Urgent Care :: Sick Turtle Needs Help (Fell from a height + white shell)

[CrippledTurtle]

How big is your turtle? Approx. 5 x 4 inches
How long have you had it? ~5 years

What is the water temperature? 25 degrees Celsius.
Did you use a thermometer? No
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? ~2/3 of the 10 gallon tank is full
Are you using a water conditioner? No
Are you using any filtration? Yes

What is the basking temperature? Unknown
Is there a basking light? Yes, a 50W bulb
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Since the tank is very small for the turtle, I designed an external basking area. The turtle climbs an improvised "ladder” made out of plastic onto a platform which is situated above the tank.
Is there a UVB light? No

What have you been trying to feed it? ReptoMin turtle pellets by Tetrafauna, carrots, lettuce, the occasional tomatoes, almonds, apples.
When was the last time your turtle ate? 2 days ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gallon tank + 72 inch^2 basking area
Is the tank near a window? Yes
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? No

Have you read the Basic Care section? Some parts
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?
Yes. His shell is a problem. Here are the photos:






As you can see, it has large white spots on its shell which I would say now cover about 70% the shell. When I adopted it from a friend, 5 years ago, the shell problem was not nearly as large. In addition, it has algae on it’s shell which is difficult to remove via the usual toothbrush + soap scrub that I do every 1-2 months or so. The shell is not soft nor smelly.

In addition to this, this afternoon, the turtle managed to escape the tank and take a 4 foot tumble to the floor. As a result, he chipped an outer layer of the tip of his shell (see red encircled area on first photo). There was no blood. I scrubbed his shell with some soap again and have placed him in a dry container. I would like to know when it would be okay to set him back into his tank (I was afraid doing it too soon would cause infection).

Also, I managed to save up about 100 dollars (cdn) and am willing to spend the money on a new tank, a UVB light and whatever else I might need. Unfortunately, that’s all I can afford at the moment and aquariums seem very expensive so I don’t think I will be able to afford the ideal one inch of shell to 10 gallons, turtle:tank, ratio.

Thank you.

[Lilsaint]

Looks terrible. I have no idea whats that either

[blackforces get you]

does it have a smell?

looks like some bad fungus. im not sure though. or probably shell rot. was it there for a long time or did it just happen?

[CrippledTurtle]

does it have a smell?

looks like some bad fungus. im not sure though. or probably shell rot. was it there for a long time or did it just happen?

It does not have any irregular smell.

I believe the white area first started out as a single "patch" on the central region of the shell. Over the years it spread out to cover what we now see.

[worldpeace]

blackforces - It says in the original post that the shell isn't smelly or soft.

From the looks of it your turtle has several layers of unshed scutes. The main reason why the shell looks like this is the lack of UVB rays. Without UVB, it is very hard for the turtle to shed, so it retains its scutes causing the carapace to look exactly like yours.

I think that your priority right now is to get a UVB bulb/lamp and as soon as you can you should upgrade the tank because 10 gallons is extremely small for a turtle of that size. After a few couple of months with the UBV light, he's going to start shedding and he'll look better in no time.

[Turtle_Man_Marc]

Hi guys

From the looks of things your boy just needs a really good shed, and some assistance with it too. CrippledTurtle where in Canada are you? If you're in the GTA area we can arrange for you to come by my turtle rescue/shelter so can look him over and I'll show you how to help him shed.

For reference, here's a picture of a healthy turtle shell, after all the old scutes have peeled away.

http://littleresq.net/turtle/RRafter.JPG

The white stuff you're seeing is several layers of old scutes that are decomposing and creating air pockets under the top layer. And the part that broke off the back, was in actual fact, a bunch of old layers comng off. So there's nothng to worry about there. I've had turtles in the rescue come in after being hit by cars and survived. A 4 foot drop is nothing for them.

Let me know if I can help in any way.

[CrippledTurtle]

Hey guys. I have some good news. I managed to make some purchases. I bought a new 20gallon long tank, a 20 watt twirly UVB bulb, a turtle med floating basking thing, and some tank decorations. I hope that's moderately sufficient for now. I'll try to log in once in a while and let you guys know the status of my turt. Sorry if this post is poorly written, I'm just really tired right now.

[freshprince2146]

^^ A 20 gallon still seems too small but it beats a 10gal

[marisa]

Your RES has literally years of retained scutes that need to eventually shed.

What's the diet like?

Does the turtle bask under proper lighting (a good UVB light and a heat source)?