Urgent Care :: Turtle shell problems =(

[gunslinger]

hi i'm new to raising RES and i actually found mine somewhere. I believe it was abandoned so I took it home.

I've been raising it for about 2 weeks now and I'm afraid that it is sick because its shell has been decolorising and cracks have been appearing. I've uploaded the photos i took of her on photobucket.

Can someone pls take a look and tell me what's wrong with her? Thanks.

[/img]http://s320.photobucket.com/albums/nn338/sayyien/

[marisa]

Did the turtle have any white on her/him when you found him? It's possible that the white is mineral deposit build up if you have hard water. Does any of it come off if you put some vinegar on a q-tip and rub it?

It's also possible the white, which looks cottony, could be a fungus.

What is your set-up like for this turtle? How often is the water changed? Is there filtration in the tank?

Does the turtle have a basking area with good lighting (UVB light and heat light)? Does the turtle bask?

If you're new to caring for turtles, please do some reading on the site for what this turtle needs. You can find info on shell problems, including fungus at www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/medshell.htm

BTW, when I looked at some of those photos enlarged, it looks like the shell is fairly dirty.

[TheComputerGremlin]

It looks like she is in need of a good shed, some good nutrition, and some good basking conditions.

Is there any other reason for her to be "sick", other than the shell? Has she been eating regularly, basking regularly, not lethargic? If she's acting completely healthy, it might just take a few years to heal her shell. If she's acting sick (lethargic, sleepy, open mouth breath, not eating), you might want to take her to a herp vet.

[gunslinger]

yes it was already like this when i found him. the layer of white stuff on his back came off when i brushed it. I think the layer has already hardened and is due to fall off anyway.

I havent got a set up for him. I basically let him roam my house and puts him in water for feeding 3 times a day about 1-2hrs each time. Sometimes for much longer durations.

No he dun have a basking area but i let him get some sunlight at my balcony.

He's been eating regualrly. Basking i'm not sure... Not lethargic definitely..

[steve]

Your turtle will need to bask regularly. It does like areas of the shell has been infected with yeast/fungus and the only way for older infections to be removed is through shedding. Without proper basking or shedding, your turtle will be re-infected.

[gunslinger]

ok yty i jus used a toothbrush to scrub it with vinegar, and the 4 white patches on its back came off as a whole, like a layer on top. Below looks to be a healthy shell

[industrial_girl_2000]

To me this poor turtle looks like it didn't have a basking area for many years and had poor nutrition.

If you follow the feeding guidelines on this site (feed a variety of veggies & pellets) + have a good UVB/UVA basking light + keep clean water for the turtle, you may see an improvement in the shell condition, but it could take up to a year (turtle shell grows very slowly), so you will have to be patient. If the previous owner was neglectful, then the turtle will need a lot of kind TLC.

[gunslinger]

well yeah its lidat since i found it.... it does look not to be in a vv good shape but at least its energetic and responds to stuff....