Urgent Care :: White spot on my turtle's head

[Shrest]

Hello guys,
I have 2 RES turtles purchased from a pet store around a week ago. Both of them are healthy and eat their meals, but 1 of the turtle has developed 2 very tiny puncture wounds on his head and 1 of them is white. His behaviour is totally fine and he swims and basks like he usually does, that white spot does not seem to effect him in any way but I am tensed that it may increase if it's something serious. There is no other spot anywhere else on his skin and his shell is also perfectly fine. He's around 2 and a half inches long.
So kindly suggest me what I need to do to cure it and prevent it.

[litefoot]

Photo is not close enough to tell for sure. Expanding picture does not help , don't see in photo puncture wounds , see very tiny blurred white area close to it's head pattern. If I could hold it in my hands would know for sure. With how fast a baby grows , shedding scutes and skin , so small may come off on it's own even if it's a fungus. Observe well.
That is if you have the habitat setup correct for a baby with the lighting , temps and water parameters. Reading more than just a basic care sheet will help you understand their needs better and make turtle keeping easy for the three of you.
Could be part of it's head pattern's , nature is not always perfect and patterns do change as it grow's.
Do see the growth margins between scutes are large for a young baby , adjust feeding to fit a babies needs better. Growing too fast , feeding too much now , adjust before he has shell issues .
Keep observing you will be a good father to them.

[Shrest]

Okay....Thank You!
I feed him turtle pellets once a day and I have fed him cabbage for 2 days(He has been with me for over a week now). After I noticed the white spot I have done a full water change, he shows no signs of being lethargy or uninterested whenever I go near his enclosure...
Is there anything else I can do to prevent any shell issues which may arise in the future?
And do I have to apply any ointment such as neosprin on his head for the white spot to go?
When my turtles sleep it usually looks like they hold each other and sleep and when they bask there is always 1 on the other most of the time, could the white spot have appeared because of his tankmate's nail, I mean could the nail have pierced through the skin?

[litefoot]

Diet changes through a turtles life. In the first year are in the carnivorous stage / high protein due to how fast the grow. By juvenile (growth slows down some) diet changes to the veggie side and adult stage will be 50-70% veggies with protein every other day.
Look here under nutrition for the 2/3’s rule works for any age : http://www.redearslider.com/pellets.html
Also look under safe plant/veggie article too.

Don't give in to the begging , all captive turtles do it to some point. The older they get only better at begging. Play with them instead to get there minds off food once daily amount is given. They see you as a food source and will try to get you to give more. Make sure no one in house is feeding too. If so setup the 2/3’s rule using something like a seven day pill box. Once the days amount is out no more. That 2/3’s rule is for a day not at each feeding.

If you setup is perfect I say no ointment for now. Keep observing . Babies will shed several times in the first year. That's also how they get rid of problems and or imperfections not just for growing. You may not even notice it due to being small pieces and almost translucent. When older ( 2-3 years old ) becomes tinted and easier to see the keratin shed .

Possible on toenail. Also baby turtles (all turtles) are so curious they use there heads to help dig things up not just using there claws. May get some minor cuts here and there but all will heal if habitat is setup correct along with proper maintenance.

Pictures of setup will help with details to see if going in a good direction or I/we have list of questions if answered will help too.

Sounds like they are doing turtle things together , enjoy it now. Separation will be needed once sexually mature in most cases !

[Shrest]

He was shedding until last week but as of now the other turtle (squirtle) is shedding and the one with the white spot(Torti) has stopped shedding. No one else feeds them as I have told them not to, I avoid taking him out of the tank unless it's necessary (as in when I do water change or take him out in the sun which is twice in a week).
Thank you so much for your response I am very glad to know it's nothing serious.
I'll take really good care of them.
My other turtle (named Squirtle) has an extra vertebral scute, will it be an issue later on in the future and do I have to do anything to help him out with that?
I selected squirtle because he had a swollen eye and I thought he would die if he would be in the pet store as the enclosure they keep the turtle in was filled with atleast 20 other tank mate and I thought he would be better off with me and his shell was not symmetrical because of the extra scute so I just picked him up and purchased him. As of now he is healthy, eats well and is happily living with Torti.
Can you please tell me if I can do anything for his scute to get fine if it is going to be an issue in the future?

[litefoot]

No Squirtle's extra scute will not be a problem.
Best thing you can do for both is read all articles at top header , will make turtle keeping much easier.

Best advice is offer a high quality food as Omega One when a baby. Then once at the year mark a varied , well balance and nutritious diet along with a proper setup . Then they will go from pets / friends / children to you and have a happy long lived life with your family !

How's Squirtles eye doing ?

Piggley say's Hi to Torti and Squirtle !

[Shrest]

Squirtle's eye got fine within 3 days after he came home with me. He was a little lethargy, scared and use to itch his eye a lot. Most of the time he would keep the swollen eye shut and would open it only when I went too close to the setup, he had ignored the food on the first day but he started exploring from the second day, I had purchased eye drop but it got fine without using them. The redness had reduced on the 2nd day but the swelling was still there, By the 3rd day his eye was totally fine and after the water change I introduced Torti to Squirtle again. Most of the time they are seen hanging out together and whenever they sleep they are always together holding each other like they are really close buddies.
Piggley is such cute name.....
How old is He/She???
And by any chance could you tell me the age of my turtles I am having a hard time trying to figure it out by myself
From head to tail they are both around 2 inches long and their shell must be around 1.25 to 1.5 inches long.
I'll read all the articles you have told me to
And thank you for all your help..!!

