Urgent Care :: Injury on Mouth

[ALKEY]

Hello

I was wondering if someone could help me i have two RES about 4-5 months old and one i have noticed has a sore on his lower mouth. it is white in colour and with some brown on it. Its been this for about two or three days now not getting better. I have some pictures of it i will post. If anyone could help me that would be great. I am thinking i may have to take him out of the water for a couple days. and only put him in to eat.

i believe he got this cause he is always swimming into the tank glass nonstop when ever i go anywhere near the glass.

thanks
Mike

[Love of Animals]

Alkey,

Can you get a pic of the area dry? Is he eating good? Is it a blister? It kind of looks that way wet. Do you have a water heater in the tank?

[ALKEY]

He is eating good. He has lots of energy. The water temp is 89 and the basking is 90. i do have a heater. it could be just a blister

[PridgNYC]

89 water temp is too high. Should be 78 for babies, and about 76 for juveniles/adults.

[Love of Animals]

Is it possible your water heater is malfunctioning? 89 is way to hot for the water. Like Pridge said 78 for babies. and 74 - 76 for adults. The water heater may be what caused the blister as well. Has your turtle been basking lately? High temps in the water could cause fungus and bacterial infections because the turtle doesn't come out to dry off. I would remove that heater immediately. If it is a blister you still need to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get infected. Would still love to see a pic dry. Keep us updated.

[steve]

Is it possible your water heater is malfunctioning? 89 is way to hot for the water. Like Pridge said 78 for babies. and 74 - 76 for adults. The water heater may be what caused the blister as well. Has your turtle been basking lately? High temps in the water could cause fungus and bacterial infections because the turtle doesn't come out to dry off. I would remove that heater immediately. If it is a blister you still need to keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn't get infected. Would still love to see a pic dry. Keep us updated.

That's my initial thought too. It's usually a sore or an ulcer on the mouth (could be bacterial, fungal or viral) and just needs to be treated with some dry docking and some betadine swabbing. If it doesn't quickly get better, I would consult a vet.

[ALKEY]

The 89 was a typo. The water is at 79.

[Love of Animals]

That's good. Thought you might be making turtle soup. Thanks for the pics dry. It does look like a blister. Does your res spend a lot of time around the heater? As Steve mentioned some dry docking and some betadine should help clear it up. If it shows any sign of getting worse please seek professional help. Good luck he's cute.