Urgent Care :: please help part of shell falling off

[SuNicDa]

Hey guys.... I haven't been on here in a long while.. I have been too busy...

Anyways... turtles are all doing good, except for Baby... Baby got bit by my large female about three months ago. As soon as I found the bit, I separated them, and they haven't been together since... I thought it was just a minor shell break and that it would heal fine, but now half of the bit area is falling off. This picture is from the end of September:

Doesn't look too bad.... Here is the one from today:





sorry its kinda of hard to get a picture of.... shell is hard all around area... it is just that bottom scute(s)... it is still attached... I have neosporine on it and she has been dry dock since yesterday (I sprayed her with water today so she doesn't get dehydrated)...

Any advice is appreciated....

Thanks much

[theartbook35]

When you are dry docking, you need to let the turtle swim around in the tank for a few hours so they can drink, eat and defecate. Spraying the turtle won't get enough water into the body.

Anyways, you are handling it fairly well already. The scute has probably died, and when they die, they fall off. I'm almost certain a new one eventually grows in, sort of like what happens after humans lose a fingernail.

[SuNicDa]

Thanks for the reply...

should I pull it the rest of the way off or let it fall off on its own?

I am going to put her back in her pond tomorrow and the dry her sunday night...

[gwennie]

No, new scutes don't usually grow back like when humans lose a fingernail. If they lose an entire scute, it rarely heals back to new again and doesn't really grow in. It will slowly heal around it though.

Chances are the turtle won't regain that particular scute back fully.

Don't pull it off. It might be a good idea to take your turtle into a vet and see if you can get them to give it a saline rinse and then look for signs of any further infection.

Has your turtle been acting normally otherwise?

[SuNicDa]

thanks guys... She has been acting very normal other than the scute not healing... basking is normal and eating is less, but it is getting cooler so none of the turtles are eating like they were...

[jozzep]

Scutes will not grow back.
It's more like loosing a finger, and not a fingernail.Besides dry docking, i would use a triple antibiotic cream to prevent infection.

[SuNicDa]

~UPDATE~ I went to take her outside earlier today and the scute had fallen off during the night...

here a picture:




And now she is happy hiding in her pond:



The wound looks good and is hard all the way around; no soft spots... I will keep an eye on it and keep you guys updated...

Thanks for your advice... Is there anything I should watch for, besides softening of the shell in that area?

[VanishingReality]

I would watch for redness or any other signs of infection around the edges. And keep the water really clean. It looks a lot better though.

[steve]

I'd also keep an eye on change in behavior/appetite and any odor.

[theartbook35]

That area where the scute fell off, looks like an open wound. I would keep using the antibiotic ointment. If it does not show signs of improvement within I'd say a week or two, or looks to be growing worse, the turtle needs to be taken to a vet.

If and when the edges around the area heal, read the sticky about fixing minor shell breaks. Don't do this right now though, as you could be sealing bacteria inside the shell which is not good. Wait until it heals.

[gwennie]

It's going to take a very, very long time to heal, because that's exposed bone, pretty much.

Eventually it will grow a new layer where it's exposed right now, but not for a very long time.

At this point your turtle is open to infection as that can be a point of entry for any type of bacteria or fungus so it's best to keep a close eye on it like everyone's suggested ^^

Shouldn't post much of a real problem later in life as long as you keep your turtles separated but it is probably really sensitive for your turtle right now.

[marisa]

I would take the turtle to a herp vet and get something to treat the area with (Nolvasan and silver sulfadiazine).