[litefoot]

Sounds better for Squirtle's eye.
When my grand daughter was 9 she named “him” after the Piggley Winks cartoon. Said he acted just like one of the characters Piggley. so Piggley it is ! She will also get him when I'm gone. Taught her myself and she knows all .
He is 6 1/2 years old. I know for sure because I helped him out the shell at the center. My original 6 turtles in there 30’s and 40ies were taken by Hurricane Katrina back in 2005. Being a retired old man then didn’t think with life starting over after Katrina I would have another turtle but when I saw him I knew.

On yours , that size would say about 7-8 months old. If they still had the egg sack on them could get closer. By 1 yr should be about 2” on a good diet. Yes babies grow very fast.

How about some pictures of them and setup for the photo gallery .

[Shrest]

I am really sorry I could not reply any sooner....
Got held up by my exams
I am sorry about your turtles, you had so many of them
I am unable to attach the pictures as they are too large, I'll compress them and upload is asap.

[Shrest]

They may not be very clear as I have decreased the size of the file but here are some pictures of them, the one on the bottom is Torti (in the picture where Squirtle is standing on Torti or the one with a lot of gap in between his scutes is Torti).

[Shrest]

And Torti is doing great now and the best part was I had to do nothing but wait and give it some time and it eventually healed by itself.....
Thank you for all the advice Sir !!

[litefoot]

Good to hear that !

All one has to do is offer a decent habitat and a slider will show you how hardy they are. Also babies heal faster than older adults.

May want to try and make sure both are getting there dinner. Squirtle by the large growth margins could be eating some of Tori's dinner too. Picture shows the difference between them . Squirtle may just be a little more aggressive on getting it. Maybe feed each in separate container to make sure "both" are getting there share. Separate container will help keep your home tank cleaner too.
Start saving some money for your next upgrade which will be soon. Also once sexually mature and both end up males they will need separation at some point.

Remember always observer well and prevention is yours and their best friend !
The better you do a setup to a turtles requirements the easier a healthy turtle can fight off any issues on it's own. Prevention is key in this hobby.

[Shrest]

I have 2 more aquarium one of which is around 6 feet in length, 2.5 feet in height, and 2 feet in width( I don't know how many gallons they exactly are). Once they grow bigger I'll transfer them to the bigger one as of now until they get bigger they are in a 3 foot long tank, I could not get a proper picture of the enclosure as Torti and Squirtle would look pretty tiny.
And as per their eating habits I feed them both separately and almost equally I don't do it in a separate container rather I move them to the two ends of the tanks, and I feed them from my hand as in I hold the pellets which are more like tiny sticks and then grab them, occasionally I feed them carrot, Squirtle loves it a lot but Torti ignores it most of the time and sometimes I feed them cabbage.
I checked on them and both of them are male.....
And the large growth margin one is Torti and yes he is agressive when he eats if they somehow end up together while eating which happens sometimes Torti tries to snatch the food from Squirtle's beak but I make sure Squirtle gets what was stolen from him.

Could you advice me as to when do I know that I need to separate them?
If possible, is there any way I can keep them together even after they grow old?
And can I feed them worms (live worms)?

I had thought about feeding them in separate containers but wouldn't that give them a lot of stress coz I would be taking them out and putting them back in their enclosure again and again and when I hold them they always want me to put them back where they were, they try very hard to get rid of my fingers. If feeding them in separate containers will not be any issue with them then I shall start feeding them in their feeding bin right away.
Thank you for your all your inputs!!!!

[litefoot]

Some once about 3” will start to become sexual mature. That wont be long to get that size. You will notice some aggression as it starts. If observant will notice fluttering with front claws. This is used in courtship (can Google for videos ) but also used against other males for dominance and or in territorial behavior. Then the fights begin , some fatal. Too many do not notice this they only see there turtles when they need feeding. By that time a tail or leg will be missing or worst.
I tried a 150 gallon stock tank all the way full with a "ATBA" for two adult males and was creative on it setup for there own territory but still did not work. At some point they will interact. The larger the tank better chances it could be done. A tank divider could be used on the glass tanks the size you stated you have. But then extra light and two basking areas would be needed. A 300 gallon would be easier to setup for two males. You will always get a few that say two adult males can be in a 50 gallon. They just haven’t seen aggression yet , also that is on the rare side even for two females.
Live worms are a turtles favorite. You may have to cut them up for babies . They are also very messy if feed in the tank , you would need a good filter and good media to clear it up. Another reason for separate feed container.
No matter what relationship you get with them a turtle will always feel more comfortable in water / feel safer. It’s their natural instinct ! They didn’t survive millions of years being stupid.
Do you have an animal science degree ? Hard for some vet's to tell sex on baby turtles. Only 100% way on a baby is the cloacal opening and sometimes the patterns on the skin can make that misleading.
Claws come much later , length of tail can vary to a point and the shape of the carapace is only for land turtles not true in aquatic's . Cloacal is the sure way.

PS:PS:
Forgot to sign out and say the volume on that tank.72"x24"x30" is a 225 gallon tank. Some that size are made out of "acrylic" will starch easy with a turtle's claws , if glass better. Then think about were in house for the weight!