Urgent Care :: Please help. I think Franklyn has shell rot but am not sure

[Karis]

Hey everyone,
I am getting really worried about franklyn. His shell is very discolored and only has a little bit of green left. He is behaving normal and eating fine but I have very worried about his shell.

[steve]

It looks like there is some algae, but I can't explain why the shell looks pale from that picture.

[Karis]

What should I do about the algae and there is a lot of it if that is what it is. In the basic care section it says that algae should be able to be washed off but franklyn's shell stays the same even if i try to wipe it off. Those pale spots are now the majority of is shell with, I would say, less than half of it being green still. I looked up herp vets and turtle vets and there is one in the area and I am planning on calling tomorrow and seeing what the prices are like but I want to have somewhat of an idea of what is going on.. do I have reason for concern?

[googleme]

if i where you, even though it may pain the turtle, i would use some hydrogen peroxide.or one of the commercal antiseptics like betadine or chlorahexine.
be sure not get it anywhere other than his shell, this will kill a lot of algae rinse him off afterwards. it will work best when the turtle is dry, may help with the shell rot too.

[Karis]

Thank you for your help

[steve]

I'd try using a new toothbrush first. You can find chlorhexidine as Hibiclens in a drug store. It's a bit soapy, so you'll have to dilute it first. You will need to rinse off your turtle and let it dry.