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Is this shell rot?

PostPosted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 1:17 pm
by sheepform25
I noticed that one of my turtles' (his name is Edward) shell is very yellow. As shown in the photos below, his shell's very dry look and its chipping in some places, especially towards the back.
I heard that shell rot comes in many forms. Is this indeed shell rot or some sort of shedding problem?

Other info
-diet: ReptoMin food pellets, shrimp, fish, sometimes tomatoes and carrots. All of my turtles eat the same thing, but only Edward has this shell problem, so I don't think diet's the issue here.
-4 Red ear sliders total
-Edward's been basking more frequently, but takes occasional dips. I don't know if this is relevant to his shell condition.
-Edward also has a strange way of swimming. He swims at an angle.


Pics (Edward alone):
Image
Image
Image

Habitat/setup:
http://i1160.photobucket.com/albums/q48 ... C00607.jpg

Re: Is this shell rot?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 7:09 am
by steve
Hi, welcome to the site.

I can see a few problems... dirty shell, retained scutes and fungus. He might have been overfed or have irregular feedings since his shell is a bit bumpy. He looks like some of them are shedding, which is a good sign but can be problematic since it's not in a very clean state.

Things to consider: get a new toothbrush and give him a gently scrub with clean, warm water. If it's available to you, use a solution with diluted betadine, novalson or hibiclens. Fungus is usually best treated with silver sulfadiazine cream but I would separate him if you plan on treating him since it is contagious. The tank is also inadequate, they need more water, better filtration and plenty of basking.

I'd cut down the pellets and leave out the shrimp and fish. Are they eating any veggies?

Re: Is this shell rot?

PostPosted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 10:53 am
by sheepform25
Can you recommend a specific reptile medication? Also since fungus is a problem here, would human anti fungal treatments work (stuff used to cure athlete's foot for example)?

They generally refuse to eat vegetables and pellets and whatever seafood I have for dinner are basically their whole diet.

Re: Is this shell rot?

PostPosted: Fri Jul 27, 2012 11:00 am
by steve
It's start with a light and gentle cleaning. Probably use a scrub with some diluted hibiclens and see how it looks. How are the others' shells? There are a couple of treatments available for fungus, so I would try those. There are occasional claims for using human anti-fungals but I've never seen the results or seen a convincing argument.