Urgent Care :: Damage to shell???

[yeshuaskid]

How big is your turtle? 6 inches
How long have you had it? temporary for four months

What is the water temperature? 78
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? no
How much water is in there? 20 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes

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? resin rocks
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? lettuce and turtle pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? yesterday

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 40 gallons
Is the tank near a window? yes
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? yes

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? yes.

The turtle, Squirt, has had a little bit of peeling on his shell. I noticed, last week, that he was starting to get algae growth on his shell and a few sections were peeling. Today, I changed his water and noticed that he had a brown soft spot on his shell. I can touch anywhere else on his shell and its fine but...if I touch the soft spot he jumps and hisses. He is not one to hiss and is a very friendly little guy. I hate to think of him being in any pain. I'm attaching a couple of pics. Does anyone have any ideas?

[TheComputerGremlin]

His shell appears remarkably smooth, no pyramiding I mean.

What do you mean by temporary for 4 months? Are you just watching him or is he being temporarily housed in a different tank?

First, the tank is too small. For 6", you want a 60 gallon tank, nearly full. Peeling I think is good, he looks like he needs a very good shed. Encourage shedding by getting him to bask as much as possible and feed him blueberries, one or two daily should be fine. Is he basking? The soft spot is often caused by not basking. If he is refusing to bask, you can dry dock him under the basking lamp for a few hours each day so he can fully dry off. How old is the UVB bulb? Bulbs only output the UVB for 6-8 months, and can also be a cause for the soft shell. Also, do you give him cuttlebone? If not, get some cuttlebone in the bird section of the pet store and give it to him. He needs a calcium boost to get the shell back into working order. Also, you should block the sunlight from coming into the tank to help discourage algae growth.

If there is a herp vet nearby, I would recommend taking him for a visit to make sure he is healthy. He looks like he's had a rough few years.

[yeshuaskid]

What do you mean by temporary for 4 months? Are you just watching him or is he being temporarily housed in a different tank?

Squirt belongs to my daughters school. He is supposed to return to the school next month.

As far as the tank is concerned...this is the tank this poor little guy came in and we are in the process of trying to find him a much bigger tank and space for it in our home. We are going to ask the school if we can keep him since he will be going back into a bad situation.

I was hoping that all he needed was a good shed. He hasn't shed his shell since he's been with us (almost four months). I never knew about blueberries and I just happen to have some fresh in the fridge.

Squirt was basking until today. Now, he has gone into his underwater cave and only emerges for a breath now and then. I'm glad you suggested dry docking because I honestly thought his shell couldn't stay dry for long since he's an aquatic turtle.

I just put a new bulb in last week.

I've given him cuttlebones and he won't have anything to do with them. Got any other suggestions to boost his calcium?

I feel a little silly. I have so many fish tanks in the house and keep sunlight from them. I don't know why I didn't think about it affecting Squirts turtle tank.

My vet is a herp vet but, unfortunately I won't have the money to take Squirt in to see him until the end of next week, at the earliest.

He looks like he's had a rough few years.

I'm sure he has. He was given to my daughters preschool a few years ago because the owners no longer wanted him. He just sits in that tank all day being stared at by preschoolers. It bothers me because he is such a sweet turtle. Hopefully, we can keep him full time and give him a better, more peaceful life.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Sounds like you know all about turtles, so it's good that he's come to you. I do hope the school will give him to you full time so he can have a happy life!

Ways to boost the calcium, you can take the cuttlebone and crush it and sprinkle it on his food or on some tuna or salmon fish and give that to him. Just thinking you could probably stash some powdered cuttlebone in the blueberries too. I think gut-loaded crickets that you can buy in the pet store have calcium in them, as do the pellets. The ReptoMin baby pellets have a higher calcium content in them I think also. And some people have success feeding the flavored cuttlebones to picky turtles. I guess just be creative!

[yeshuaskid]

Sounds like you know all about turtles, so it's good that he's come to you. I do hope the school will give him to you full time so he can have a happy life!

I wish I new all about turtles. I know a lot about fish and I'm trying to learn as much as I can about turtles. I can't stand when people get pets and don't know how to care for them. That's why I'm here. I just want to make Squirts life better and happier for him.

Thanks for your help. I was so excited about the blueberries that I ran in and put a couple in. I don't know why but Squirt just seems depressed. I've been trying to get him outside in the sun and grass at least every other day for about an hour. He really seems to like that but, I can tell he hates going back into his tank.

How long can a red ear slider be out of water?

[marisa]

Can you clean some of that algae off the shell? (A gentle scrub with a soft brush or cloth should do the trick.) Cleaning the shell would make that spot easier to see (and be healthier for the shell in general).

What brand of UVB light are you using? Was the UVB light new when he came to stay with you, or was it the one that he had at the school? If it came with him, it might need to be changed (regular UVB lights need to be changed every 6 - 8 months). Getting him outside in the summer for some real sunlight would be good as well (but not in a glass tank).

