Urgent Care :: black sort of squishy spots, i'm worried!!

[goatfarmer123]

ok, so i changed the tank set up again and i have seen leo basking more than i ever have before. but, the other day when i was cleaning the tank he flipped over in the turtle run and i noticed some spots i hadn't seen before. i think that they have been there for a while but i had assumed that they were part of his colorations on the bottom of his shell. they are symmetrical and along the scute seams on the bottom of the shell. they are only on the corners of four of the shingles, but they are darker than the other colorations and thats what caught my eye this time. i took pictures but have no way to get them on the internet right now. i read what austins turtle page had to say about black spots and it said they could be fungal infections that are healing but i don't want to be mistaken about this. the black spots seem to be just a bit squishier than the rest of his shell, but it could be because its square in the middle of his belly or i could just be hallucinating because i'm worried. there's not a vet listing anywhere near me but i have a good place that i take my cat to, i hope they do turtles too! if this sounds bad let me know and i'll take him in but my college budget would like to get a second opinion from people that know turtles better! i got calcium dust, cuttlebone, calcium treatments for the water, anything else i could think of. im about to leave him in the care of friends for two weeks, and as bad as it sounds i hate to leave him with someone who doesn't know him and have him get in bad shape. please help! thanks very much, Natalie

ok i'm editing this with the questions i was supposed to answer:
How big is your turtle? about 1 inch
How long have you had it? a month

What is the water temperature? 78
Are you using a water heater? no
How much water is in there? about 3 gallons
Are you using a water conditioner? not other than de-chlorinator
Are you using any filtration? not yet, but i change the water every 3 days

What is the basking temperature? 88-90
Is there a basking light? yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes, two
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? reptomin baby and bloodworms
When was the last time your turtle ate? today, he's eating fine

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 5 gallon
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? medium

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? none, he's fine there's just the spots

[missibsu]

Without pictures, I know that I can't say much. I do know that my turts bottom shells were changing every so often...with growth, when they were smaller. The pattern stayed symmetrical, but changed with growth. The middle seam down the bottom used to be a lot softer than the rest of the shell too, but I don't know if this is in the same place that you were describing. I'm sure others will be along shortly to comment.

[goatfarmer123]

hey, i looked really carefully today and i'm back to thinking its just colorations. there's a dot or two of green in the very corners of the spot and looking at his other colors on the bottom of the shell, there's a really dark or black lining around each little design of color. it doesn't smell funny so i think maybe i'm just being overprotective! seriously though, i would appriciate the comments if anyone else thinks differently, or finds it concerning! it was pretty awesome though when i had leo upside down in my hand and i was smelling his shell and my roommate walks in... good times, good times!

[marisa]

How fast is the turtle growing?

A picture of the shell dry would really help in being able to comment on what (if anything) could be going on...

What is a turtle run?

[goatfarmer123]

i'll try to get a picture up asap... i search several turtle sites and couldn't find a picture of what it looks like exactly... but i was relieved to find it didn't look anything like the pictures of shell rot but i still don't know.
he isn't growing very fast, i actually don't think he's gotten any bigger since i've had him. but i haven't had him long-- only about a month. in fact just yesterday i noticed the wispy cloud things on the ends of his claws so i guess he is shedding for the first time since i've had him. i don't think it's excessive though, as its not like long ribbons of it. just small flakes on the ends of his feet and a few on his neck. he doesn't even seem to notice it, but he is basking a LOT which i'm excited about. only about half the time with his head out and up though, but his feet are mostly in when he does that. when his head is down, his feet are out. maybe it equals out....
the turtle run is something i made out of 4 cut up FedEx boxes taped together in one big open square, lined with printer paper that i changed out whenever he was done for the day. when he wasn't basking i would put him in this for about 30 min a day with a dish of water and partial shade just so his shell would dry. but now that he's basking i only put him in it when i'm scrubbing his tank, which because its only 5 gallons right now it doesn't take very long. i'll be in my new house by the middle of next week (hoorah!) so i'm getting a bigger one then. i know this "dry docking" thing is cautioned because of the stress involved, but it doesn't seem to me that leo freaks out when i move him. he doesn't squirm or try to get away in the tank or anything, just kinda chills there, scooting around. they are right next to each other so its not like a whole different part of the room. i think of it like a short field trip....
as soon as i can, marisa, i'll post a picture because i would really like your opinion! i think the ones i already took are with the shell wet but i'll get some others as well.
i apologize for the long posts! i will work on consolidating....

[goatfarmer123]

http://community.webshots.com/myphotos? ... ity=SXLJvC

here are photos!

yay for school computers that can make friends with strange cameras

[marisa]

OK I looked at the middle pic in the first row, and the last pic (both of the plastron). Are you talking about the two half circle-looking marks in the center of the shell that overlap four scutes (not shingles) toward the back of the shell? They look like regular markings to me. They are "squishy" when you touch them? I don't know about that, but the plastron looks fine to me.

Cute turtle.

[goatfarmer123]

yes, those are the markings. they aren't particularly squishy in and of themselves, i think its just generally softer along that area. Missi was talking about how it might be like that when they are young, and he's still pretty little. he is doing great in other aspects, so i'm really glad to hear that my worry was unfounded!! thank you very much, i really do apprieciate the help!
i'm leaving my username and password with the friends who are taking care of leo in may, so if they happen to post similar questions or whatever, that's why.
hehe thank you, i believe he is quite the handsome turtlet if i do say so...
thank you both!!

[missibsu]

I love the marks on his belly, he's so cute! I don't see anything other than normal growth.

[goatfarmer123]

Sweet! that makes me very happy!!