Urgent Care :: Worried about shell rot

[Soulvoid]

Hello, I'm new to this site and I need help

I have a baby RES that is about 1.5 to 2 inches. He has really bad white patches on the top of his shell and pretty dark red patches on the bottom. I'm very worried that he has shell rot because I don't have the money to take him to a vet. He seems fine, although I know they do that as a natural thing to keep enemies away. He does have a minor sheeding problem but that was because I have been over feeding him.

Which brings me to my next point. I'm hoping this is just an issue with his diet because the only thing I can get him to eat are pellets. Tetrafauna Reptomin are what I feed him. I bought them at petco. I've tried feeding him everything that has been recommened on many other sites. The only thing he even seemed interested in was red lettce, but even then he only nibbled on it and spit it out. I feed him 2 times a day, 2 pellets each time.

I have him in a ten gallon tank right now, but I am buying a 50 gallon in 2 weeks. The tank is very clean and he has plenty of room to swim and get excersize. And the way that I have the pump set up, he can swim as if he is trying to go upstream, only he doesn't go anywhere . I do have a water heater and the temp is kept around 78-82. I also have a UVB 75watt bulb and a nice basking area made out of slate rocks, but I grounded them down and made sure there were no sharp spots on them. The temp for the basking area is around 88-90, but for some reason he doesnt' get on it. I've tried cooling it down, heating it up, I've tried 85-95 and nothing helped. He can easliy get to the basking area, because he gets on it once in a while.

Please help me get my little Fred better

[JCsTurt]

I'll let the experts chime in on specifics about shell rot and the like, but I wanted to say something about my own experience with the diet concerns. My turtle has the opposite problem yours does. He refuses to eat pellets and won't so much as nibble on anything leafy or veggie-like at all. While it is normal when they are just hatchlings to prefer a more meaty protein rich diet, continue offering the lettuce and other veggies even though he doesn't eat it yet. Since he has nibbled on the lettuce, I'm guessing he is going in the right direction and will start eating it as he grows. You might try offering a different type, too. They enjoy a little variety in their diets. Also, maybe try putting some anacharis in the tank. Most turtles will devour this, and it's cheap. I just got 2 bundles at PetCo for $3/ea. It is Wayyy more than my Turt will eat, especially since he prefers to just float around on top of it right now.

Please pay close attention to your turtles health and behavior patterns. I waited too long to get my Turtle to a good herp vet, and he ended up with metabolic bone disease. I know it is costly, but in the long run, if you can get him the care he needs early, it will save you more money than it will cost, not to mention the heartache of watching him go downhill. You seem to be doing a lot of things right for him now. I hope he gets better and the other folks can tell you what to try for his shell. Just don't give up on his diet. Keep offering different things and make sure he gets his proper lighting and basking time. If he doesn't want to bask much, try taking him outside for some natural sunlight. This worked wonders for my turtle. We go out nearly everyday for at least 30 min. - 1 hr if not longer. It took him some time at first to start using his basking area, but now he loves it.

One more thing you might do is consider adding some cuttlebone to his diet. I personally just drop the entire thing in the tank and let Turt munch on it as he needs it. He used to use it like a surf board when I first put it in the water, so it doubled as an entertainment device. You can get it in the bird food section at pet stores or grocery stores. No need to worry about it being labeled for turtles. That is just an advertising ploy to enable them to charge too much for it. It can be found for around a dollar in the bird supplies. This will give him extra calcium. Read other posts on this forum as much as you can. It's loaded with great info and advice on just about anything you can think of and more to keep your turtle happy and healthy.

[steve]

I think the slate might be too abrasive on his plastron. Make sure he can always easily bask when he wants too and that his plastron gets a chance to dry off as well. If he easily gets spooked when basking or is begging a lot, try to cover the side of the glass so he won't see you.

The pellet-only diet is causing for fast growth (his seams are thick and dark) and I would immediately reduce protein content. Try a veggie clip (a plastic clip w/suction cup), which can be found in the fish section of a pet store, and try lettuce or freshwater aquatic plants.

[Love of Animals]

You can also take him outside (under supervision) for 20 - 30 mins a day. Try to do it in early morning before it's to hot. I don't know the temps where you live but here in NYC it's 103 degrees. Putting him outside in the sun is the best form of UVB. Just make sure he doesn't overheat. What kind of light do you have? Is it a MVB?