Urgent Care

How big is your turtle? 3inches
How long have you had it? 2 months

What is the water temperature? 79f
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? no
How much water is in there? almost full
Are you using a water conditioner? yes
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? not sure using a 75watt water resistant bulb
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? turtle dock that is made of a plastic it has grooves to climb on.
Is there a UVB light? no

What have you been trying to feed it? Gourmet Aquatic Turtle foox mixture. dried shrimp mealworms and cranberries w/ added vitamins and minerals
When was the last time your turtle ate? today, the turtle has no problems eating.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 35 gallon tank
Is the tank near a window?no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? no

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

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? no strange activity except for skittish unless being fed. The shell though has "dry" spots. I drove 20 mins away to pick him up, on the drive home he was left out of water and his shell seemed to be drying. i figured when we got home his shell would be fine after he had been in water. The tank is nearly full. The shell did not get better. I have been reading about pyramiding and im sure thats what is happening. I thought maybe his shell was drying so i bought vita shell a shell and skin conditioner, and it doesnt seem to be getting better at all. im afraid it might be shell rot, i looked at pictures of shell rot and it doesnt look the same but im not sure. i apply the vita shell once a week as instructed. I cleaned the tank today, and noticed it seemed layered, and some of it seemed it could be peeled off. I do not know what i should do next since the vita shell does not seem to be doing the trick. I am familiar with reptiles, i have 3 healthy leopard geckos. so reptiles arent something that i thought was nice and got. I did look into turtles before buying.
Any suggestions, methods, or advice i will take willingly. please help
I'll post a picture soon, im just trying to get a post up.

Don't use the vitashell stuff... toss it or return it. By dry.. do you mean it had a golden or whitish appearance in some areas? It could be shedding which is normal, but a picture would be very helpful in determining that.

no its like a mineral building. i have a image, i am about to load one up right now, ill post it up immediatly. and alright ill just trash it.

i am going to get a UVB bulb and i wont use the vita shell any longer.

At first i thought it was shedding, but its been like that for 2 months now.

That is fungus/yeast... you'll need a prescription of silver sulfadiazine to treat it.

alright thank you very much. Ill need to go to a vet's office to get it fulfilled correct? and how can i prevent it from happening again?

another thing, i think that is a cream? when i apply it, do i keep her out of the water? so it stays on and doesnt mix with the tank's water?

In the US, a vet does need to prescribe it.

First, make sure that the tank is perfect and clean... basking area, good uva/uvb/heat... everything. I say this because you want to avoid a reoccurrence. It's much more difficult to treat if it comes back.

This is how I applied it... first setup a dry dock area with heat lamp. Put your RES in there 30 minutes before the lights go out. This is to ensure the shell is dry. Apply the cream... and turn off the lights. In the morning, rinse and gently scrub off whatever residue is left and put back into the tank.

See this case history: viewtopic.php?f=5&t=10839

I keep the Tank very clean, i am going to get a uvb bulb, and with the winter coming im considering getting a water heater. and for a dry dock, just so i know for sure the dry dock, has no access to the water right?
But thanks again, and for scrubbing would a toothbrush be fine?
My girlfriend actually works for a vets office and can help me get some.
How long does it take to rid the fungus/yeast? Will the shell regain its original color?
One more question i promise haha, you said the vitashell is garbage, what can i use instead just for the shell?

sorry, i just saw the link you posted im going to read that now.

Yes, dry dock is completely dry. A large box or sectioned off area in a room will do.

Treatments could take about a week... it works quickly if it has an effect. You can tell after 2 or 3 treatments and the shell would return to normal. As for anything like vitashell... there's no need for such a product. You can use a sulfa dip of you want to do some prevention.

Alright sounds good, i can prob get a hold of med. For the meds, do i apply every single night? (of course followed up by a morning scrub if so) on tuesday, and begin treatment. Thanks again, i appreciate it. Really do. Ill update for results as i start treatment.

Apply every night. A thin coating will do. Exercise caution when handling your turtle because it'll be very slippery.

Alright sounds good.

Urgent Care :: Shell problems, shell rot? something possibly serious?

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