Urgent Care :: a white spot :(

[alvie and me]

hi everyone, me and alvie have a problem. a white spot

here's a breif history of details about alvie. i got him as a baby january 4th. he lives in a 55 gallon breeder tank, with a filter, a heat lamp, and a UVB light. there are plenty of fixtures and fake leaves in the tank for him to play around with and hide in. he's very energetic and twice as adorable. he basks often. i've never really had any problems with him.
Less than a week ago I noticed this little white spot on the back right side of his shell. I don't understand what its from. it hasn't really gotten bigeer but its gotten slightly more defined. i havent noticed any difference in his behavior. i feed him daily with Reptomin pellets and Reptotreat brine shirmp. i give him four pellets and a couple to a few shrimp. I haven't been able to find a definitive guide to feeding so this is what i settled on. he is a voracious eater and finishes the food literally no less than twenty seconds after it enters the tank.
Ive been reading up on what this spot could be and it seems its either shell rot from lack of calcium or vitamin D3, a mineral deposit buildup, or scute shedding. the white spot isn't soft or pussy, its as hard as the rest of the shell. basically the informatiuon i've read says its hard to tell the difference between these things and displayed no pictures. i was wondering if any of you have ever seen a spot like this on your turtle or could give me a better idea of what i'm doing wrong. am i feeding him too much? or do i just need to ad more variety to the diet? what would be the best course of action? please help me, i would die if anythin happened to my little alvie!

here are some more pictures of his shell




any information you could give me would be much appreciated. thank you so much![/img]

[missibsu]

I'm inclined to say that it could just be a spot where some water has gotten under the edge of a scute. It could be because he is getting ready to shed. There is nothing wrong with shedding, you just don't want it to happen all the time. If the shedding is constant it can be a sign of overfeeding or water temp being too high.

I am not inclined to say that this is shell rot because you mentioned that the area is not pussy, or soft. Does it have any odor?

Let's see what others think.

[steve]

Has he been basking and do you know if you have hard water? Has the spot gotten larger? If it gets larger I would consider using small amounts of meds before thinking about a vet visit.

[alvie and me]

yea he basks all the time its really cute

and i'm pretty sure we do have hard water, the spot hasn't gotten larger but if it does i think i will take your advice thanks a lot!

thanks to you too missibsu, and no it doesnt have any odor.

[sonyj]

Feeding pellets daily(every other day for turtles older than 1 year) is okay only the amount that would fit inside his head if it were hollow, but shrimp should only be given occasionally as treats(no more than once a month).

Also, a variety of veggies should be offered daily. Younger turtles sometimes take a little while to eat veggies but it's important that they get them so be patient and offer variety (there's a feeding list under the feeding section). Try Red leaf or green leaf lettuce with a variety of carrots, squash, sweet potato etc. The longer a turtle eats only one food, the harder it is for him to try something new.

[alvie and me]

thanks sonja! i will take your advice.

[marisa]

It doesn't look like shedding to me (especially if that's the only white spot(?). If you put a little vinegar on a q-tip and rub it and it comes off, it's likely a mineral deposit. If it doesn't come off, I'd keep an eye on it and if it changes/gets larger have it checked out. The shell could have been breached (scratched somehow) and water gotten inside.

I can't tell from the pic--does your turtle have a UVB light?

[alvie and me]

yea my tank has a UVB light. I actually just got a new one, a 36" exo terra repti glo 8.0, i'm fairly certain its uvb, is there a better kind? i will try that vinegar thing, thanks for the input!

[alvie and me]

ok so here's a little update on alvie's spot. so far it has not gotten larger, and no other spots have shown up. its still hard, and doesn't smell. i rubbed it with vinegar and it did not come off. his activity level and eating habits are both very normal. my current plan is to monitor the spot and seek veterenarian help if it gets larger. i'm also going to start varying his diet more. i gave him some crickets with calcium powder that he devoured, next im giving him vegetables. if anybody has any other ideas of what to do lemme know. thanks yall!

[missibsu]

Mine love carrots...we buy the sticks now because it's easier than chopping them up. And they also love the red leaf lettuce. It will depend on the individual tastes of your turt though, it going to be trial and error.

[sweet_sorrow004]

Well, i donnot think it is shell rot, because it is oddly white! However, with a toothbrush gently wash your turtle's shell with Betadine (iodine solution, blue bottle, available at pharmacies) rinse off and keep him dry for about half an hour later. If however, you donnot notice anydifference see a vet. But has he shed befor with the shedding scutes look white and is that area dented on the shell or lifts off? (do not pull it off) Also do you supply calcium and UVB lights? how varried is his diet?

[alvie and me]

thanks for the idea i'll defintiely try that asap! i have noticed his skin shedding before but i haven't ever seen a white spot from scute shedding, at least not that ive been able to tell. he's still really small, i've only had him for five months and i got him when he was a hatchling. the white spot is very slightly dented, so slight i feel like i'm maybe blowing it out of proportion by noticing it at all. but it is as hard as the rest of the shell and it doesn't lift off. if calcium is in reptomin then yes, if not then i just started to. up till now i've really just fed him reptomin and reptotreat, but after all the good advice i got here i have begun to branch out and feed him calcium powdered crickets and veggies. so its becoming more varied, but it wasnt varied at all really for the past handful of months i didnt know (sorry alvie). i definitely have a UVB light and heat lights, a filter, plenty of swimming and basking areas and i completely clean the tank and change the water about once a week. if you have any other ideas lemme know, thanks for the input. if this sot doesnt go away soon though he's going to the vet either way cause i couldnt bear for anythin bad to happen to him.

[alvie and me]

well, i've worried about the lil guy long enough, i just want him ta be healthy and happy. i got him a vet appointment for monday afternoon so we can finally get to the bottom of this white spot business! thanks for all your help, wish alvie luck!

[marisa]

Good luck. Let us know what the vet says.

[alvie and me]

great news! the vet said alvie was perfectly healthy and looked great. the white spot is just a hard water mark, its natural and not anything to be worried about in the slightest! phew, thats a relief! he was also telling me itd be a good idea to get alvie a kiddie pool and create a "pond" for him to play/bask in during the summer so he can get real UV rays, i cant wait to get that set up! anyway i just want to thank yall again for being so helpful, i hope all your turtles are healthy and smilin