Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So the other day I noticed that my turtle was shedding a little too much. I moved his light further away to see if he was too warm, and changed the water and adjusted the temperature of the water etc... to see if the shedding would stop. When it continued I started to think that it might be a fungal infection; I went to my all inclusive reptile and fish medication/food/ everything else box and looted around. I didn't have any anti fungals for my turtles but I did have some anti fungal for tropical fish. I read the label and it said safe for all types of fish. Now I know that a turtle is not a fish, but it was all natural and made from plant extracts so I added the appropriate dosage to the water and kept an eye on him to see if he started to behave any differently. I'm not one to just throw a medication into the water and assume it would be safe for a different an entirely different class of animal, but I had experience with the pima fix and knew many people used it in small ponds. Anyways, within two days of the pima fix treatment I noticed that his shedding had begun to decrease and now after 6 days it has stopped all together. Pima fix and Mela fix are great products for tropical fish, they saved my african cichlids from ich and later from an external parasite, and they're even more amazing because they're all natural. Also good to note, it gives the water a pleasant smell. Anyways, I figured I would let people know about this product. I'm not substituting myself for a veterinarian, if at all possible check with your vet before using it, but if you're feeling desparate, this may be a good option to try.
-----
Kristen Penberthy
1 leopard gecko (Zanzibar)
2 Red Eared Sliders ( Mr. T and Stevie)
1 guinea pig (Alberto)
1 cat (Circe)
1 Entlebucher (Bailey)
Lots of South American Cichlids (Margarita, The Incredible Hulk, Michelle Jackson, Al Cappone)

I'm glad your turtle is doing well. Most likely it was not a fungal infection. Fungal infections are white and patchy than stringy as you described. Your turtle would most likely have just run the course of shedding its skin and been fine without using the antifungal.

Please refrain from dispensing medical types like this to people. There is NO SUBSTITUTE for a vet exam and the appropriately prescribed medications. If you do find yourself in a "desparate" situation there are many rehabbers out there who may be able to point you in the right direction.

No one should ever resort "crapshoot medicating". Melafix is a fairly benign sort of medication. I have seem many cases where this guess work treatment has had disasterous results because more toxic meds. were improperly used.

Your intention I am sure was only to help people (as you did say to try and get the animal to a vet) but you never had a actual diagnosis of the condition so what you offered was just a guess based on no real hard facts. Someone may try a more toxic med. on this same principle and end up killing their turtle.

Steve

It did turn out to be a fungal infection, he went in today finally, there was still some shedding around the cloacal region and the vet confirmed that there was a small fungal infection causing abnormal shedding. I really didn't intend to advocate guess work, I advocated the pima fix and the mela fix because as you said they are relatively benign and much safer than a lot of other options on the market, I would never have played around with other, stronger meds. I am aware of the consequences of guess work, I've seen it happen to far too many people, I volunteered for a short time at a vet clinic, not a reptile clinic but we treated small animals like chinchillas, guinea pigs etc... Not to mention working in a medical clinic I've seen people use guess work on themselves with other peoples prescriptions. This was not an attempt to substitute myself for a vet, I said that in the entry; I am studying medicine but I am no way experienced enough to diagnose or determine which medication would be best, especially for reptiles with which I'm not licensed, I will be more careful in the future, and thank you for your advice.
-----
Kristen Penberthy
1 leopard gecko (Zanzibar)
2 Red Eared Sliders ( Mr. T and Stevie)
1 guinea pig (Alberto)
1 cat (Circe)
1 Entlebucher (Bailey)
Lots of South American Cichlids (Margarita, The Incredible Hulk, Michelle Jackson, Al Cappone)

No problem. I absolute knew what you intention was but unfortunately some folks might have interpretted this as what I had mentioned. Most of all I'm glad to hear that your turtle is fine.

Steve