Reptile & Amphibian Forums

The carapace for my spotted turtles are turning a dullish grey over time...not the bright black lustre they once had. Any suggestions on what is going on?

That doesn't sound good. I wouldn't want to say for sure, but it could be shell rot. You may want to post some pictures here and do some research and see if pictures you find look like your turtle.

Sorry for being an idiot, but how do I attach pictures to the Message? I do not see an "attachment" button.

If you go to the top of the page you'll see a "Photos" section. If you go to that you should be able to create a quick account and load your pictures to that. I believe their were some size parameters that it mentions. It's been awhile since I loaded any, but once you have them in it will give you the option to attach any of them everytime you post a message... which is kind of nice. Might take you a minute to set up, but I'd like to see the carapace situation you've mentioned.

I have been trying for a month to get pictures to you. I keep on getting errors that the pictures are too large for the site. Too dumb to figure out how to get them downloaded.

I finally did it. Picture is called "spotted turtle carapace shot". You will note that the carapace has completely lost its lustre. Advice/remedies will be much appreciated!

I've looked for your pictures a couple of times now but have not been able to find them. Where did you put them? You should be able to easily attach them to your posts on here.

I would also suggest that you post some pictures of what you are seeing. It should help give a better idea of what you are describing. That said, I would mention that captive animals often lose some of their color over time. This might be due to artificial lighting and/or diet. However, this would seem less likely if they are long-term captives/captive bred. If you aren't already doing so, they might benefit from natural sunlight provided in an outdoor enclosure.

Perhaps it is even related to the age of these particular animals. Older animals also tend to lose some of the brighter color they had as juveniles and young adults.