Urgent Care

Hi, I have been having two RES for 8 years. Around 3 or 4 years back, they had white patches on their shells - I purchased some shell ointment from a local pet store and I applied it to the patches once a day, before keeping them dry in towels in their tanks. After two weeks the patches were gone. However, now one of the turtles has developed a strange looking shell condition - the top seems to be missing some shell (it is more obvious when dry) -I thought it was shedding but it didn't seem to grow back after a few weeks. The bottom part also feels softer than usual, and instead of being smooth, the lines have become quite deep ridges. I have been feeding the turtles pellets until about a year ago when we added leafy veg and carrots to their usual pellet diet. We keep them on the verandah so they get plenty of sun most of the year, but in the December period it tends to get more rainy and there is less sun.

here are the pictures of both the ridges at the bottom and the sort of ''missing' patch on the top shell:

http://i1312.photobucket.com/albums/t52 ... huyinz.jpg
http://i1312.photobucket.com/albums/t52 ... ikw8mq.jpg

I'm really worried and there aren't reliable reptile/turtle vets in my country so I hope I can get some help! Thanks!

Most likely they are kept in an inappropriate habitat and have a poor diet history. There are a lot of retained scutes here, which is worrisome because they might be loose enough for water to seep in but not ready to shed. Usually thats normal but retained scutes take a very long time to come off.

Do they bask everyday for a few hours? Do they get enough uva and uvb when they bask? Note that if you have a solid lid on your tank none of the uvb and some of the uva from the sun won't get to your turtles. Do you clean the tank frequently and is their water clean? Are the pellets you feed them giving them the proper amount of nutrients for adult RES?

Hi Tiffany, we only put them in their open tanks in the night and early morning - from around 11am to 5pm they are free to wander the verandah and bask in the sun. Usually it is quite hot and sunny through the year. The pellets are meant to contain enough nutrients but we do top up with leafy veg and carrots. They are eating and active despite their shell issues.

I was looking at the green algae on the poor guy's shell... I'm thinking a good filter will help the water conditions, which will cause algae growth and infections if the water isn't so great. One reason your turtles may be retaining their scutes is because they can't get in and out of the water whenever they want... not sure if your turtles can get back into their tanks during the day. I recommend having your tank set up with a good filter and some type of platform they can climb on and off of to bask. You can try to pop off the scutes... very gently. If they don't come off easily don't force it. There are supplements that help with shell health... a good one is the Hikari Wheatgerm pellets, which you can get online. You can use a toothbrush to gently scrub away the algae and white mineral deposits (?).

Hi, ok so the ridges at the bottom aren't a problem but it's the shedding right? Could you explain what you mean by a filter? Our turtle setup is quite simple - we just fill the tanks with water from the tap. My dad has been adding aquarium salt for freshwater animals to the tank this week- not sure if that will help. Does the shedding only take place in water? Thanks!

I'm actually not sure if turtles shed outside of water... I've never seen it! The thing is, they shed because constantly drying and getting wet makes their scutes shrink and fall off. I think that if you can fix the shedding problem, the ridges will smooth out if they are a problem. Look out for soft spots in their shell, exposed bone underneath the scutes, bleeding, or funky smells... then you have a problem. As for a filter... they are machines that suck up the tank water, clean the water by pulling it through things inside the filter, and push the clean water into the tank. Filters keep the chemical and germ levels in your tank in check. Here's a good webpage with more info about filters: http://www.myturtlecam.com/turtle-tank-filtration.php You shouldn't really be adding aquarium salt to tap water because it increases the hardness and the PH of the water. Check out this topic: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=29772

Hi, thanks for your reply! Oh ok, but they have to bask and dry off and then get wet again so I guess shedding is inevitable? Would it be better for me to enforce basking? When I let the turtles out, the problem I have is that sometimes they bask and sometimes they run off and hide somewhere damp and dark instead. Enforced basking means I put them in a dry open tank in the sun so they cannot run off. I did that the last time when their shells had white patches and it worked. As for the filter, we do change their water twice a day so would it still be necessary? I also bought the turtle shaped calcium block to help harden the turtle's shell - not sure if it works.

They should be in their tanks with access to a basking area. Salt or the calcium block won't do anything.

Urgent Care :: RES shell is cracked and has deep ridges on the bottom

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