[Kazz]

I have looked after 2 terrapins for my sister for nearly 6 years. One is believed to be male and the other female, both have been very very healthy throughout, they have had a very small basking area and mostly water in their tank, and I have fed them on dried food which you get from the pet store. Recently I have moved home, and one of the Terrapins shells has started to look a little strange, the first sign was the back corner of the shell was starting to "curl" upwards slightly, I have pulled her out of the tank to inspect, and although the shell is firm and hard everywhere else, the "curled" up area moves up and down slightly with a little force, after viewing the tank setup I noticed that one of the alignments of the rocks had moved to an angle, and she liked to bask there, her shell touched the rock in that area and has done for around a year, is it possible that this could disfigure her shell slightly by her "leaning" on this angled rock? needless to say I have moved it right away. Any advice on this appreciated, she seems to be in no discomfort at all, and eating fine.

The second problem is (with the same Terrapin) she has developed some little cream/yellow colored areas on her shell (it looks like rust but lighter) also on the upper central area one of these areas looks like a little groove (not deep). Could it be the change in water causing this? they are otherwise eating fine and as active as ever. I have been told by neighbours that there is a lot of Iron in the water at my new home, is there something I can do to the water to "clean" it out of iron, or will this Iron not cause the problem? I presumed it could as it's only been visible since we moved home. I have read that with her symptoms I can treat her myself by cleaning her shell with a Toothbrush, and using General antiseptic on her shell in affected areas whilst giving her plenty of "dry" time as air is Shell rots enemy, is this corrent, all advice very appreciated.

 

[cath1429]

5) Turtle has **fungus, or shell rot. There are several methods for treating this, and I have them listed here in order of toxicity, that is, the first is the least toxic, and the last should be used only if the other methods have already been tried and have failed.

-- a. salt soaks for a few minutes each day, and drydocking, with lots of direct sunlight, but not to the point where the turtle gets severely dehydrated. If fungus gets advanced, it will kill your turtle. Here is a pretty good thread about fungus..

-- b. For water turtles, add a small amount of salt to the tank water. Aquarium salt, sea salt, or even non-iodized table salt. For fresh water turtles, 1 level tsp. per gallon won't hurt them, but will give fungus and rot some trouble. For Diamond Back Terripans and other brackish water turtles, read the directions on the Aquarium Salt, and use about 1/2 of what they recommend for the level of salt in the sea.

-- c. Poster babs wrote: In years past, antiseptics such as hydrogen peroxide or Betadine(providone-iodine) or anitobiotic ointbents have been used. These will generally kill the pathogens successfully, however recent research indicates that theses things actually slow the healing process by preventing the regrowth of the epithelial cells over the effected area. The antiseptic of choice is often Nolvasan (clorahexidine) which is available from veterinary clinics (non-prescription), some pet stores and herp supply stores on the internet. Healing is noticably quicker with Nolvasan, so it is worth the effort to find some and use it. Nolvasan liquid solution is generally made with one part Nolvasan, 100 parts water."

I went to my local vet and they had some Clorahexidine by the name brand of Clorhexiderm. It is blue in color and must be diluted to one ounce per 1 gallon of water. This seems to be working really well with the turtle that had the severe shell rot, but I don't have anything for comparison. I actually put it in a spray bottle and spray the shell whenever they get out of the water

-- d. In addition, some people report excellent results using betadine and drydocking. However, any form of iodine has the potential to destroy your turtles's liver. In mild cases, try the salt soaks first. Related subject:Ick from fish.

-- e. Treating Extreme Shell Rot in Chelonia is an article from the World Chelonia Trust which also discusses possible treatments.

6) Turtle’s shell is soft. Either it is a hatchling, and he needs lots of calcium, or he is a softshell turtle (make sure you know what variety this is before deciding this) vitamins and UV for it to harden normally, OR the turtle has metabolic bone disease (MBD) and needs lots of calcium, vitamins and UV or he will die. In advanced cases of MBD, vets can give the turtle shots of calcium directly into the blood streem.

I copied and paste ed this off turtletimes (hope im allowed to do that :? )

 

[Kazz]

Thanks, will have a good read and act acordingly, much appreciated.

 

[cath1429]

your welcome x

 

[Kazz]

I am off to the pet store today to buy some supplies to help treat her, will post updates. Thanks again.

 

[afragglenamedred]

Hi! I don't know where you are but it may be worth you looking up your local specialist vet - your local RSPCA, PDSA or ordinary vets should all be able to point you in the right direction. There's a very good vet in the Solihull area of the West Mids who saved me amd my guys in the early days. I know vets can be expensive (ask for a consultation price before you call) but in the long term it could be cheaper than buying lots of different lotions & potions for them not to work. They may be able to advise you over the phone which'll bring the cost down. I know it's boring & not very practical advice but at least you'll get a proper diagnosis too.
Good luck though... let us know how you get on.

 

[Kazz]

Well I gave her a bath with Mild soap, using Toothbrush, and left her out for 3 hours (with access to small amount of water to stop her dehydrating, I have added some Sea Salt (Saxa Sea Salt) to the Tank, and so far everythings ok, the marks on her shell have faded slightly, I am about to take her out again for a couple of hours to drydock. To make matters worse, my Fluval water Pump just broke down yesterday, and this morning the Arcadia 18" Bulb (Tube) has stopped working - expensive Xmas lol

 

[cath1429]

:shock: :roll: typical always happens in threes :lol: :lol: