Urgent Care :: White spotting has returned- New Pictures

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Post Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 2:43 am   White spotting has returned- New Pictures

I wrote about this before and Steve suggested a few things that seemed to work for a while but now the white spotting on Sabz's shell is back, this time also on the plastron. Any ideas of what it is or how I can help. He seems to be doing okay behavior-wise: he swims around a lot, goes up on his stand to bask in short but consistent time increments, eating okay. (Again, his shell is about 2.8" long, 2" wide, I don't know how old he is, I don't really know it's a he, and I currently live in Afghanistan so access to a vet is unlikely)
Diet: 3 reptomin sticks twice a day, Romaine lettuce twice a week(he doesn't seem to like any other veggies I try)
I have Turtle Fix, should I use that? It was suggested I use white vinegar but I don't have any more, would apple cider vinegar work?
I am worried because I leave for 3 weeks in a couple days and I am leaving him with a neighbor so I want to make sure I do any "heavy lifting" care before I leave.
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plastron.jpg
Jun 2017
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jun 2017
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Last edited by Sangposht on Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:40 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 8:23 am   Re: White spotting has returned

What was recommended in your earlier post by long time turtle keepers are proven methods that work. You may have stopped treatment to soon. How long did you treat him ? Like a human even when you think or can't see anything some stop there medicine and cold/flu comes back. Apply treatment again .
You may want to adjust her diet for a more balance one.
Give a look at it's environment to why it came back?
As far as the vinegar , white yes // apple cider no.
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Post Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 12:35 am   Re: White spotting has returned

This looks more like fungus.
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Post Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 1:16 am   Re: White spotting has returned

Okay, I will try to find some white vinegar and use the turtle fix to hopefully help with the fungus
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Post Posted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 7:19 am   Re: White spotting has returned

Turtle Fix is a Antibacterial treatment for bacterial problems , Not a fugal treatment.

Thin layer Betadine on shell twice a day for two weeks , Allow to stay on for 20 minutes before rinsing with clean water , works for me when caught early. Monitor his tank for problems to prevent recurrence. If walls and or any substrate have signs of green slime , good indication your turtle at risk of a fungal problem. I would adjust or dedicate more time on maintenance for his environment and future outbreaks can be prevented.

You do have a couple of things going on but nothing you can't fix , all will be good. As in earlier post to you: habitat , diet , lighting , that overfeeding "fungus" all can be corrected.

Betadine can be found OTC / online...

Found this when googling // so true.


The common illnesses are 

Soft Shell                                            caused by              Improper or unhealthy conditions/improper diet
Fungal Infection                                  caused by              Improper or unhealthy conditions/improper diet
Bacterial Infection                              caused by              Improper or unhealthy conditions/improper diet
Swollen eyes                                       caused by              Improper or unhealthy conditions/improper diet
Wheezing or bubbly nose                    caused by              Improper or unhealthy conditions/improper diet
Puffy body or face                              caused by              Improper or unhealthy conditions/improper diet
Cuts, Bruises and Bites(*)                caused by              Rocks, glass, teeth or beaks
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Post Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 7:25 am   Re: White spotting has returned

Hello, the white spots are getting worse( i will include pictures later). At first they seemed to be getting better(I did vinegar once a day for a week) but now it's worse.
What kind of betadine do you recommend?? Is there a special one for turtles or is regular human-grade okay, that's what I have access to right now? Do I need to dry-dock to apply?
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Post Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 8:04 am   Re: White spotting has returned

You must correct it environment or it will just keep coming back until one day it will not respond to any treatment. Stopping treatment to early it will come back ! Improper or unhealthy conditions causes this. Getting it off the turtle and just placing it's back in the same conditions will not work. You must spend more time on it habitat and maintenance to be a healthy home !
When one makes an animal a captive pet it's our reasonability to offer it a proper home and diet so it can live a full happy healthy life span !

Time to be blunt now !!! Even in your Kabul Afghanistan you don't have to run to the local library for info with the internet its at your finger tip's. Time to do treatment correctly and correct it home , Not to do what you only want to hear or only willing to do . Did you read and understand the turtle care section's , all the informational stickies at each topic on setups and proper care ??? The problems you have been since the "beginning of the year" and you got a lot of good proven help since then from good long time turtle keepers , are you not willing to do your part . If not may be time to re-home your captive turtle ! It's all about the turtle health not you ! If the truth hurts then it hurts , time to do your part correctly !
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Post Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 8:28 am   Re: White spotting has returned

