General Care Discussion :: Does my turtle look healthy?

[harrison8er]

I'm kind of new to turtle care, so I'm just making sure Bombshell looks good(:
Thank you guys please tell me what you think
Also, at what age can you tell if a Mississippi map turtle is a male of female? Bombshell is a little over a year now.
Thank you(:

[harrison8er]

I know Bombshell's plastron is a little pink, its because I took him outside to get some sun, and he wanted to crawl on my driveway a little bit. It's all better now.

[Jeremiah]

He looks pretty healthy. If there's any pink coloration left, you may want to lightly scrub it with a diluted Betadine solution, let that sit for a while, rinse it off, and then coat the area with Neosporin. Map turtles are finicky to begin with about water quality; a vulnerable area of plastron will only raise the risk of infection from any potential aquatic pathogens.

Out of curiosity, who told you that Bombshell is Mississippi Map? From what I can see of his eyes, beak, and head markings, he's actually an Ouachita Map. The care for both species is very similar.

[harrison8er]

He looks pretty healthy. If there's any pink coloration left, you may want to lightly scrub it with a diluted Betadine solution, let that sit for a while, rinse it off, and then coat the area with Neosporin. Map turtles are finicky to begin with about water quality; a vulnerable area of plastron will only raise the risk of infection from any potential aquatic pathogens.

Out of curiosity, who told you that Bombshell is Mississippi Map? From what I can see of his eyes, beak, and head markings, he's actually an Ouachita Map. The care for both species is very similar.

The animal shelter I adopted him from told me this. They said a man dropped him off and told them what kind he was, but who knows maybe he's wrong lol. After I put Neosporin on him should I let him go back to his tank right away or should I let it set?
Thank you

[Jeremiah]

I would let it dry for a while (you can put him in some kind of cloth and/or towel-lined tub), which will wipe off any excess Neosporin. After you finish waiting, you can wipe off any extra residue (you don't need to scrub really hard - just a quick swipe with a paper towel should do), and then put him back into the tank.