting them in the tank. Honestly, I just don't have the energy to climb back into the tank and take them out. The tank is so tall that I had to climb a 2-step ladder just to put stuff in. I could barely reach the bottom of the tank with my fingertips.

Since Squirt was originally intended to be a temporary pet until school starts, we didn't have funds set up for his care full-time. We only had $250 to spend and that got us a tank, stand, basking rock, and new filter. I wish we could have gotten Squirt a canister filter right up front but, we just don't have the funds for it. We settled for a Fluval Submersible Filter. It's supposed to cycle 260 gallons and hour. So far, so good. Squirt actually loves it. He swims up to it and lets the current push him back to the other side of the tank. Its pretty funny.

Well, here's the finished tank for the time being. In case I didn't tell you all before...Squirt swam all night long. He would climb up onto his basking stone, run to the edge, and dive off. It was hilarious! He was so tired today that he's been on his basking stone since 4:30am. It's hard to believe that the last time he swam around was when he was about 2" long. He reminds me of a kid in a candy store! Thanks, again, everyone so much for all your help. Squirt wouldn't be where he is if it wasn't for all of you.


Squirt just resting after his big night of swimming...


Full-view of the tank...

[untsmurf]

Wow that's a huge improvement!

As far as the river rocks go, you can wait a week or to take them out there's no rush. They all look big enough so that squirt can't eat them. Just make a mental note to take them out the next time you're cleaning the tank

Squirt looks much happier!

[yeshuaskid]

I can't begin to thank you all for all the help you've given me. I am so glad I found this site.

I promised an update on Squirt so...here it is:

Squirt (as you may remember) was suffering from a type of shell rot due to poor nutrition. He had a follow-up visit last week with the rep vet and we got good news! Squirt is improving! The bad part of his shell is finally coming off and there's a small patch on his shell that is a beautiful brown (normal) color. The vet wants us to continue to shampoo his shell for the next few months but, hopefully, he will look like a normal turtle by Christmas.

Squirts nutrition has gotten much better. He still eats turtle pellets but, also eats (store-bought) bait worms, frozen squid, brine, and lots of other stuff. We just discovered that he loves cooked beef! He still won't eat any fruit or vegetables but, I continue to offer them. We put ten feeder fish in the tank just to see what would happen and got such a laugh out of it. Squirt had never seen fish before and didn't know he could eat them. It took him almost a week before he ate two. The others are all still there. He has mastered the ability to beg me for food whenever I walk by his tank. Who knew that turtles could give you the sad-starving look. Squirt has figured out that look and does it very well!

As far as the tank is concerned...we still have the rocks in it. We have sand to put down but, were warned that if Squirt kicked the sand into the filter, goodbye filter. We've resolved to more frequent water changes and the water quality is beautiful. Because we have a submersible filter that blows the water, the tank always looks like the bottom of the ocean. Its so peaceful to sit across from Squirt and watch him discover new things in his tank. Now that Squirt has the size tank he needs, he is swimming and fish hunting often, which gets him basking as long as he needs. I can't believe that I've fallen for this little turtle but, I have!

One last note: I have GREAT news!!!

I just got the news today! Squirt is now an official member of our family! My daughters school has decided to relinquish him to us! We are so excited! Squirts life is looking up for sure!

[TheComputerGremlin]

Yay, so good to hear that he's doing so well! Remember, though, that although he likes to eat meats, they still count as protein and you should limit the consumption as much as possible. My rule of thumb is no more than a head-sized piece per month or so. Watch for salty foods, turtles are freshwater animals. And I don't think beef is the best of the meats, after all, when was the last time you saw a turtle take down a cow? I'd stick with boiled chicken, fish, and egg whites as treats.

Congrats on the official adoption! Squirt will love you for it!

[untsmurf]

Congratulations! It sounds like he's found a much happier home. Based on his size, you should probably consider the tough love approach for veggies. He's big enough now that he should be eating more veggies than protein.