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Glossy, White Spots

RoyC May 11, 2004 06:31 PM

My turtle is getting more and more glossy, white spots on his shell and plastron. I tried Herpcare spray but it's not really working. Does anyone know what is going on? Thanks.

Replies (9)

dsgngrl May 11, 2004 07:33 PM

It could just be mineral deposits from your water. Can you see them better when he is wet or dry? If the spots are pitty or fluzzy it could be shell rot or a fungal infection, but that doesn't sound like what you are describing.
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RoyC May 12, 2004 12:02 PM

I see them more when he's wet although it is still noticable when he's dry. I have to admit that he is not in a tank with a filter. I'm working on that right now. He's in what I think you guys call a "Death tank" or something. But the tank is fairly big and I change the water 2 times a day. I use Aquasafe because I don't have the reptile water treatment thing yet. My cousin has his in the same setup and his doesn't have any spots.

I'll be moving him in the 20 gallon long tank in a few weeks when my friend moves. We're setting it up at her house and she's going to take care of the turtle for me because my dad is a prick. We're going to set it up with an Emperor 280B. Will that work?

honuman May 12, 2004 01:03 PM

That will be big enough if he is a hatchling sized or a little bigger turtle and certainly better than what he is currently in. Good that you are taking those steps to care for your turtle. Also make sure he has his basking light and basking area too.

Changing the water so often can be a possible cause for what is going on (though leaving it dirty is a worse option so I would continue to do so -- changing it ONCE a day until you have him set up in another environment)

Steve

RoyC May 12, 2004 01:56 PM

Right now he basks for a few hours everyday in direct sunlight. I change the water everytime he eats which is 2 times a day but i'll try to change it just once now. By the way, I change 100% of the water. I tried chaging 50% but it was still murky. He's using up a lot of my Aquasafe but it's ok. As long as he's healthy.

dsgngrl May 12, 2004 02:27 PM

No need to feed him twice a day, once a day is fine for hatchlings. If he is bigger than 2 inches, you can even cut back to every other day.
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RoyC May 12, 2004 02:35 PM

He's 1.5 inches. I feed him about 4 peas and as much of a piece of romaine lettuce he will eat in the morning and about 4 peas at night. Every other day i fead him half a stick of Reptomin in the morning with his lettuce, and half at night. Is that too much? I heard that the hatchlings needed to eat plenty of food.

Also, why is his poo all leafy? It comes out as a clump but as soon as he bites it it explodes into shrapnels of leaves and they are a pain to clean.

dsgngrl May 12, 2004 03:05 PM

Actually, I would say you are underfeeding him. An amount of reptomin the size of his head once a day would be right, along with as much veggies as he wants.
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honuman May 12, 2004 05:47 PM

try other things beside the peas. Good that he is eating greens. Try some chickory, dandelion greens, or escarole too. Also try giving him some cooked cocktail shrimp once in a while but do keep emphasizing those leafy greens if he is eating them.

The leafy poo is normal.

Direct sunlight has very little benefit for him if it is coming through a window. You need to get a basking lamp so he gets some UVB light.

RoyC May 12, 2004 09:26 PM

The window is wide open. The only thing between him and the sunlight is a mesh screen. I try to feed him carrots but he refuses to eat them.

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