Reptile & Amphibian Forums

all was well and today i noticed three yellow zit looking things and the noticed hi eye looks like it has a cataract or something,there is no vets in illinois who is familiar with these turtles so any info will help please hurry

Here are a couple of veterinarians in Illinois well versed in herpetofauna medicine:

Byron de la Navarre, DVM
Animal House of Chicago
2752 West Lawrence Avenue
Chicago, IL 60625
Tel: (773) 878-8002

Stephen L. Barten, DVM
Vernon Hills Animal Hospital
1260 South Butterfield Road
Mundelein, IL 60060
Tel: (847) 367-4070

Karen Shaw Becker, DVM
Natural Pet Animal Hospital
17266 S. Harlem Ave.
Tinley Park, IL 60477
Tel: (708) 342-1111

In the mean time, you should “dry-dock” your turtle long enough to allow the shell to dry and treat the infected shell areas with 2% chlorhexidine gluconate or tea tree oil, sold in most aquatic supply stores as MelaFin, which can be applied to the entire shell surface and used to treat the water. I can only guess that your turtle has incurred a Sphagnalium spp. fungal infection, from your description, but such can be difficult to diagnose without actually seeing the turtle and the treatment indicated above will need to be carried out once or twice daily, until such time the fungal infestation has rescinded
The veterinarian will be able to diagnose the eye anomaly you described and should it indeed be a bacterial infestation, you will most likely be given an ophthalmologic ointment of Terramycin to apply once or twice daily, which can be easily done while you are treating the shell.
Also, you will need to review your captive maintenance protocol to make certain you are providing the appropriate environmental conditions, as all you have described can be avoided by providing the correct environmental conditions for your turtle.

Best regards,

Jeff Snodgres

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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947

Great response!

www.arav.com and the herpvetconnection are great resources when looking for reptile vets

What you have is a fungal infection on both the shell and in the eyes. A pet store should sell eye drops to treat the eyes, a few drops per day should suffice.

Water quality and temperature are vital to the successful care of the Fly River Turtle. Water temp 79-86 degrees F and very clean water with a 12 hour day/night cycle will help clear up the fungus. If left untreated the fungus over time this can be fatal to this species.

Truly,

Paul Bodnar

Diagnosing a fungal infection over the net, and without seeing the animal? Prescribing a mystery eye drop treatment from the petstore? Sounds like someone has more faith in the dealers of animals than seems warranted.

The use of a veterinarian familiar with reptile medicine cannot be underestimated in value.

I have had great success using Acriflavine to cure my fungal problems in Fly River Turtles. The worst one was treated with ketakonazole by an exotic vet in Newburg, N.Y.I have noticed that when I use fresh fruit such as kiwi, and romaine lettuce, any of the 'debris' left in the tank seems to increase the chance of fungal infections. Clean water with the right temperature is a must. I have kept mine at 81 degrees F., and use three mechanical filters, and a wet/dry on the tank.
I would STRONGLY recommend having the turtle seen by a competent reptile specialist.

Uuno

Would like to hear how your FRT is currently doing...

Thank you,

Jeff
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Jeff Snodgres
University of Arkansas
snodgresjeffreys@uams.edu
501.603.1947