Here is a list of some things to watch for that indicate serious problems:
Below is a list of common symptoms that may or may not be a problem and some possible remedies:
First make sure your turtle is warm enough (in the mid to upper 70's). Also, try other foods. You can almost always get your turtle to eat a red worm or night crawler. This is usually not a serious problem and can usually be corrected by temperature increase or new diet. Turtles can go around 3 weeks without food, but if it still doesn't eat within a week and a half, contact a vet.
Don't worry. Turtles, like other reptiles, shed their skin. It will look like very thin black paper. You can help this process along by lightly scrubbing the shell with a tooth brush or vegetable brush. If sores appear or the shell softens, contact a vet -- you are dealing with more than just shedding here.
This is a tricky one. Turtles often, for some unknown reason, push their intestines out usually while, or directly after, ummm relieving themselves. This is called an intestinal prolapse and is generally not a problem but can be very scary the first time it happens. When it would cause a problem is if other turtles live in the same environment (not a good idea for snapping turtles). These other turtles may bite at the prolapse. You may also notice your turtle trying to eat it itself (it just assumes it's a piece of food.) In either of these cases, you may want to talk to your vet about a purse string suture which will close the guy up enough so that the prolapse doesn't occur, but he can still do his deal. It's not something I recommend unless definitely needed.
It's probably some sort of fungus or bacteria. This usually happens when the water isn't kept clean enough. First, treat your turtle. Clean it gently with warm water and an old cloth. Make sure that there are no soft spots on the shell and no sores on the skin. Be sure to clean and check the turtle completely. If there are any sores or soft spots, go to a vet.
After you get your turtle 'fixed,' work on its tank. You're going to need to keep the water and tank clean. If you're not using a filter, get one. You need to filter across mixed media, including carbon. You'll want to use a diluted bleach solution to completely clean out the tank and it's contents before you put your turtle back in. After everything is clean (and rinsed off well), and you've got the right filter, your should be set. Now, just change the water often and clean the tank on a regular basis.
Oh yeah, if you're giving your turtle cheese, don't. It makes for quite a mess and can cause that 'milky' film. (heh heh heh, for some reason that always makes me laugh)
Next I'll list a few more indepth treatments. I've picked these up from
various forums, talks with vets, and other web sites. I've thought about adding this
for a while and although I'm still a bit aprehensive I've descided to list them. Note
that I'm NOT a veterinarian and treating your turtle yourself can be very dangerous.
I always recommend talking to a vet 1st and following their treatment advice. However,
not all vets are experianced with reptiles, much less turtles. I perfectly good furry
animal vet may not have but the briefiest idea of what to do and may be relying on
outdated information. Use the following as a supplemnt to your vet's advice and
as sort of a litmus test for your vet.
Any medications mentioned are outlined at the bottom of this document. :in progress:
Ok, the list:
What it looks like: White or grey spots on your turtle's shell that actually penetrate the outer
layer of the shell. The area may be soft. Really bad cases have a rotten smell, are soft, weep, and
are red and bloody.
What causes it: Generally unclean water conditions. It's usually a bacterial infection that
starts from a minor cut or scrape or from a fungus left on the shell too long, but can start by itself.
How can I avoid it?: Keep that water clean! I know it's hard. Hey I had to find out the hard way
so hopefully I'll save you and your turtle some greive, pain, and expense. Use water tester kits (get
at a pet store) and test pH (should be between 6.5 and 7), ammonia and nitrate(should be 0), and
nitrite (lower the better, hard to do). Take a look at the What You Need
section of the site for ideas on keeping the water clean.
Keep a close eye on your turtle. Examine it and occasionally take it out of the water and
let it dry out completely for a couple of hours. Bahamut had some small soft spots on his plastron that
I only found after he dried out. Be sure to check the plastron too!
Provide a basking area. I know, they rarely use it but provide it just in case. If your turtle never
uses be sure to force it to dry out as I mentioned above
How to fix it: This can be very difficult and can take months. Your best bet is to never let
the conditions get right for it to occur.
If it does crop up, how you proceed will depend on how advanced the shell rot is but all involve
immediatly cleaning up the tank and fixing whatever problems your system has to let this occur. If
you don't do this your turtle will never get better.
Small white spots, not deep, no drainage, no smell, still firm:
Great, you caught it early, the second best you could hope for. Using a damp towl covering your
thumb, gently (but firmly) wipe over the area a few times, trying to remove the white pit. If that doesn't work
try using a blunt plastic tool to carefully try to scrape the white pit off the sore.
Don't use anything sharp, press too hard, or try too much (just a few times). If it doesn't
come off relatively easy now it will soften after some treatment, maybe a few days..
You now need to treat the spot(s). Their are several medications that are recommened but one that
I've used succesfully and comes with lots of good recommendations is called Nolvasan (see below). That's
a brand name of Chlorhexidine diacetate, there are generic versions available but I stick with
the brand name. One of the other commonly recommended medications for this treatment is Betadine (see below).
It's sort of fallen out of graces of some reptile folks because if over used it can quickly become toxic but
I like to use it sparingly and alternate using it with Nolvasan.
Gently, clean your turtle all over with a soft toothbrush to remove any algae, fungus, dirt, and help remove
shedding skin. Rinse and dry. Use a cotton swab (what? no brand name??) to apply a thin coating of
the chosen medication to the affected area.
Don't over do it! More isn't better. Remember these guys are pretty small and too much medication can
become toxic. While both Nolvasan and Betadine are pretty gentle (Drs pour it on trama victims like water)
too much can lead toxic poisoning and even organ failure.
Let your turtle dry out completely for 2-4 hours. Get a nice sized plastic storage container (Rubbermaid,
Sterilite) that is big enough so your turtle has some moving around room and can't escape. Line it with towels
(just make sure your turtle is dry before you put it in or the towels will stay damp) and put it in
a quite, secluded, dark area. Be sure not to forget about your snapper though! Also you don't want it
to be to cool or hot, normal room temps in the low to mid 70s F.
You're going to want to keep this up daily until the sores heal. If the pit didn't come out keep trying each day or
so. I've found that they come out best when the turtle is wet so try when you 1st pull your turtle out of
the water to begin the treatment.
Some options that I've read/heard/tried:
You can try using an antibiotic ointment over the area. Use a water based ointment that will dry (prescription
Silvadene cream is great) and not keep the area moist is what you want. Just apply a very thin layer
after the liquid medications.
Try alternating between Nolvasan one week and Betadine the next. I've read that Betadine can actually slow
the rate of shell regrown on the affected area so I only use it early on, stopping after the pit comes out
and using Nolvasan exclusively.
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