General Care Discussion :: painted turtle help?

[KW92]

My husbands little brother gave us his painted turtle. He's had her about 6 years and she isn't in good condition at all. Her shell has algae and white spots, she isn't shedding properly and until today she hasn't had a space to bask in a few months at least. I have her in the same tank she came in until we can afford to buy her something bigger.



I know the white is probably fungus is there anything I can get to treat it without going to a vet?(we are a little pressed on money right now) also what else can I do to help her get better?
She's outside right now, so she can get some sun. But will keeping her in a dry in closure be better for her shell? Also what else can I feed her besides pellets. Is it the same as RES?

Thanks in advanced I attached a picture of her.

[steve]

First thing to do is give her a very gently cleaning. Use a soft toothbrush and gently go over the shell. Maybe do this a few times. If you have Hibiclens, you can use it together. It's a chlorhexidine soap you can find in a pharmacy and doctors use this stuff. The white could be fungus, or worse, shell rot. The latter needs some veterinary intervention for antibiotics, but clean her up and hopefully we can see what we're dealing with.

[KW92]

Thanks! I've never dealt with a sick turtle before I'm kinda freaking out. They sore she was dead when they offered her to us. But he water so was so gross you just couldn't see her move around. I'd love to eventually put her in the tank with my red ears. I'm worried about her spreading what she may have to them..

[steve]

Fungus is contagious , so it's smart to keep her separate. Your red ears are girls? The shape of the carapace looks good, hopefully it's just a superficial problem.

[KW92]

Okay I'll keep her separate until she's well. My red ears that are big enough to tell the sex are males. I have three smaller ones that are probably about 3in long each.

[Jeremiah]

It would be safer to keep them separate from her, even when she's better. Males are pretty bad with sexual harassment.

Good luck with the shell treatment! Thanks for helping her out.

[KW92]

So we lightly scrubbed her shell and a lot of dead algae came off and a good amount of old shell tiles(not sure if that's a good word for it sorry) she's also fully shedded which took a lot of the white off but still has a lot. Now I have a whole new question. Is it possible if someone(like my daughter or in laws) touched her, then put their hand in the separate in closure before washing their hands could spread the fungus? I just noticed small white spots on my two males' shells today and if they have it most likely the other turts in the tank will which is going to be horrible.......
It is possible that they are ready to shed and it was air pockets between the shell and loose scales, they were dry and basking when I noticed it, but I feel paranoid now!

[Jeremiah]

It's great to hear she's looking better, and the "tiles" are called scutes.

Yes, it is possible to spread the fungus and/or bacteria between enclosures, if you don't wash your hands first. Even then, I would encourage using disposable gloves. You've got a point, though--the other turtles may be starting a shed. If you could share some pictures, that would be fantastic!

[KW92]

They started shedding, and thank you for correcting me. After that scare we are being note cautious about who is touching what and where. We bought a locking top for her tank so no little hands can mess with her.

[steve]

Can you post an updated picture?