Litefoot, I understand it takes time to care for the turtle and I am trying my best, but I work/live in the US Embassy compound in Kabul Afghanistan. I was given the turtle from an Afghan colleague who kept him in a completely empty tank with no area for basking, no filter, no pebbles, nothing. Plus in the city the electricty goes out often so he did not have regular heat or light. I like to think that I have been able to give Sabz a slightly better life than what he used to have, considering on the embassy compound there is electricity so I have been able to provide him with a heat light, a UVB light, a filter, turtle pellets that have vitamins, a tank with turtle pebbles for digging around and a turtle stand for basking, but please understand that I have NO access to veterinarian care, NO access to pet shops, NO access to anything unless I can make it or order it online because of the constant bombings, they do not let us go into the city at all and even if they did, there aren't fully stocked pet stores here. And yes, i work 10 hour days 6 days a week so i cannot give Sabz the attention that you believe is ideal for a RES, but I feed him daily, make sure his lamps are on, clean the tank every three weeks, do partial water changes twice a week, and take him out to play with him a few times a week.
I FULLY understand it is not ideal, and I would actually love to give him a better home if I could, but this is all I can do right now. If you are just going to scold me, please do not waste your time as I don't want to hear it and I will wait to see what other people can suggest. However, if you want to offer some actual advice it is very clear that you are EXTREMELY knowledgeable so I will gladly take it and do everything I can. I continuously read the other posts and try to get information to help but so far the vinegar is not working. I will try the betadine, but I was trying to get information about how to apply it. Also, i want to know the best way to tell if it is an actual fungal infection or not, again, I will upload pictures later. If you have suggestions, that would be great
thank you
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Post Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 9:11 pm   Re: White spotting has returned

Some updated photos might help confirm the fungus. The best and fastest treatment requires silver sulfadiazine cream (silvadene). It normally requires a prescription, but it's a common and essential medication that you should be able to get. You do need to make sure that the turtle can bask and dry off as it helps prevent fungus and promote shell health. Vinegar, Betadine or Chlorhexidine doesn't really help fight it, though it might help prevent new infections. Either way, fungus is aggressive and likes to creep back if not kept in check. I would set up a dry dock schedule for the turtle... in my other posts, I suggest applying the medication overnight in dry dock, clean up in the morning, and putting the turtle back into the tank during the day to minimize the stress.

I'd skip the Turtle Fix and water conditioners. Is the shell starting to smooth out?
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Post Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:25 am   Re: White spotting has returned

Thank you Steve! I will get with the dry-docking and betadine and silvadene(can you tell me which post you are referring to? I looked over some of the urgent care posts and didn't see it).

It does appear to be calming down a bit, not sure if its the water conditioner or what. I can especially see the difference in the plastron between the old picture(at the bottom) and the new one. But the spots on the top don't seem to be going anywhere :(
Last edited by Sangposht on Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:54 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Post Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 5:35 am   Re: White spotting has returned

Thank you Litefoot, not for being rude and discouraging, but for mentioning the general care section. I had only looking in the urgent care section, and I did just find the post about curing white spots on the shell so I will read through it now. I am sure I will find something helpful.
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Post Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 6:10 am   Re: White spotting has returned- New Pictures

It's all about the turtle to me. If it wasn't for Hurricane Katrina 2005 I would have turtles in there 40's and 50's that I raised from babies.
At this point do as Steve said being it came back "Silvadene" cream and dry-docking.
Also as Steve says the vinegar , betadine or chlorhexidine at this point will not fight it , that is old school when caught very early and more of a preventive.
I being old do things the old way , prevention is key to all ! That keeps thing in control before anything get's major. Old school worked for decades and today to if things are caught early.
You may have to get real creative on his habitat , being what's available over there.
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Post Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 6:36 am   Re: White spotting has returned- New Pictures

I was able to get silvadene from the medical unit today! Woohoo!

So based on what I've read and been told, each night for the next two weeks I will start with a light diluted betadine bath, then dry him off and add a thin layer of silverdene on the shell and leave him dry docked over night(unfortunately i will have to leave the heat lamp on so he can stay warm, although it might be annoying for sleeping). Then in the morning rinse with warm water and put him back int he tank for the day.
I am also trying to limit reptomin pellets and increase veggies
Does that sound like a good strategy?
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Post Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 7:55 am   Re: White spotting has returned- New Pictures

In nearly all my posts regarding fungus treatment detail that procedure. Great that you were able to get silvadene. I'd skip the Betadine... just get his shell very dry before applying a very thin layer of cream. How cold does it get over night? Doing it over night is to let him sleep and rest. If that won't work for you then flip it and dry dock during the day. The cream reside might make him slippery, so be careful when cleaning him up and be prepared to get scratched.
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Post Posted: Thu Jun 22, 2017 8:05 am   Re: White spotting has returned- New Pictures

There are many variations of dry docking from one forum to another. Your plan sounds ok to me. Just remember turtle's show illness slowly and heal slowly , it may take longer than two weeks.
I know temps get in high 50's-low 60's at night there but it's the very low humidity (10%) that worries me. Been decades since I was in that area but I'm sure I'm close on that humidity. Just make sure he does not get dehydrated !
Any other way to warm him , he and you need your sleep ? Old days I put a incandescent bulb in a tin can with a few hole to keep it warm and dark ! That way it could be comfortable and sleep ! Don't laugh it works ,remember I'm old school. Could dry-dock in the day time if easier?
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