What is wrong with my turtle?

Question

I got a RES a week and a half ago and I am concerned about him. He has lost three claws so far (no others turtle so there wasn't a fight) and his shell has white in between the scutes (I don't know if he is shedding or if it is fungus/shell rot). The nearest herp vet is a few hours away so I was wondering if anyone could help until I can get him in.

I have put betadine and aintibiotic ointment on the claws and he has a proper set up and just started basking a few days ago *getting used to the set up I guess.

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn222/a_raygo/101_0222.jpg

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/nn222/a_raygo/101_0224.jpg

Any help would be appreciated

Answer 1

The light lines between the scutes (shell scales) look like normal growth to me. Rot will usually attack the actual scute.

Loosing nails is common in a new tank as it scrambles to learn the habitat and try to escape.

Try this:

1. Increase the water level- the more water the better! 4" is pretty shallow for a pond turtle and makes it try to escape harder.

2. If your basking area is rock, change it to wood or plastic which is much easier on the turtle's claws and plastron (belly shell)

3. Try http://www.austinsturtlepage.com, http://www.turtleforum.com, and http://www.redearslider.com for good, solid advice- better than most of what you get here.

Answer 2

You might try the betadine on the shell, where it has turned white. If you are VERY careful, you might try removing the presumed fungus with an old toothbrush dipped in 10% chlorine bleach. Do not get it on the rest of him. Pet shops carry a fungicide used to treat "ich" in fishes. That might help.

Answer 3

DON'T ASK US!!!!!

go to a vet!!!!!

Answer 4

OMG !!!!!!!!!!!!!!TAKE HIM TO THE VET FAST !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 5

There is definitely something wrong if his claws are falling off!  What are your temps?  Do you have UVB?  What is water quality?  This guys are not easy to care for.  Check here for more info:

http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/me...

Answer 6

well u need to call a local vet or zoo ask they what to do and hey will tell u good luck

Answer 7

Turtles that spend a large portion of their day in the water will naturally form algae on their exterior. In small amounts this algae growth will not have any adverse effects. If the amount of algae continues to grow you will need to remove it from your turtle and check its living conditions.

To remove it from the turtle, run the affected areas under warm water for a few minutes and gently wipe it away.

If you do not make changes to the turtles environment the algae is likely to continue growing. Particularly, check the humidity and temperature requirements of your species of turtle.

Hope this helps I Dont know about the claw loss maby he just digs or something

Answer 8

your turtle has an absolutely gorgeous carapace.

the growth looks normal except for the fact that it is white, that sort of bothers me.

if you have a chance i would take him to the vet. even if he is not sick, its good to get a check up and now would be a perfect reason to go. make sure to collect a stool sample before you go so the vet can test for salmonella or internal parasites.

Answer 9

What happened to his claws?

has he been basking alot that will dry his shell out a tad. He will not stay that pretty green for long. They get darker as they get older and then some of the shell particles will shed  off as he grows.

Justanswer.com is a site you can pay 9.00 for a turtle vet to answer your question on line..

I have never heard of anything like this ..good luck!

I have had 2 sliders for 36 yrs now plus a 7 yr old and a 5 yr old. This is how I have taken care of them for 36 yrs. Great pets.

I have had them in a stand alone 150gal pond from sears..for about 6 yrs now..

Here is some important and a lot of info. If he or she is small get feeder guppies or small feeder goldfish, frozen brown worms ..or live brown worms from a fish store. petco and or petsmart do not carry live worms..

Red-eared sliders, Gender especially juveniles, can be difficult to s*x. Gender in adults is determined by external physical characteristics and behavior. In Comparison to females, males have longer fore claws (which are use in courtship), a longer tail length, a longer distance from the body to the vent opening, a tail that is thicker at the base and generally a smaller body size and shell length. Turtles are considered juveniles till after 5 yrs old.

Their Home

The minimum enclosure size for hatchling re-eared slider should be a 20-gallon aquarium minimum. As a general rule, the water depth should be at least 2 times the turtle's length, with several extra inches of air space between the surface of the water to the top edge of the tank to prevent escapes. So if your turtle is 4” around  he needs at least 10 to 12” of water to swim. For ONE 4 to 5 inch long sliders, the recommended minimum enclosure surface area is 50 gal plus tank with an extra square foot for each additional turtle.

What to Feed

In the wild, re-eared sliders eat both animal and plant sources of food. However, juveniles are mainly meat eaters but still love the greens.

In captivity, the diet for juveniles should consist  of a commercial aquatic turtle pellet and small feeders guppies or goldfish. Hatchlings and juveniles should be fed on a daily basis; however, they should be offered no more than they will consume during a single session to minimize water contamination. The diet can be supplemented with live fish of an appropriate size (guppies, goldfish), tubiflex worms and earthworms. Plant matter, in the form of chapped leafy greens or finely chapped mixed vegetables, can be offered once weekly but may not be readily accepted until they grow older.

Fill tank with approx 20 feeder guppies and or 10 to 15 small goldfish. you’ll know when to replenish the live food supply. just count what’s left and then fill it up again..Get a cuttle bone from the bird dept and drop in the water for added calcium. Hopefully they may eat it and that’s what you want.

For adults, 20% of the diet may consist of some commercial turtle pellets. Plus 80% of their diet is fresh alive fish to catch in their water which also gives them exercise when trying to catch to eat. Adults should be fed greens kale, romaine, red leaf lettuce, mustard greens, dandelion, watercress, parsley. Swiss chard, shredded carrots, shredded squash, thawed frozen mixed vegetables and miscellaneous fruits. Adults can be fed every two to three days. NO iceberg or cabbage!!

Vital Statistics

Total Body length: 5-8" average, up to 12 inches max.

Life span: 15-25+ years

Males have the longer foreclaws..

Water quality and Filtration

Sliders are voracious feeders and tend to foul the water quickly with their messy eating habits and frequent defecation. Therefore, a system needs to be in place for good water quality. Partial to full water changes can be performed. Many different filter systems are available ..

Common Health Problems

If you take proper care of your red-eared slider by providing excellent housing, nutrition, lighting, and heating, it is unlikely to ever become ill or injured. However, it’s still important to familiarize yourself with ailments common to sliders so that you can quickly identify them in your own slider, should it become ill. The following are some of the most common medical problems among red-eared sliders.

Fungal Infections

“Fungal infections are fairly common among red-eared sliders, especially younger ones. If you notice what looks like a light layer of cotton on your slider’s shell or eyes or in its mouth, this is most likely some form of fungal infection. Although their appearance can be alarming, most infections in their early stages are fully treatable at home. If a fungal infection remains untreated, however, it can spread across the entire body and cause serious harm to your turtle.

To treat a mild fungal infection, immerse your red-eared slider in a warm saltwater bath for about half an hour each day, using a soft sponge to gently scrub the infected regions. You can also treat patches of fungus with topical applications of a mild antiseptic, such as povidone-iodine. As long as the problem isn’t severe, you should notice signs of recovery within a day or two, and a full recovery in about 10–14 days.

If your turtle has a persistent fungal infection that home treatment isn’t curing, take it to the vet for treatment. Several medications are available that can address a fungal infection if it hasn’t spread too far.”

Shell Rot. First make a dry box to keep the turtle in, shell rot needs water to grow.

Keep it warm and give it plenty of light.

Scrub the shell gently with a toothbrush and water.

Let the turtle swim for about 20 minutes a day in something other than his pond..clean water.

1-2 times a day take a cotton ball apply Hydrogen Peroxide to it then to his shell. It'll start bubbling which means its cleaning it. it. DO NOT get it in his eyes.

Then clean the shell and apply providone-iodine solution to the shell, coat the shell and don't clean it off until he is ready to swim the next day.

** Keep this up for several weeks and it should go away. . MOST important !!! TOSS in a bird cuttle bone in the water for calcium. it will dissolve real slow and if they eat it that’s fine!!

Respiratory Infections

“Slider turtles and other aquatic species are susceptible to respiratory infections. Most respiratory infections that can affect sliders are mild and easily treatable in their early stages, but there are also some particularly virulent infections that can kill a turtle very quickly without veterinary attention. Sliders usually develop respiratory infections when their tank is too cold.

Symptoms of an infection include a runny nose, wheezing, lopsided swimming (an ailing lung changes the turtle’s buoyancy), lethargy, and a refusal to eat. If you identify the illness in its early stages, you may be able to treat it by removing the sick slider from its quarters into a new, clean tank (especially if you keep multiple sliders, since the majority of respiratory infections are contagious) and keeping it a few degrees warmer than normal. Warmth is the most crucial factor in treating respiratory infections in the home. If the condition persists for more than a few days or worsens, bring your slider to your veterinarian, who will treat the infection with antibiotics.”

Contact the “herpetologicalsocieties.com“.

Answer 10

omg is he in a bowl!!!??? That is completly NOT the correct setup! He definatly needs a big 50 gallon tank filled up 5/6 of the way, A floating turtle dock suctioned to the side of the glass, with  two lights shining on the basking spot. There should be a UVA light, 75 watt, shining 5 inches away from the basking dock AND there definatly needs to be a UVB light, right next to the uva light both shining on the basking dock, the basking temp needs to be at 85-90F, check with a thermometer! The water should be clean and see-through and filtered with a filter like the Rena xp3 filter, which costs around $200. The water should be 78-82F, and kept this way with a water heater, that is preset to 78F, I recomed the green reptile heater by zoomed. He should be fed reptomin pellets, crickets, mealworms, shrimp, minnows, krill, bloodworms and lots of vegetation. Plants like anachris, and waterlettuce should be given. Veggies like kale, mustard greens, collard greens, romaine lettuce and dandelion greens should also be feed. A cuttlebone must be offered as a calcium source along with calcium powder mixed in with his crickets, mealworms, and bloodworms. You definatly need to research more onn your turtle and heal the poor thing, because obviously he is suffering from minor shell rot due to the incorrect lighting he has been given! uvb is extremely important for a turtle, reptosun 5.0 by zoomed is the best kind. Change your setup immediatly!

Answer 11

losing of the claws comes with captive turtles, alot of ours have that happening as well