Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello,
I am taking care of my brother's diamondback terrapin and there is something wrong with it. On its right back foot, the skin looks like a small piece of it has been ripped off. When she is out of the water, it looks like dried skin. When she is in the water, the foot has a whitish look on the skin. It has been like this for several weeks now and doesn't seem to be getting better.Could this be SCUD? Also, on the bottom of her shell, it looks like a piece of it is shedding. Is this normal or linked to the skin problem? Thank you in advance for any help.

Okay don't panic.
Couple questions
How large is this turtle?
Is it being kept in fresh water or brackish water.
Has your brother had it since it was a hatchling or could it have been wild caught?

How big is the tank?
Is there a basking spot.
does this turtle live alone or does it have roomates?

The skin problems occur often with terrapins because of a lesion (often from an attack from another turtle)or because of fungius growing in the tank.

In either case several hours of dry dockig is usually an important part of the solution. In the long run you may have to consider the water conditions.

Do you have nolvasan or hydrogen peroxide?

The turtle is a pretty big size, about six inches. We replace the water about once every two weeks,using regular tap water. It is the only turtle so I am thinking it could be a fungus problem. The water has been turning green several days after replacing it and we also have been experiencing trouble with the filtration.
I usually try to take it outside every other day because we don't have a basking spot for it. Could that be a big problem for it?
I have been letting it out of the water for long periods and applying hydrogen peroxide to it and still no improvement. Do you think neosporin would help?
And about the shell shedding, is that related or a normal thing?
Thanks for your response.

A terrapin without a basking spot is likley to be an shell rotted, skin lesioned, respitory infected and eventaully dead terrapin after a while. In the short run it will be okay but get a basking spot asap.
This lack could definitely be contrinuting to the problems you are having.

Ironically the sunshine is better than any basking light both for overall health and for dealing with the skin/shell problems.
So that's good but make sure its not too cold or to hot where you put the turtle.

As for the green in the tank...i would take the opportunity to completely brake down the tank. Clean filter parts (throw away media and replace with new) clean tank and decor and substrate with a bleach solution and then rinse and rinse and rinse and rinse....

This is usually the only way to eliminate algae permenantly in a small tank.

Once you have a basking spot and the water is clean try dry docking her over-night. Just rinse the turtle in warm water and then put her in an esacpe-proof but not closed (well ventiliated, no top is usually best) plastic box overnight and rinse and return her to tank in the morning. Sometimes a week of this will solve all problems if there are also adequate basking facilities.

If not you may need to get some antiseptic (Nolvasan or a generic form of chlorhexidine gluconate or chlorhexidine diacetate is best) and apply that prior to the dry doicking.

Try to do partial water changes every week rather than total ones every two weeks.

Also, you said this turtle is 6 inches, but was that the size you got it? Is it from a pet store ? the wild? (no judgements here). I just want to know as terrapins that were living in the wild sometimes are hard to acclimate to fresh water.

Also its a good idea to get a dechlorinator for your tap water from a pet or aquarium store.

Do you know the pH or hardness of your tap water?

About the shell shedding: It is normal but if what lay underneath is bloody, pus-filled, cheesy, spongy or really anything other than another a new normal looking scute, then there may be a serious problem. Do not pull off the scutes as they come loose . You can however rinse them under running water (bathroom or outside hose, not kitchen of course)and you may rinse with an antiseptic.
Sometimes junk get stuck underneath the scutes as they are starting to shed and lead to infection.
Is there any way you could get use some pictures of this turtle?
if you cannot upload them, feel free to email them to me.

My brother bought the turtle from someone and I am not sure how big it was when he purchased it. I don't know what the ph is for our tap water. We do have a water softener though. Unfortunately i do not have access to a digital camera so I cannot email any pictures right now. I will in the meantime try all the things you have suggested. Thank you so much for all of your help!