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I apologize for not posting the pictures when the shell is dry, but the one time I took him out to get a closer look at his shell he was really freaked out.

How big is your turtle? about 10 inches
How long have you had it? I have had the turtle for about 6 months

What is the water temperature? 76 degrees
Did you use a thermometer? Yes
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? a little less than 40 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? No
Are you using any filtration? Yes, a Fluval 200 water filter

What is the basking temperature? Anywhere from 100-95 degrees depending on where the thermometer is
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes, and I also have a store bought piece of wood that he sits on a lot as well.
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Turtle Dock (Zoo Med)
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Pellets, Lettuce, and Shrimp treats
When was the last time your turtle ate? He eats on a daily basis

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 40 gallons
Is the tank near a window? No
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes, the living room of a 1 bedroom apartment

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, he is acting completely normal. The area that looks troublesome on his shell has not worsened at all, so I am not sure if Milton needs to be taken to a vet or if simple change in something in my tank will help this.

Tank Set up


3 Pictures of possibly damaged area on shell. If you look underneath his right, upper arm you will see what might be a crack in his shell? I am not quite sure, but you will also see a red mark under that and a green mark under that.






Thanks in advance for your input/help!

Is the area circled in red where you think there is a crack? And you have concerns about the area in white?

Has there been any changes in his tank? Any escapes/falls, etc?

Yes, those are the areas of concern. I did recently move, but I was very careful with how I handlers him. He has never escaped or been dropped, and was taken care of during the move. I followed the auggestions from this website.

A chip or crack in that area would be real clear. Has he shed recently? Scutes that come off in that area is usually thick. Green is usually algae and I'm not sure what the red area could be. Does it look like it is underneath the scute?

Also, your RES looks like girl.

Well look at the one spot, it does look like side of shell had chip taken off. Maybe it had shell rot in that area and cause that side damage.

He has been shedding, so it could definitely be that. I was thinking the green was algae, but I just wanted to make sure. The red area looks like it is not under the scute. I am gonna wait it out for a little bit, and see if the area improves. How long do you think I should wait? Maybe just a week?

The guy at PetSmart told me it was a boy, but he could have definitely just been saying that.

If it were chipped, you might be able to tell when looking at it closely. It might also have a rough feel to it.