Urgent Care :: One of my turtle has white spots the other left blood

[virux]

Hey I know the tank is small and i plan to get them a bigger tank. first off one of my turtle has white spots. The other one while i was cleaning the tank i put the turtle down in the tub while i scrubbed the tank later i look at my turtle and behind him i see a redish brown liquid substance very small amount. I checked the turtle and cant seem to find anything wrong when i place him in the tank i dont see any red brownish subtance. last my turtles refuse to eat veggies i try to give them shrimp and red lettece but they wont the lettuce just the shrimp and they wont eat the pellets. Thanks in advance for the help.

[steve]

can you answer some of the questions from this topic:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2142

[virux]

How big is your turtle? One is 3" the other is 2"
How long have you had it? Less then a year

What is the water temperature? Im not sure about the temperature
Are you using a water heater? No
How much water is in there? About Half of the tank
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? Yes

What is the basking temperature? Not sure
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? Zoomed turtle Dock
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Shrimp
When was the last time your turtle ate? Today

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 5 gallons
Is the tank near a window? No
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Yes

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? For the White spots

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Just being Lethargic and not eating veggies

[reptilegrrl]

The white spots are shell rot. They can cause bleeding. Shell rot can be caused by poor diet, dirty water, poor temperatuire control, low basking temps, or alkaline water.

Your turtles definitely need a better diet. Shrimp should be an occasional treat, not a foundation of their diet. They need a quality turtle pellet as well as live prey items. They are juveniles and thus very young for veggies, but keep offering those and eventually they will eat them. If you stop feeding them shrimp, they will eventually eat the pellets. It won't hurt them to go without for a few days.

Where is the UVB light? Did you take it away for the pictures?

Since your turtles are lethargic, it is probable that their temperatures are too low. It is imperative that you get a water thermometer so that you know the water temp and whether or not you need a heater. You also need a way to measure the temp of their basking area. Since your turtle has a moderately severe case of shell rot, you also need to check the pH of your water and adjust it if necessary- ideally it should be 6.0.

You can treat the shell rot by keeping the water very clean and by doing the following, in order:

1) Scrub the carapace with warm soapy water and a clean toothbrush.
2) Apply Lamisil cream to the lesions (this is available over the counter at pharmacies.)
3) Leave the turtle in a warm, dry place for at least four hours, so the cream has time to be effective. It's best to leave them in the dry place overnight. (You can put them in a deep storage tub with a towel on the bottom.)

Shell rot, if left unchecked, can penetrate the body cavity and lead to greater infection.

Welcome to the site, you can find a lot of good information on the care pages. Please keep us posted with regard to your turtles!

[virux]

hey thanks ill get that lamisil as soon as possible for the UVB I brought a bulb that is emmits UVA and UVB

[reptilegrrl]

Can you tell us more about the bulb? Some bilbs will say that they produice UVA and UVB, but they really don't. unless the bulb is fluorescent or mercury vapor, it does not emit proper UVA and UVB. An incandescent bulb does not.

Please do be sure to follow the rest of the instructions- they are important.

[virux]

its a 60watt incandescent full spectrum daylight

[marisa]

That bulb won't give off UVB rays---for a bulb to do so, it should specifically say so on the package (full spectrum doesn't necessarily mean UVB rays are given off).

Is it possible to get a pic of the shell when it's dry and not under water? From that picture it doesn't really look like shell rot to me...

[virux]

[reptilegrrl]

It looks a lot like the fungal shell rot I am battling right now.

[marisa]

The spots on the shell (not on the marginal scutes) could be shell rot (but is it fungal or bacterial in nature?). I looked at the Lamisil, and the active ingredient is for a fungal infection, mainly jock itch. I think a more effective treatment would be to use Silverdyne (Silver Sulfadiazine) on the areas, but you'd need to get this from a herp vet. Since you also noticed some reddish substance behind him (coming out of him?), it sounds like a good time to have him checked out.

I'd also clean the areas with Betadine rather than soapy water.