Urgent Care :: Took in a turtle, white film on shell

[ghostnineone]

I took in a turtle that one of my dads co workers found while fishing, I guess he had been keeping him in a tank but I don't think there was any kind of lighting or anything. I got him on the 28th and noticed some film on his shell (I had thought he was just dirty because I was assuming he had just been found but they had apparently had him for weeks)

Today I started noticing that the stuff on his shell was still there and I can't tell if it's gotten worse but I do think there is something wrong. I read something that says a white film that shows up underwater usually means bacterial infection. I tried gently scrubbing it with a toothbrush to see if it came off and I can't tell and the turtle tried to run out of my hand so I stopped.

I have never had a turtle before so I don't know what to do, I want to help him if I can. I haven't purchased everything for him yet, like a filter or a uvb bulb. I don't have a proper day light yet either and I am trying to get them all.

Pics: http://imgur.com/a/JsRDg

How big is your turtle?
1-2 inches maybe, I am pretty sure it's an eastern painted turtle.

How long have you had it?

got him on the 28th, became concerned the 29th and am posting this on the 30th (it's 2am here) but someone else had it for weeks possibly.

What is the water temperature?
I don't have a thermometer or heater yet so room temp, 60-65ish? (possibly higher because I do have a 100w night basking bulb)


Did you use a thermometer?
no

Are you using a water heater?
no

How much water is in there?
It's a 10 gallon tank and it's about half full with all the rocks in it.

Are you using a water conditioner?
I bought dechlorinator drops, used maybe 5-10ml

Are you using any filtration?
no

What is the basking temperature?
I am not sure.

Is there a basking light?
Yes, a 100w infrared night bulb (was given to me by a friend, it says it can be used for heating)

Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?
I put a large rock in there with a little ramp made of a smaller rock and I also made sure the waterline went about halfway up the basking platform so he could climb out of the water onto it (he hasn't really figured out the ramp bit)

What kind is it or what is it made out of?
It's 3 5-6 inch flat rocks stacked on top of each other

Is there a UVB light?
no

What have you been trying to feed it?
2-3 Repto-min baby pellets a day

When was the last time your turtle ate?
Possibly today, pretty sure he ate yesterday

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?

10g with around 5g of water in it.

Is the tank near a window?
Yes

Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?
He is in the dining room which is where my cats/dog play which is also open to the living room, so yes.

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?

He seems to swim a bit lopsided sometimes, I am not sure if that is normal and he will also (I'm assuming) see his reflection in the tank and swim against the glass and then stick his head out of the water/climb on a rock and then eventually do it again. How hard should the plastron be at that size? when i was holding him it felt softer than i would expect (could have just been slippery) It looked normal to me but i havent looked at it that closely, its tan with a black splotch in the middle which i hear is normal for the type of turtle i have.

[steve]

It looks like an injury or scar tissue, hard to tell from the pictures. Some loose scutes there as well. Could have been an animal bite or an infection. If it's wild caught, then you should consider releasing them back or giving them to a rehabber. Painted turtles are not hard to acquire.

[ghostnineone]

Is all the white film around the edges also scar tissue? It looks like shell rot to me. It could also be stuff from his rocks but it doesn't wash off or scrape off.

[steve]

It's hard to tell from the pics. Is it sensitive, soft or smelly? Maybe do a gentle cleaning and re-evaluate.

[ghostnineone]

I haven't noticed it being smelly. The shell does seem soft in places especially the edges and that spot on the left. I don't see any discharge or anything. I tried cleaning it but it doesn't seem to come off. I bought some "turtle fix" that is supposed to help but I just started with it. I just got him q UV light and a daybulb. (I have a filter but it doesn't fit his tank)

[steve]

Have you seen some of the shell rot pictures here? http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/medshell.htm

A hatchling would have a slightly pliable shell anyway. I don't know anything about "turtle fix". Usually a gently scrub with diluted Betadine or Hibclens and dry docking is recommended.

You will need to start making some changes to his setup or rather some upgrades.

[ghostnineone]

What do I need? I am working on getting a bigger tank (20g) and I just got him the lights he needs and a filter and thermometer and there is a nice platform. There are pictures of the new tank in the original link I posted.

I looked at the shell Rot on Austin turtle page and it looks similar to some of them but I have never had a turtle before so I really don't know.

edit: also what does turtle poop look like? he had some white/off white flat almost flaky poop (?) on his rocks and a bit was hanging from his cloaca and eventually came off. I don't know if its poop or uric acid or the film from his shell/plastron coming off but it seems odd. I only feed him turtle pellets.

[steve]

The filter, heater, and platform might need to be changed depending on the habitat size. If you can price it out, tanks 55 gallons and smaller should be priced around a dollar per gallon. Poop is usually brownish color, but more flakey and green if they eat a lot of veggies. It should be firm, but will break up since they might eat it. White stuff is hard to figure out... I don't think terrapins have the same issues with uric acid. It might have been something he's eating (calcium/cuttlebone?).