Urgent Care :: Bulging white/pink leg skin

[polythene]

Hi all,

I'd appreciate some help! I'm not sure if my turtle of almost 20 years is sick... It was drying off on his rock when I noticed a white lump from its hind leg. The flesh near the shell was unusually light and had a pink tinge. It's been a few days and it doesn't look like the pink tinge has gone away, and its flesh is still bulging out. It almost looks swollen. According to my brother, it looks normal but this is the first time I've noticed it and I check on my turtle quite often. I also started noticing that my turtle was shedding its skin. Not excessively, though. I only noticed it around the neck but today I saw that one of its front legs was visibly shedding. But it's just barely visible. I'm afraid this is a sign of infection. I've been looking for info on these symptoms on the internet but can't confirm whether these are bad signs.


larger: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/ ... df8a24.jpg

He also has abrasions to the bottom of its shell...mostly minor, nothing irritated or bleeding. However there is a small cut that's been on the shell for a while. It's faint red but looked like it healed since the layer of shell seemed to be growing back...last I checked it seemed to be getting more pink but I'll need to check again. I'm mostly not home on weekdays.

I admit my turtle isn't living in the ideal habitat. My parents for the most part had cared for the turtle (in other words, feeding it and changing its unfiltered water once in a while...) before I moved back home and started feeling bad for it. They're not very fond of me "spoiling" the turtle. I've been trying to take proper care of it. If it turns out he's sick they'll be blaming me for it...

Now for the questions:

How big is your turtle? - shell is between 5.5 - 6 inches
How long have you had it? - close to 20 years
What is the water temperature? - don't know, my family keeps the tank outside
Did you use a thermometer? - no
Are you using a water heater? - no
How much water is in there?- not much...3-3.5 inches in a ~30 gallon tank
Are you using a water conditioner? - ???
Are you using any filtration? - yes, Tetra filter
What is the basking temperature? - n/a
Is there a basking light? - no
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? - there is a rock that it climbs on frequently especially now that it's the summer, but no direct lighting to bask under
What kind is it or what is it made out of? - n/a
Is there a UVB light? - n/a I sometimes take the turtle to walk around in my backyard where there's sunlight and shade in case it gets too hot for him
What have you been trying to feed it? - pellets
When was the last time your turtle ate? - eating regularly everyday in the morning
How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? - ~30 gallons
Is the tank near a window? - yes and a screen door, but the tank is outside
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? - not really, it's in the patio just adjacent to the living room screen door, so people occasionally walking by tank and my turtle can see people walking towards him.
Have you read the Basic Care section? some sections
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes, i've seen similar cases but don't know the outcomes...
Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? - not really...my turtle did crawl on a door mat once and twisted around like it was itchy

Any insight would be much appreciated! Thanks!!!

[dumbork14]

Hello! Do you have any access to a herp vet? Best to consult a professional just in case. As for the skin shedding, it may be caused by high water temperatures (you mentioned that the tank is kept outside). I have no experience on this, really, so let's just wait for other members to chime in. Try to look for a vet in the meantime. Have you tried feeling the lump? It may be that there are just eggs (not sure on this one). Can you post a clearer/closer picture?

[polythene]

Thanks for the reply! There's an exotics vet located about 40 min away but their hours conflict with my work schedule. So I want to make sure that these are possibly bad signs before I make the effort to visit the vet. My family are convincing me that I'm just paranoid.

that photobucket link I posted shows the puffiness more clearly http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/ ... df8a24.jpg
No other pictures for now, it's night time and I just woke up my turtle trying to get a photo of his leg.

I'll try again tomorrow. My turtle is also a mateless male. I did take a look at my turtle's bottom shell when I got home and noticed that the abrasions have nearly fully healed. The larger one is no longer red and the smaller scratch is barely noticeable. The shedding is still barely noticeable. That provided some relief but I still don't know about the puffiness. This link shows similar puffiness but my turtle's puffy skin is patterned and not that light: http://www.turtleforum.com/forum/upload ... try1079941

[dumbork14]

Thanks for the pic. Hmm, maybe your turtle is just overfed, and that is just fat? I'm paranoid about my turtle too, but if he's not showing any other unusual symptoms, then I guess he'll be fine. Still, let's wait for the others to comment. P.S. Sorry that I made you woke up your turtle to get a clearer pic. Hopefully he'll not appear in my dreams as a mutant turtle and try to slash my neck off

[steve]

Older and overweight turtles might have a bit of flab in that area. As for the pink tinge, it's usually normal where the skin and shell meet. I'd also think about a tank upgrade (he deserves it!) as that might be bacteria from bad water quality.

[polythene]

Older and overweight turtles might have a bit of flab in that area. As for the pink tinge, it's usually normal where the skin and shell meet. I'd also think about a tank upgrade (he deserves it!) as that might be bacteria from bad water quality.

good to hear that it might just be normal I'll check tomorrow when he's drying off on his rock to see if the pink is intensifying. if he has to see a vet, I'll have to move my doctor appointment LOL.

yes, my turtle definitely deserves a tank upgrade...I'd like to move him inside, regulate water temp, and set up some lamps for him to bask under. But not enough room at the moment, darn aggressive koi fish and their 60 gallon fish tank taking up all the space. things are just improving for him slowly...

[polythene]

my turtle finally hopped on his rock today and the pink looks like it's only gotten worse the colors are a bit dark here but you get the idea.


Larger: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/ ... 33183f.jpg


Larger: http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v297/ ... cb5e33.jpg

my eyes were telling me that his shell was getting a bit pink but maybe that's all in my head...

[steve]

Pink or reddish shell would be bad. There are some bacteria that are pink color, I would try to see if it could be wiped off first. How is the shell injury healing?

[polythene]

I've been monitoring my turtle everyday...and it looks like he's gonna be ok. I'm pretty sure the bulging skin is indeed flab. My brother repositioned my turtle's rock and when my turtle sat up there to rest, the skin on his left leg bulged while the skin on his right leg sunk in.

The shell's been healing, still has some light scratches. The tint on his shell looks more brown now, so my eyesight might've been acting up when I saw pink.

Thanks for your help Steve! I'll let the forum know if my turtle's condition has changed (hopefully not!) And I won't take him for granted anymore!