The white patch is still there after many frequent water changes, i'm not sure what's wrong with it. Can someone help me with it?
Alligator snapping turtle shell HELP!
- Thread starter kljr
- Start date
Hey guys, i've tried improving it's diet with many varities of food but it's still not working and i've tested the water for ammonia, the result was 0 ppm. Which means ammonia burns isnt the cause of the white part of it's shell. I've also improved the water quality as well by making more water changes and adding 6-7 indian almond leaves into the tank, now my water is tea-coloured. It's been also 2 months now and i'm pretty worried what's wrong with it.
Diet: Minnows, Ghost shrimps , carrots , Tiger barbs , Feeder catfish , rosy red , water lettuce , frogs , apple snails
Diet: Minnows, Ghost shrimps , carrots , Tiger barbs , Feeder catfish , rosy red , water lettuce , frogs , apple snails
Is the spot squishy at all or is it solid like the rest of the shell? Is there anything in the enclosure that rubs on that spot?
Try washing the shell with rubbing alcohol or listerine- scrub as much grime off of the shell as possible. It looks like it is spreading which has me a little concerned. As long as it is solid it should be alright though. Continue to monitor it.
It looks like it is doing a lot better to me. As to the white area it may be like that for the rest of its life. If so as it grows the spot will seem smaller even though if measured it will be about the same because of the rest of the shell growing that is colored. Think of it like a scar. I have seen a very large and old one that had been shot over fifty years ago by a shotgun and was peppered with white areas before being saved by an alligator park. I also have had both box turtles and a single gopher tortoise who had cracked shell scars from being hit by a vehicles that looked like lighting bolts.
So why do i think it is doing better? Well several things stand out to me. One of the things is these turtles are not counting man at the top of the food chain being there are very few predators for them to worry about. Because of this when healthy they tend to leave their head out and mouth agape when messed with and their legs stretched out not tucked like most other turtles do. Second you have increased the variety and quality of its diet and improved its setup. Have you noticed an increase in its appetite? Try offering at its size smaller crayfish or prawns live or dead or any other shelled aquatic creatures as they are good sources of calcium for shell growth of your young beast.
I was going to place my young female common snapper into another home last week when i was offered a large snapper male that they think is an alligator snapper with setup. So i am waiting to meet up and get it and keep both still. I will post pics of it when and if I do.
how's the turtle? this thread is good reading.
I will say that i dont know much about turtles. I am a dentist by profession with a love for herps, insects, etc. So when i was looking at your turtles pics, the spines on the shell reminded me of teeth (i dont know why, but they did). Anyway, those of you who have ever had a toothache may remember that the dentist tapped on the tooth in question. It is not because he wanted to torture you, its bc your response to the tapping is diagnostic for us. In other words, pain is diagnostic. So what about the turtle?
Well, I would think if if the lesion is shell rot, the nerve endings will be dead (similar to a gangrene in humans). The turtle will have no response to a painful stimuli when the stimuli is applied to the lesion.
If it is bc the turtle is rubbing, then i am thinking the turtle will probably have inflammation due to trauma. This will cause a heightened response to a painful stimuli.
the rest of the healthy spines will act as a control.
so now you need to find a way to invoke a painful stimuli without causing lasting damage or infection. I am not saying stick a knife or a needle in your turtle. I am saying i dont know how to do it. but whatever it is, it needs to be small enough to only test the area you want. if you penetrate a lesion AND the healthy tissue, then the test is no good. and i know the turtle wont say "ouch" but you know your pets behavior best. you can probably tell if its in pain.
so i dunno, what do you guys think? i mean, its not conventional but maybe it will give you more clues.
I will say that i dont know much about turtles. I am a dentist by profession with a love for herps, insects, etc. So when i was looking at your turtles pics, the spines on the shell reminded me of teeth (i dont know why, but they did). Anyway, those of you who have ever had a toothache may remember that the dentist tapped on the tooth in question. It is not because he wanted to torture you, its bc your response to the tapping is diagnostic for us. In other words, pain is diagnostic. So what about the turtle?
Well, I would think if if the lesion is shell rot, the nerve endings will be dead (similar to a gangrene in humans). The turtle will have no response to a painful stimuli when the stimuli is applied to the lesion.
If it is bc the turtle is rubbing, then i am thinking the turtle will probably have inflammation due to trauma. This will cause a heightened response to a painful stimuli.
the rest of the healthy spines will act as a control.
so now you need to find a way to invoke a painful stimuli without causing lasting damage or infection. I am not saying stick a knife or a needle in your turtle. I am saying i dont know how to do it. but whatever it is, it needs to be small enough to only test the area you want. if you penetrate a lesion AND the healthy tissue, then the test is no good. and i know the turtle wont say "ouch" but you know your pets behavior best. you can probably tell if its in pain.
so i dunno, what do you guys think? i mean, its not conventional but maybe it will give you more clues.
