Reptile & Amphibian Forums

my turtles have maroon spots underneath their shell, (the plastron i believe) and i heard they are calcium "deposits". Do these spots mean they are getting too much calcium, or not enough? i give them calcium blocks, and their main diet is reptomin, crickets, anacharis, and horwort........thanks.....
p.s. the message i posted underneath this one is important! thanks, kevin

thanks

I have never heard of calcium deposits on their shell??? I have, though, heard of some problems that can cause the red spots on their shells both plastron and carapace. You might want to check out austinsturtlepage... its a great place to browse around in and check out. What kind of basking area do they have? Could it be irritating their shell? Are there small holes in the red spots? If so you might have some shell rot going on? If you dont find the answer on here maybe call the vet to see if they can advise you as to whether it needs to be seen or if you can solve the problem yourself. Good luck agian!!
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Slow and Steady wins the race...

Look anything like this?

Calcium deposits are white, usually you only see them if your turtle is basking and dries off. It is also the white film that shows up on the glass. I don't know what maroon spots would be.
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He is otherwise active, eating well, etc.? Could he have bruised himself somehow? The spots in the above image look like possible septicemia (blood poisioning). If your turtle`s shell looks that the image, I would take him to a herp vet. If you don`t have one, try www.arav.org Click on members, U.S., then your state to find the nearest one to you.