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Hello

I've had a baby RES for a few months.

When I first got it, the shell seemd fine. Here are some pictures taken a month and a half ago:






In the last week or so, I've noticed white spots on his shell. First there was just one, now there are three. They are located directly on the apex of his back, in similar positions on the scutes. The spots are not rough, or soft, nor protruding. They are whitish yellow. Here are some pictures that I just took:

(I didn't include these in the actual post, as they are large images, so you can see in detail what I'm talking about)

http://puck.che.caltech.edu/%7Edaven/ho ... 0_0990.jpg
http://puck.che.caltech.edu/%7Edaven/ho ... 0_0991.jpg
http://puck.che.caltech.edu/%7Edaven/ho ... 0_0992.jpg
http://puck.che.caltech.edu/%7Edaven/ho ... 0_0993.jpg
http://puck.che.caltech.edu/%7Edaven/ho ... 0_0994.jpg
http://puck.che.caltech.edu/%7Edaven/ho ... 0_0995.jpg
http://puck.che.caltech.edu/%7Edaven/ho ... 0_0996.jpg
http://puck.che.caltech.edu/%7Edaven/ho ... 0_0997.jpg
http://puck.che.caltech.edu/%7Edaven/ho ... 0_0998.jpg


Is this normal, or should I be concerned? Is this shell rot, or shedding scutes?

More pictures and videos of my him and my tank at
http://puck.che.caltech.edu/%7Edaven/home/extra.html

Any advice people could offer would be most appreciated. Thanks,

Daven




How big is your turtle?
inch and a half
How long have you had it?
2 months
What is the water temperature?
75-80
Are you using a water heater?
I was initially, but stopped, as it's hot enough here (SoCal) now that
I don't think I need it.
How much water is in there?
30g in a 40g tank
Are you using a water conditioner?
Dechlorinator added to water before water goes in the tank
Are you using any filtration?
Two Duetto 100's
What is the basking temperature?
96
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?
Fake aquarium rock
Is there a UVB light?
Yes, ESU Reptile Aqualight, 9 W, 7% UVB
What have you been trying to feed it?
Variety of pellets (T-rex, zoo-med, reptomin), occasional dried shrimp, frozen blood worms or live feeder fish. He also eat the plants (annacharais, amazon swords), some of the algae (green hair), and chews cuttle bone.
When was the last time your turtle ate?
He eats every morning.
How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
40 g
Is the tank near a window?
No
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?
Moderate
Have you read the Basic Care section?
Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations?
Yes, though many pictures are no longer posted, so I can't compare.
Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?
No.

I love how your tank is decorated. But, I also wonder, is there a place where he is rubbing the top of his shell on something? Do the spots have a smell to them? What do the spots do if you press on them? Change colors, etc?

missibsu wrote:I love how your tank is decorated. But, I also wonder, is there a place where he is rubbing the top of his shell on something? Do the spots have a smell to them? What do the spots do if you press on them? Change colors, etc?

Thanks. The spots don't smell, and they are the same consistancy of the rest of his shell, not soft or mushy. Neither are they rough or scraped up, so I don't think it's him rubbing on anything, though he does roll off the top of his basking spot a bit roughly sometimes.

Daven

Is the shell chipping off?

the_orphaned wrote:Is the shell chipping off?

no

Daven

I see. If the white areas start to chip off, it's definitely minor shell rot. Mine had it a couple of weeks ago but is now healing up well. Cuttlebone dusting and sunlight are very helpful. My turt's shell didn't smell as well, but it is minor shell rot if ever. Doesn't look like he's shedding. So I'd just treat him for shell rot.

From what I gather, some ailments take months to show up. maybe he got it from before but is only showing symptoms now.

Go to this site: http://www.turtlepuddle.org/health/shellrot.html

The white areas on your turt's shell looks like the one in the pic so i take it that its minor shell rot.

I posted pics of mine here while back in this link: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4347

The first set of pics was when I first got him. Does your turtles shell look similar? I'm not sure what it was but as you can see as he grew the white areas disappeared.

Is that ESU Aqualight a tube? If so, is there any barrier (glass, plastic, etc.) between the light and the turtle? If by chance there is, it should be removed.

Ah...I know that when I see it. My little fellas love to run around and they'll eventually get rubbed on things they squeeze into. Turtles squeeze under things often, and sometimes it leaves a little scuff or two, and they're always white. The backbone is one of the most commonly scuffed areas. It will heal with shedding and lighting. Not to worry. Your turtle has minor scrapes.

thanks for the help everbody. I guess he's normal after all. Also, to anwer a question, no, there isn't any glass or plastic between the UVB compact flourescent tube and the basking spot.


Daven

Your turtles scutes gaps are getting pretty wide, though...How much are you feeding it?

The seam doesn't look that wide to me. However, the scutes do look like they're lifting, which may give the impression of width.

Good question, though---how much do you feed (and what do you feed and how often)?

I feed him pretty much every morning. Usually I give him a small amount of pellets (zoomed aquatic hatchling), no more than he can eat in a few minutes. On the weekends I try to give him something else ( frozen or dried shrimp, blood worms, other kinds of pellets, ...). In the mean time I think he occasionally gets "extra" food by eating the fish food, and snacking on the plants. I try to feed him and the fish seperately, giving him floating food and them sinking food, but recently he's gotten wise to this. I think I'll have to start feed the fish at night, when he's asleep. Do you think he's growing too fast?

Daven

What about veggies? He should be getting a variety of veggies daily. The amount of pellets he needs a day is only the amount that would fit inside his head if it were hollow. Do not follow the instructions on the can that say to feed as much as he would it in a few minutes time since this is usually much more than what he needs per day.

As far as the "weekend" treats you mentioned, these should be more like once a month treats.

sonyj wrote:What about veggies? He should be getting a variety of veggies daily. The amount of pellets he needs a day is only the amount that would fit inside his head if it were hollow. Do not follow the instructions on the can that say to feed as much as he would it in a few minutes time since this is usually much more than what he needs per day.

Hmm, neither of these are precision measurements. I think we're talking about the same quantity. As for veggies, he eats the plants whenever he likes. Is that not enough?

Daven