I have two turtles the oldest one has a shell thats basically all white. my parents dont have time to bring them to the vet, what should i do?should i go to walmart and just buy some kind of medical treatment for it?is it shell rot?can someone please help me?!i need help ASAP!
2007-10-03 09:00:29 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Reptiles
Tell your parents that if they don't get him to a vet he will die. He is sick and needs medical attention. White spots can be fungus, infection, or shell rot. Which are all very serious. Play the guilt trip on your parents if you have to. THis is a living animal and if they aren't willing to help it live then they shouldn't be letting you have it in the first place. I am sorry that you have to go through this and I hope he gets better and you get him into a vet. Keep the tank really really really clean.
2007-10-03 09:06:53 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
There are different causes for "white", and it might be helpful if we knew which one your turtle has.
Is the white "fuzzy"? This would be an infection by Saprolegnia or Achlya. These don't normally attack healthy turtles. It may also be an algae growth if there are a high amount of nutrients in your turtles water - and when turtle poop, there's a lot of nutrients added to the water! Have to tried to see if this is something that can be scraped off with a fingernail or brush?
Have you had your turtles for a while? Lightening of the shell may just mean that it's about to shed its outer layer of scutes. Being a reptile, turtles shed much as snakes and lizards. Only their skin comes off in slimey pieces from being in the water and the outer layer of each "piece" of the shell (skutes) comes off as well. This is normal!
Do you know the pH of your turtle's water? If not, you can take a sample of the tank water or your tap water to a pet store and they'll be able to test it for you. Turtles do better if the pH is below 7, and if they're in a large enough tank, you can aff driftwood, or some peat moss in a bag inside your filter to bring down the pH - this will help with with bacterial and fungal infections that prefer to live in a higher pH. Also, if your pH is high and your water "hard" (has lots of dissolved monerals), you may just be seeing the minerals from evaporated water.
And it is possible that your turtle has shell rot. Do you keep your turtles in a tank where they're able to get completely out of the water? Do you have a filter and change their water at least once a week? Water quality is a big issue here, and you'll need to provide your turtles with a proper environment whatever the cause of the white areas on their shells.
I'll list some links below for you to read about some of these conditions I've mentioned. Some, such as the hard water aren't that serious (it just looks bad), but others will require medical treatment. Without being able to see your turtle, we can't diagnose your problem or suggest a treatment other than in general terms.
2007-10-03 09:56:58 · answer #2 · answered by copperhead 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I wouldn't leave the light on all day. Just for about 6 hours. I am a pet sitter and I pet sit 2 turtles. The shell part is a normal thing that happens to all turtles. But for the appetite part, I would get a veterinarian. I hope your little angel gets better!
2016-03-19 05:05:55 · answer #3 · answered by Erica 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
scratch it off their shells...or have some fun and connect the spots! now if the spots are permanent, try doing some research on the web and see if you can find something helpful. if not, and you are really concerned, pay a visit to the vet.
2007-10-03 09:05:29 · answer #4 · answered by blankny 2 · 0⤊ 6⤋