Urgent Care :: Colouring

[4SL]

Hi all,
I just adopted a beautiful RES last week and am still learning about all the things that go along with one. I was wondering about her colouring. Around her legs the skin is pinkish and I was hoping someone would have an idea what it could be. I will be calling a vet tomorrow to see if I can get her in ASAP, but I thought I would see what you thought until then.
Thanks.[/code]

[jenaero]

Do you have pics? I know she wasn't taken care of very well before you got her so a vet visit is a good idea. Septicemia comes to mind. Here's what it says on the health page.

"Septicemia is a condition where there is a bacterial presence in the blood. It is essentially blood poisoning, a serious and life-threatening infection that requires immediate emergency care. Septicemia affects the entire body and is deadly in any creature that has it. Only qualified immediate medical care can assist this condition.

Previous illness, infection, injury or improper habitat may be an indirect cause of septicemia. It is possible for egg-bound females to develop it and any of those former conditions may have been a contributing factor, especially if they were prolonged. Symptoms that may be present are pinkish or reddish coloring on skin or shell (in or between the scutes, plastron, or carapace - any possible appearance that resembles bleeding into the skin), lesions, sores, lethargy, withdrawn behavior, unresponsiveness, swelling (eyes, etc.), and lack of urine.

Blood tests may be used to determine if there is blood poisoning and measure the degree of severity. I cannot stress the importance of getting immediate and experienced medical care. "

[marisa]

Does your turtle have any other symptoms? When you say the pink is around her legs, do you mean the whole leg has a pinkish hue, or is it just in certain places (a pic would be nice to clarify). The shell (especially the plastron) has no such coloring on it? A vet visit would certainly be good to pin down the problem.

If the turtle appears healthy (i.e., no other symptoms), what has the turtle been eating?

[4SL]

Well, I took Earl (formerly Pearl till I found out she was a he) to the vet and she doesn't think he has septicemia. It was funny, but when we looked at him there, he didn't look like he had any pink but when he is in his tank, its there. Could it be the colouring of the tank glass, or the fluorescent lighting in my classroom?
He did have mouth rot, which was so bad that the vet had to use a dental scaler to remove the calcified pus. He is still not eating anything other than shrimp, which worries me because the vet also said he is underweight. I know his mouth is sore, so I'm hoping he will begin to eat soon.
Its sooo sad what humans will do to an innocent, vulnerable creature. How could anyone treat him so badly? I still worry that I could lose him and it breaks my heart. Its not taken me or my students very long to become attached to the little guy. Monday we are holding a bake sale for the school to raise money for his care.
Thanks for all your helpful support.

[steve]

Good to hear there is no Septicemia!

My aquarium glass tends to make things appear dull or greenish. Fluorescent light generally gives off no colors. I would still keep an eye out for this... it simply may be more visible in the water.

One of my RES also had a shrimp fixation early on. I was able to get him on minnows then eventually pellets. It wasn't easy or quick, but Earl will want to try different foods later.

And good luck with the bake sale!

[marisa]

Since his mouth is sore, try to give him foods that soften/break apart easily. (You might want to feed him in a separate container of water to keep the tank water cleaner. What kind of pellets are you giving him? Reptomin softens more quickly than some of the other brands. You might even try Reptomin Baby (the ones for smaller turtles), which soften very quickly (you could mix some shrimp with the softened pellets, let them dry and try them on your turtle).

Keep his water very clean.

Hope you raise a lot of money for his care.

[4SL]

I've been trying to feed him Hikari Turtle Sticks, but to no avail. I am still really worried about him as he won't eat much and I swear there is pink on him. Should I get him back to the vet? Can they treat septacemia? I think I will call the vet tomorrow.
On the positive side, we made almost $300.00 at our bake sale today! All for Earl!

[sonyj]

Congratulations on the bake sale! I know you and your kids must be so excited to have the funds to care for him properly! Let us know how he is doing.

[steve]

Early cases of Septicemia can be treated but I think it can be expensive. Blood tests could probably determine if Earl has it. If it's not very noticible and there aren't any other symptoms, then I would just concentrate on getting him to eat. And congrats on the sale!

[marisa]

The money raised will get Earl off to an even better start.

Why do you think he still has septecemia if the vet didn't think he had it? Where is the pink? Only on the skin or on the skin and the shell (especially the plastron) and in the seam (area in between the scutes).

Shrimp happens to be a food that can tinge the skin pink if fed excessively. Try to wean him off of it (see above) and try foods that won't hurt his mouth.

[4SL]

I thought he might have septicemia because he looked SO pink in his tank, whether he was in water or basking. The pink is around his legs, just the skin. I took him back to the vet and she did some blood work on him, just to be sure.
The good news is that he has gained 70 grams in 8 days! He was fairly underweight and not eating when I first got him, so this was great news. And he is eating food other than shrimp.
Thanks for all your encouraging words!

[marisa]

Good for Earl! (The results of the blood work?)

Try to moderate his food intake if he's gaining that much in so short a time (are you sure it's that much?). To put on weight like that will tax his kidneys and other organs. It's better not to try to overcompensate for his lack of weight. Slow, steady growth/weight gain is more healthy.