Reptile & Amphibian Forums

ok, first i'll inrtoduce myself. my name is kelly. i got this link from someone from the AOL turtle boards...so maybe some of you here might know me from that board. anyways, we have 4 water turtles (2 RES, and 2 river cooters) and on sunday, we aquired two land turtles.(from a flea market...i know that if i didn't take them, some idiot that does not know anything about turtles would get them, and that would be a tragedy) i've identified them as an ornate boxie, and a three-toed. they are both babies, and both seem pretty healthy, except the three-toed's shell looks strange, and i'm not sure if it's shell rot. i have never run into shell rot before, so i am not familiar with it. the shell does not seem soft at all, and it just looks flakey around each scale, like the water turtles shells look when they are growing. if anyone has any info or links on shell rot, you could e-mail them to me (or post them here? not sure if you can do this here?) any info would be greatly appreciated. thanks!

kelly

Hi Kelly. Great seeing you here . Here's an article on shell rot www.anapsid.org/shellrot.html and I strongly suggest a vet check as soon as possible.

Hi Kelly,

all the explaination in the world doesn't come close to what a few good pictures can provide when you are unfamiliar with something. This could be normal scute shedding/growth too if it is in thin translucent layers, so don't panic just yet. As long as there is firm healthy looking shell underneath, it's not slimey or smelly or coming off in thick pieces. Is this turtle getting a large aboundance of protein? Rapid growth from excessive protein can lead to this being more apparent.

A reptile vet visit doesn't hurt when you're dealing with something you're not sure about. But I also say get a pic up and we'll see.

Mick
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"When tyranny and oppression come to this land, it will be in the guise of fighting a foreign foe."

James Madison

Waves at Kelly
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PHRatz

ok, after building an enclosure, and giving them ample moisture and proper feeding this week, "little timmy" (the three-toed with the funny shell) is looking better than he did before. i am going to try posting a pic of the shell here (sorry, folks, i'm still new to this kind of forum) so hopefully it will come thru. i will try to get a pic later on today of what it looks like now, after being here almost a week.thanks to everyone for your responses, and to ratz.

ok, how the heck do you link a pic????