Turtle fungus or skin shedding?
i have a painted turtle about a year and a half old that has a white “cotton like” film on him. some days its better than others, i went to the pet store and they told me it was probably a fungus and i should give him a salt bath daily. well after about 3 weeks of giving them to him, the problem still isn’t clearing up like i thought it would. with that not going away, i am now thinking that maybe he is shedding his skin. Some days its really really light, some days its really bad. (he has grown twice the size he was from when i originally got him 2 months ago). You can only see this under water, and when he is outside of the tank, he looks perfectly fine.
to get rid of all the people that are going to say that im not taking care of him, or he is sick let me get this out of the way
He is happy
He is eating normally
He is a really fast swimmer, and can run even faster.
He is in a 55 gal aquarium
He has a filter that is adequate for the water
I change the water and clean the gravel completely every week
His UV basking temp is about 95 degrees
He does have a spot to completely dry off
He has a calcium bone floating that he does nibble on
There are also 2 48″ florescent lights hanging above the tank to provide light for him all day long.
Lights are on 15 on, 9 off every day
Ok now my question, the internet has failed me with my searches for pictures or good information about turtle fungus’ or shedding. so, do any of you have pictures or information of what either of them would look like? The “cotton film” is on his skin, not on his shell. His shell is healthy and hard.
Very easy answer, it is defiantly skin shedding but you need to turn down the basking lamp to around 80 degrees for ultimate comfort. Hope you get everything sorted for peice of mind
First off Good Job on the details – more than most keepers with questions ever bother to post – A few thoughts on your set up – questions really not for you to answer but to consider – are either of the fluorescent uvb?
Does your filter have enough bio media (2-3 times what is rated for a 55 gal tank)?
When you change the water weekly are you treating it for clorines & chlora mines – many will say that this is not a concern with turtles, however any time you have a tank with bio-filtration you need to treat for chlorine and chloramine to avoid killing off the beneficial bacteria in a filter – if not you are working against yourself in terms of water quality.
Is your tank at least 3/4 full? – this is important for a variety of reasons.
The current treatment: I’m sure the pet store meant well – but salt treatment doesn’t really do all that much with a fungus – especially if they gave you the wrong type of ‘salt’.
For both now and future reference one of (the best really in my experience) best water treatments for turtle infection issues that can be used in the water is melafix (found in the fish section and used per direction in the aquarium water). melafix is a suspension of melaleuca alternafolia designed to mix into water – tea tree oil with a carrier so to speak. Tea tree has both antibacterial and antifungal properties. I have used it successfully for years to treat both bacterial and fungal issues on shell and skin with aquatic turtles – despite the name it is not ‘oily’ and while it cannot kill off a raging systemic bacterial infection it does a great job on the topical issues both fungal and bacterial. I use it in the ‘straight’ form for direct application with a q-tip – beware of open wounds – it can sting – available in the pharmacy (works well on people issues too
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Now to the real deal – here is a link with actual photos showing shedding versus skin fungus. Treatment of dry docking is a huge part of the process but should be done on such a small turtle with care. http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/emergencies.htm
Skin fungus on a little turtle plus one keepers home remedy – http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm178/azxpert/Golden%2520Thread%2520Turtle/GTT53.jpg&imgrefurl=http://azfarturtle.blogspot.com/2009/08/turtle-skin-problem-fungus-bacteria.html&usg=__RVzMez2lnuq68tPd1dpBIc-vp_w=&h=480&w=640&sz=51&hl=en&start=2&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=6cfCdvNZHhzH9M:&tbnh=103&tbnw=137&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dturtle%2Bskin%2Bfungus%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26rlz%3D1T4TSHB_en___US344%26tbs%3Disch:1
Sorry my old link to a good comparison shot to a shed vs a fungus has been pulled. Descriptively a fungus is usually described as thicker, slimy or cottony. Shedding is generally a lot like a sunburn peel, skin comes off in filament like very thin layers ranging in size.
A last thought – despite the plethora of old information recommending iodine I do not recommend it. Iodine can remove both healthy and infected skin and destroys and inhibits new skin growth – like hydrogen peroxide it stings a lot and does not distinguish between the healthy and infected skin it can remove, destroy.
These days the best most vet recommended cleaner is Hibiclens. Hibiclens is a brand name over-the-counter antiseptic wash for the skin. The active ingredient in Hibiclens is an antimicrobial agent called Chlorhexidine Gluconate. Hibiclens is used as a surgical scrub, an antibacterial skin wash and a wound cleanser. I started using it years ago after seeing it used not just by my own doctors but by the vets as well. Available in pharmacies or online.
last but not least – while your description of the problem sounds like fungus there is one piece of information that does not quite fit/seem right. unless your turtle was the newest of new hatchlings (and maybe even then) doubling in size in 2 months time is too much growth too fast – turtles love to eat and in captivity it is hard to get in enough of the right foods without some research – too much protein without enough mineral/calcium supplementation leads to fast growth, weakened immune systems, mbd, shell deformities and the like – if your little one is growing this quickly, in the good habitat you describe and already showing a skin issue a second look at the diet and supplements is in order. Here are some diet links:
http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/care.htm
– flip side – it may have been a fairly normal spurt and you may just be dealing with the resultant shed, research is your best ally here.
Oh, I almost forgot – if you are up for a free download from lulu.com – here is a great care guide with pics – it’s a reference every keeper of aquatic turtles should have and Dr. Rich is making it available as a free download – it is worth the $37.50 text price to have on a shelf – but free is always good too.
http://www.lulu.com/product/download/captive-care-of-north-american-water-turtl