Urgent Care :: Is this SHELL ROT?!

[juggerpat]

I'm worried about my turtle Steven - I got him two weeks ago and his shell seemed fine. I put VitaShell on him to help his shell and it seems to look terrible now! He didn't come from a very good home prior; and I've tried to give Steven the best habitat possible. I've looked at shedding scutes, and it doesn't really look like that - but I've also looked at shell rot, and it doesn't look like that either. So I was hoping to get an opinion first before I take him to the vet. There's no symptoms that I can see - he is quite lively, and swims and basks all the time. He did start itching his shell after I put on the VitaShell though. I have a pic of him eating,

How big is your turtle? 1.5inches
How long have you had it? 2 weeks

What is the water temperature? 80F
Did you use a thermometer? I use two termometers
Are you using a water heater? I use two water heaters
How much water is in there? 80%
Are you using a water conditioner? yes, TetraFauna ReptoGaurd Turtle Health Conditioner, ZooMed Reptisafe, Kordon TidyTurtle
Are you using any filtration? I'm using a 40gallon and a 20gallon filter

What is the basking temperature? 90F
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Very easy!
What kind is it or what is it made out of? ZooMed Turtle Deck, I think it's plastic
Is there a UVB light? Yes, brand new

What have you been trying to feed it? Red Leaf Lettuce, Rosy Red Minnows, Nutrafin Floating Gammarus Pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? This afternoon at 1:00pmEST

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 40gallon
Is the tank near a window? No
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes

Have you read the Basic Care section? Repeatedly! It's full of great information!
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes, but it doesn't look similar to anybody elses. I have also searched other websites as well.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? No! He's an active, fun loving turtle that likes chasing the minnows and basking under his lamp!

[Linus]

Hmm, hard to tell if it's calcium or shell rot. Is it soft?

[juggerpat]

No, the shell is perfectly hard and doesn't stink or anything. It happened after using VitaShell, and I think calcium is one of the main ingredients in that stuff - if it IS calcium, can I wipe it off? Should I continue with the treatment? I'm so worried about Steven and want to make sure that he's alright! Thank you so much for the reply! I've posted in two other forum's and nobody has replied yet and I was really starting to sweat!

[Linus]

Watch it for a few more days and see how it develops.

If it is Calcium, don't try to wipe it off as it is hard and might hurt your little turtle.

[steve]

Some of it does look like shedding, are there any particular areas you're concerned about?

[Moose]

My hatchling has the same lighter areas but she's been basking ALOT so I'm guessing she needs a good shed have you tried cleaning her shell with a new toothbrush (not too hard) also blueberries aid in shedding and someone on here suggested the koi wheat germ food as well

[The Troops]

My hatchling has a similar spot, but also has a whitish clear layer too.. Weird thing is.. It's like it popped up over night. I want to lean towards shedding, but just want to be sure. I did take him/her out and cleaned their carapace and palstron with warm water and soft toothbrush last night. Here are some photos.. Sorry, could not get any while dry.. Not home during the day and wife is afraid that she will drop the turt trying to take photos.

Also, on the top left of Squish's shell, there is a white spot that has been there since the day we got him/her. Never changes, never smelled or oozed. hard like the rest of the shell.. It's just there. Maybe injury when hatched?

http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad15 ... 49_146.jpg
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad15 ... 43_455.jpg
http://i931.photobucket.com/albums/ad15 ... 20_196.jpg

Thanks,
Josh

[steve]

Hey Josh, I'm not sure what's going on with this shell. I've seen it before but it's never followed up on. I don't think it's normal, and I'm not sure the usual course of treatment will work but it's worth a try.

[The Troops]

I was able to find Hibiclens (after a few days of searching pharmacies around me) and cleaned the Carapace & Plastron really well. As I was cleaning I noticed his/her skin was shedding. Also, once I got done cleaning 20 mins later I noticed it looks like air bubbles trapped under the scutes on the carapace. So, I think it is just shedding as of right now, but to be on the safe side, I was told by a vet I can use Lotrimin AF and leave him dry docked for 1 hr twice a day. Cleaning with Hibiclens & soft toothbrush before hand. I will keep everyone updated

[steve]

I have heard of Lotrimin being used, but have not seen any in-depth opinions or stats. I do agree there is some shedding, but you don't see it with hatchlings very often.

[The Troops]

As of tonight all middle scutes are hazy and still no change on the sides or plastron. Plastron still looks whitish ans the sides seem to have a "contact paper on a piece of glass" look. Shell has a normal "gloss" to it and I am happy to report the white spot that looked like a old injury started to shed away. Again, will keep you updated.

Josh

[The Troops]

As of today, still no change on the plastron. It almost feels like a wax on it that you cant "scrape" off. I been using my nail, lightly I must add, to see if it was removable. It's hard as a rock besides the normal give.

The carapace has been showing signs of quick growth. The black lines between the scutes is very wide. Also, the scutes still look like there are bubbles under them. The one white spot that was there since I got him, that looked like a injury has "shedded" away, but only part of that scute came off. While cleaning his shell with the soft bristle toothbrush, a few bristles got "caught up" under one of the scutes in the middle like he's shedding. 2 Herps later and $190 lighter in the wallet, I just HOPE TO GOD they are right and its not shell rot or a fungus.

[steve]

Can you post pics of the shell when it's dry? I wouldn't rule out fungus just yet. Where did you Squishy from?

[The Troops]

Edited:

Squishy was actually a wild born hatchling. My kids friends down the street seen him being attacked by a bird and brought him home. He wouldn't eat anything for them for 3 days so they gave him to me. The white spot, that I have to say was a injury, was already there. The rest of the shell was perfect, no signs of anything. Also, the white spot on the top right after it "shedded' away I see a dent in the scute about the circumference of a large paper clip. This is what he looked like about 48 hrs before hand of this stuff popping up:

I will get some photos of him dry tonight when I get home from work.

[steve]

The white spot could either be fungus or a scud (http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/medshell.htm) but I'm still not sure about the rest because of how quickly it developed.