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Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 2:17 pm
by isabellecxr
hi, im not sure whether my RES has shell rot. I noticed some brown patches on his shell but the symptoms say that the shell will have white patches so is it related to shell rot? He has been with me for about 5 years and his tank is places near the window so he receives natural sunlight. The water temperature is around room temperature and i feed him Nutrafic Basix (pellets). He seems to be doing quite well as he is still active and eats the food i give him. I attached a photo below to show you what the shell looks like. I hope someone could confirm this so i can take the necessary actions. Thank you!! -isabelle

Re: Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 1:16 pm
by litefoot
Hello and welcome
Turtles (sliders) are very hardy and hide problems well even to a Herp Vet. The by a window for natural sunlight is inadequate for a indoor turtle. The most important rays from the sun are blocked by the glass. UVB does not penetrate glass. I would read the links on top header on this page for help especially the lighting section.

Can't tell 100% from the photo but your "He " sure looks like a "girl" .

The brownish area looks as if scutes had hard time shedding and went to deep into the bone area. Is it smooth or rough (porous) or soft ? Does it smell ? This is due to all the fungus on her , it's not only on the outer keratin layer but penetrates under scutes also. You need to correct before it goes into full blown rot or get's into her blood stream.

Use the search box and read up on fungus treatment and dry docking ! Treatment will need to be done at least a week or more to correct. Then more time and attention to her basking area and lighting needs. This took time to develop and will take time to correct , be patient !

After fungus is treated "now" then maybe after a couple complete sheds the shell may correct itself. This will take a couple years for that to happen , be patient can not happen over night.

Re: Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 1:46 pm
by isabellecxr
Thank you! Do you think i can start using anti-fungi treater to see whether it improves?

Re: Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 2:02 pm
by litefoot
Anti-fungi treater ?
The best and fastest is silver sulfadiazine cream it's an "RX" in the US ! I would not experiment with OTC creams for humans. Also any type fungus treatment must be done dry docking to work ! Use search box for procedures.

Re: Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Fri Nov 24, 2017 8:43 pm
by isabellecxr
I was meaning an anti fungi treater for turtles but thank you for the advice anyway :)

Re: Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 7:18 am
by steve
Looks like old scutes that haven't shed.

Re: Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 11:00 am
by isabellecxr
what can i do about it??

Re: Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 1:01 pm
by litefoot
Sorry should have explained better , since you have several things going on with the shell.
The whitish patches are fungus.
The shell is having trouble shedding , lots of retained scutes.
Brownish area very thick keratin layer trying to come off from old incomplete shed or too much came off , hard to tell from picture for me. Reasons for the questions I asked.
Growth lines wide and irregular along with scutes retained from incomplete older sheds.
I would treat the fungus before it gets under old shedding scute's and affect the new scute's underneath. This is to help it shed easier.
Give more time and attention to it's habitat , especially lighting and more varied balanced diet. Then with time and a few sheds the shell may correct itself for a smooth even growth .

Re: Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 11:00 pm
by isabellecxr
Thank you for providing more information. How many times should i apply the anti fungi treater for my terrapin?

Re: Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Sat Nov 25, 2017 11:36 pm
by litefoot
It going to depend how many times a day you have to rehydrate her from the dry docking. Each time she will have to be reapplied with cream at least minimum three times a day then back to "dry docking" not her tank , each time for 7-10 days or until she's clear of fungus. Rehydrate her in a large container or a tote with clean water , not her regular tank , and watch the temp's in it. Use these day to work on regular tank to fit her needs more .
Are you in the US? Able to get some silver sulfadiazine it's the best and fastest ?

Re: Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 10:56 am
by isabellecxr
No, unfortunately, im not in the US I'm from Singapore. Thank you for the advice though!

Re: Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Sun Nov 26, 2017 11:24 am
by litefoot
Having to deal with natural disasters ( hurricanes) by me the center I volunteered at tested lots of drugs so when normal drugs were unavailable . One thing at any shelter or around was a babies diaper rash cream. Test are needed on OTC drugs with some ingredients that are harmful to a turtle. The "zinc oxide" in most diaper rash creams was proven to them to be safe for turtles by there lab's testing. Also is used by some old time turtle keepers. It was and always in there emergency kits and was used during Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Yes it's no silver sulfadiazine but it does work and is available in most places along with the dry docking. It may just take a few more days but is good , just a thought that may help in Singapore.

Re: Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Mon Nov 27, 2017 5:51 am
by isabellecxr
do you have any reccomendations for turtle docks, my turtle is around 18-19cm so its hard to find a turtle dock for a large turtle. Thanks!

Re: Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Mon Nov 27, 2017 6:55 am
by PokePony
A lot of people make DIY basking areas at this point, usually above the tank. I'm not sure what product you can find in Singapore in pet stores.

Re: Help!!! im not sure whether my RES has shell rot!!

PostPosted: Mon Nov 27, 2017 7:28 am
by isabellecxr
I only found exo-terra docks which are too small for my tortoise to climb on and its also quite pricey.