How long he can be out of the water depends on where you've got him, obviously outside in the sun wouldn't be long compared to being inside. If you mean indoors. My RES was injured a few months ago and had to be dry docked to give the wound a chance to heal. He had no problem being out of the water during the day (24 hours) with two 30-minute periods in the water to get hydrated and get something to eat.

[SpotsMama]

I'm really concerned about the brown soft sensitive spot. If he were mine I'd get him to a herp vet right away and have him checked for shell rot.

[steve]

I'm concerned too. It could be some sort of bacterial infection. A serious shell infection might need debriding, I would consult a herp vet right away. Perhaps the children can hold a fund raiser to improve the turtle's care.

[yeshuaskid]

Perhaps the children can hold a fund raiser to improve the turtle's care.

I wish they could. The school is privately funded and would get rid of Squirt before helping him.

We've decided to ask the school if we can keep Squirt permanently.

Since his water change he's been basking a lot during the day. His shell looks much better just since yesterday. Its even starting to peel in a couple of places. The spot looks darker and isn't as soft. I can't get him to the vet until, at least, the end of next week because of money issues. I'm going to wait another day or two before I gently scrub his shell. I want to make sure that the brown spot isn't soft like it was because it seems to bother him when I touch it.

Thanks for all the help. I'll keep you posted on how he's doing.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Check with your vet and see if they can either give you a reduced rate (because the turtle is a school pet) or if you can pay them a week late. It'll be better to get the turtle in sooner than have a really ill turtle a week later. Some vets will let you write the check with an advanced date or if they know you, give you some leeway.

[industrial_girl_2000]

Welcome to the forum!

To answer one of your questions: RES's can stay out of water for up to about 8 hours (that's how long my dad's pond turtles bask on their logs on his pond in North Carolina's hot summer heat, which is where I get the "8 hours" from). RES's are "basking" turtles which means they sit on logs & "bask" in the sun daily. They are native to Mississippi mud flats & are used to crazy hot sun temps (over 95 degrees F) & humidity.

A trip to the vet would be a very good idea. That shell area looks like it is rotting, and if it is, this little RES will need some specialized care over the next year. It takes time for the shell to grow out so you will have to be patient, but I don't see why he couldn't make a full recovery if you are willing to give the time & effort. You certainly came to the right place! There's plenty of info here for you & lots of people to clarify anything you aren't clear on!

BTW, blueberries are a great treat for RES's. My big baby *LOVES* them (goes completely NUTS any time she sees me walk up to her tank with one, LOL!)

I am very glad you got this turtle when you did. It looks like the school didn't know anything about turtle care.

[yeshuaskid]

Just wanted to update and let you all know whats up. I took industrial_girl_2000's advice and asked my vet to let us post date a check. Squirt is going to the vet tomorrow afternoon. I let you know how he makes out. Thanks everyone.

[untsmurf]

Good luck!!!!

[yeshuaskid]

I took Squirt to the vet a couple days ago. I'm so glad I took all your advice.

The bad news is that Squirt has a weak shell and the vet said its due to not getting enough nutrition. She said he's been in this state for a very long time and not just since we've gotten him. The school only feeds Squirt turtle pellets and he needs more nutrition. The vet was concerned that Squirt was even in a Preschool setting and was happy that we wanted to keep him permanently. She is writing a letter on our behalf to the school recommending that they release Squirt to us. We'll know by the end of September.

The good news is that the vet prescribed a shell shampoo and lots of goodies to boost Squirts nutritional needs. We are also trying to sell one of our other tanks w/stand to help offset the $155 cost of buying Squirt a bigger tank to call home. Today's vet visit cost us $75 which I'm hoping the school will deduct from my daughters tuition. If not, it's money well spent on this little guy.

Well, I gave Squirt a shampoo yesterday and he seemed to know it was going to make him feel better. He didn't try to escape or anything. He has to stay out of the water all day with the exception of two one-hour water sessions. He gets to sleep in his tank all night. The vet said that we needed to keep his shell as dry as possible for a while. Its going to take at least three to four months before Squirt starts showing improvement and his shell starts to look normal. I'll keep you all updated.

I just fed Squirt a worm and he devoured it! I'm so happy!

One last comment: I want to thank you all so much. You don't even know me and you were all willing to help Squirt and I. I can't believe I've fallen for this little turtle! Thanks so much to all of you.

[SpotsMama]

Thank goodness! Squirt is one lucky turtle to have found you.

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

Your vet is right on target about keeping his shell dry as much as possible. When my Spot's shell was being treated for some small shell injuries, I had to keep him dry (called "dry docking") most of the time for about two weeks. I got a large rubbermaid tub from Lowes (cost about $18 ). The tub had a lid and air holes in the sides. I put towels on the bottom to make it softer and give Spot a place to hide if he felt like it. Spot stayed in the tub with the lid on while he was having his "dry time". With the lid on it was dark inside and that seemed to help him relax and go to sleep. The tub was probably larger than it needed to be but it worked out pretty well for him I thought.

Please feel free to browse around the main part of this site. There's a gold mine of information on turtle care, including lots of tips on nuitrition.