Urgent Care :: Whitish spot on turtle shell

[MackayCC]

Hello i have had my turtles for around 4 months. They are both hatchlings, around 2in long. one of them has had a whitish/discolored spot on the black side of its shell; close to the tail. It has been their for ruffly 2 or 3 months. today i decided to touch it and found that it was softer compared to the rest of the shell. it has some play and could move. these rest of his shell is completely hard and not like this. they both bask every day for extended periods of time. they are in a 50 gallon tank with all the requirements. i feed them pellets, as many as can fit in their head, and lettuce. once or twice a month i feed them dried shrimp stuff as a treat. can anyone help me determine if there is in fact something wrong? any help would be greatly appreciated!
i am attempting to attach pictures here(first time):

[steve]

Welcome to the site. While the shell of a hatchling will be slightly pliable, I would be careful if you have concerns. I can't tell whats going on from that picture but it does look like there is something going on. Is there an odor or additional sensitivity? Can you provide a closer pic, perhaps when it's dry?

[MackayCC]

No there is no smell. Here is an attempt at a closer up picture of it when it is dry:
[img][IMG]http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag7/MackayCC/image.jpg[/img][/img]


http://i1296.photobucket.com/albums/ag7 ... /image.jpg

[steve]

The white spots are usually a strong sign of fungus, though it shouldn't make the shell soft. Does he bask normally? Do you have a UVB lamp for them?

[MackayCC]

Yes uvb lamp and yes they both bask all the time. And i felt my other turtles shell and it feels the same. So its not making it soft. But i does look weird right? And you view my newest picture? And if so what do you think it is?

[steve]

It does look like fungus from the picture... does it look silver-ish when it's wet? I would add some calcium to his diet and if you know of a herp vet, look into silver sulfadiazine cream which requires a prescription. Aside from that, it's hard to know what to suggest without knowing what that stuff exactly is.

[MackayCC]

Ok i will try adding calcium. Should i get one of those calcium blocks from the pet store? Or is their a better way to go about it. And yes i can see it when its underwater

[steve]

I would get a phosphorus-free calcium supplement and dust his pellets or add it to the jello recipe if you feel like making some treats.