General Care Discussion :: Help with shell issues

[seagull]

Hello all,
I was hoping to get some opinions on the shell health of my female RES. She is about 8 inches, and I recently rescued her and am gradually adapting her enclosure to provide an ideal environment. She seems very happy and healthy, with good appetite and activity including regular basking under heat and UVB. However, her shell was in rough shape when I got her, and I am wondering if she just needs time in her new home to begin to see some improvement. Or if this looks like rot or something more serious, and I need to take more direct action to try and get her healthy. Here are some pics:





There are chipped rough looking patches all over and all around the outside edge is all beat up. Plus those few white spots? Nothing seems soft, tender or sensitive on her shell, just looks "bad" to me. Did she just have a rough life before me and will eventually shed these scutes? Thanks for any opinions, this board is the best and I look forward to posting here more!

[steve]

The shell looks good, but the light is throwing off what I can see. Have you cleaned the shell? Can you focus on the middle vertebral scute and the seam next to it?

[newresmama]

Not certain if my res has pyramiding, not even certain of his age. My sister-in-law was keeping him in a roasting pan cause she broke his tank (which was too small anyway). If I can get some pics of him would someone be able to help me here? I feel really dumb, I have been taking care of him for two months now, never knew how much he was supposed to eat, except it was definitely supposed to be more than one tiny minnow a week, I think I over fed him, and now he is a beggar.... help!

[steve]

Yes, feel free to start a new topic and post pics. We're here to help.

[newresmama]

Tried to post pics, but can't figure out how to shrink them, any advise on that? I am only able to use a tablet...

[steve]

You will probably have to upload to an image sharing site like www.imgur.com or www.photobucket.com

If you'd like, you can email it to me and I will post it for you.

[seagull]

Ok sorry it took me awhile to update. I have been making improvements to Donna's diet after learning much more from these forums. She is now mainly eating green lettuce, plus occasional carrot and other veggies. She won't touch cuttlebone, but I've discovered I can "cheat" and put little bits into her carrot chunks. She doesn't know she's eating it! I also plan to start giving her some wheat germ pellets, was going to pick some up today when the store opens.

Anyway, I finally had time yesterday to take her out into some nice direct sunshine for an extra dose of UVB , and took some more pictures of her shell. A lot looks like normal shedding, but I'm still concerned. Opinions? The large white spots especially seem like a problem. Gently brushing her shell with my hand makes lots of bits flake off. Some of the white even flaked off, and had a dull brownish color underneath. Again, everything is firm to the touch, not tender or sensitive to her and doesn't smell bad like rotten. I appreciate any and all thoughts, want my girl happy and healthy! Sorry if this is a lot of pics, I tried to limit how many I posted.

[steve]

Thanks for posting the update. There is a lot going on with the shell. The shape looks good, I'm curious as to what happened (and how fast it occurred) to damage the shell like that. I would consult with a vet or rehabber, at least to get a grasp of the situation. A vet could do a blood test to detect any lingering infection that might require internal medication. If it's all clear, then I would do gentle cleanings and plenty of sun.

[seagull]

Yea I literally found her walking down the sidewalk in front of my apartment in So Cal, nearly heading into the street! So she may have been a road warrior for awhile, and who knows how good of care she was receiving before she got loose. After finding no takers for her on craigslist, I have started to rehab her myself So far I think she is very happy with her new home, and I have been adapting her diet to eat more and more good stuff from the resources on this site. I'm hoping with calcium, wheat germ, plus overall balanced healthy diet and lots of sun she can come back! Maybe a vet visit soon but that's not a reality for me unfortunately at the moment. I will do my best! Thanks for the input Steve I value your opinion on this board very much!

Adam

[steve]

No prob. Sounds like you have a fighter