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Posted by Maxx MacLeod on February 21, 2003 at 01:05:52:
In Reply to: Softshell turtle help. Weird spot on shell. posted by Tony2 on February 20, 2003 at 23:54:47:
Tony 2-- I've seen this type of thing many times in softshells. My guess would be that it's a spot of fungal and/or bacterial infection. In captivity, this is usually caused by poor filtration and it can be worsened by poor lighting and lack of basking areas. I'd evaluate your whole filtration and lighting setup. (Older turtles aren't as susceptible to these types of things because of their more highly developed immune systems.) Fortunately, it should be easy for you to stop this thing dead in its tracks if it's only a small spot right now. Also, you might want to consider adding salt to the water for a while and possibly, on a permanent basis. Adding salinity and lowering PH are two tricks that softshell keepers use to make conditions in the tank less conducive to bacterial and fungal growth since these organisms usually live in a very narrow range of conditions (especially fungi). Finally, I'd be willing to bet that even though there may be various toxins in the water by the Quaker Oats Plant (!?), most of the water conditions are probably fairly good as far as turtles go (ie., natural sunlight, low ammonia levels, and a low bio-load of micro organisms...at least lower than a small indoor tank). You can never underestimate the power of sunlight and decent water to keep reptiles healthy in comparison to trying to create this in captivity. Good luck! --Maxx
