Two Easy Ways to Start Earning Rewards!
Become a member today!
Members-only pricing and offers, personalized care notifications, Vital Care points back on every purchase and more!
Already a member? Sign in
Become a credit card member today!
Earn 2X Pals Rewards points at Petco
when you use Petco Pay!
APPLY NOW
Learn More About Petco Pay Benefits

Turtle has black spots on its underside. Can I treat it at home?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Hello sir I have Indian soft shell turtle the problem is black spot on down side of my turtle and there are no pet doctor in my city please help me I'm also attaching the photos of my turtle

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Published on July 28th, 2018

This could be a fungal or bacterial infection. You can try to manage it at home by maintaining pristine water quality via filtration and regular partial water changes. Make sure any filter you have is rated for at least twice the volume of the tank. Remove any uneaten food promptly to prevent it from fouling the water.
Use a soft bristled brush and a diluted betadine or chlorhexidine solution to gently scrub the affected areas daily. Keep the turtle out of the water fro an hour or two after each cleaning. If the spots do not begin to resolve within 5-7 days, you may need to seek veterinary attention.

3Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Eryn Taormina, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on July 3rd, 2018
Hi there! I'm so sorry to hear about Shelby's troubles. First, I always ask if there is one turtle, or 2 or more housed in the same tank. The top of the head is common place for there to be trauma if the turtles are fighting. This is usually seen most in male turtles being housed together, but that doesn't mean turtles of different sexes can't fight too. Second, if Shelby is housed alone, it is important to check water quality. Here is a great website with information about that: http://www.redearslider.com/index_water_quality.html
In addition, I would take Shelby to a vet that sees reptiles in your area. Shelby may need some antibiotics and something topical to apply to the spot.
I hope this answer was helpful! Best of luck!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Published on January 31st, 2019
It does appear to be an infection, injury or abnormal tissue. Ideally, Rock should be physically examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles. The specific treatment will depend on the diagnosis. A bacterial infect will require antibiotics, a fungal infection will need anti-fungals. If it is abnormal tissue, a biopsy maybe needed to diagnose it.
For now, maintain pristine water quality and proper environmental parameters. Make sure she continues to eat and behave normally.
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT
Licensed Veterinary Technician
Published on January 3rd, 2019
It looks like it could be a tiny abrasion. This can be due to swimming around or rubbing against tank furniture. Maintain pristine water quality and keep an eye it. Monitor for redness, discharge or bleeding. You can clean it daily with some diluted Betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) if necessary. Try to see what he or she may be rubbing against and remove it or relocate it.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Smart Picks for Smart Questions

Related Questions

My baby turtle has a black spot on its shell. What should I do?

You can use a soft bristled toothbrush to gently scrub the area. Maintain clean water and provide a health, balanced diet along with adequate UVB lighting and vitamin supplementation. all these will promote shell and overall health. Monitor for spread, bleeding, lethargy, loss of appetite, softness or pitting. These are symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles. If you can provide the species of turtle and an image or two in a new post, we may be able to provide more specific advice.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My alligator snapping turtle has a white spot on its head. What to do?

Keep the water as clean as possible. You may need to empty and scrub the tank then perform partial water changes frequently. If you can handle it safely, gently scrub the spot with a dilute betadine solution. Allow him to dry thoroughly afterwards. Do this daily for two weeks. If the water changes and scrubbing don't work, dissolve 2 tablespoons of plain aquarium salt (NOT table salt). Per gallon of water in a large basin and dip him in it. Allow him to dry before returning to his main tank. Do this daily for two weeks. If the spot still doesn't clear up or if it spreads, he will need to be physically examined by your veterinarian or an experienced herp vet.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Health & Wellness

My baby red-eared slider has white spots on its shell. What is it?

It could be some minor shell rot. Use a soft bristled toothbrush and some diluted betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) to scrub the affected area once or twice daily. Allow for a 1 hour dry dock (out of the water) after each cleaning. Maintain pristine water quality via filtration and regular partial water changes. If the spots do not resolve or if they spread, have Squirtle physically examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles. A UVB light source, calcium powder and multivitamin will promote shell health. You can also float a piece of cuttlebone in the tank for him to munch on as needed. It will provide additional calcium. Find the cuttlebone in the Bird section of the local Petco. The link below will provide additional information regarding the care of sliders. http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My turtle has white spots on his foot and yellow patches. Is he sick?

This could be due to a bacterial or fungal infection. Swab the infected area with a diluted povidone-iodine solution twice daily. Scrape away the infected area gently with a blunt tool or a cotton pad. If this time of first line treatment does not help and you do not see any improvement in 48hours a check up at your local veterinarian would be required as antibiotic ointment and more aggressive treatment may be needed. Hope this answer was helpful, but please do not hesitate to contact us again on the forum or by requesting a consultation if you have any more questions or to discuss it any further. Please find the time to give us a feedback about the consultation as that will be used to improve our service.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

My red-eared slider has black spots on its shell. What's the cause?

UVB lighting is critical to shell and overall health. If you don't yet have a UVB light source, you can take Jazzy outside in full sun for at least 60 minutes daily. Use caution to prevent overheating though. Perform a partial water change (30% total volume) and scrub and tank furniture. Confirm the filter is rated for at least twice the volume of the tank. You will likely need to perform partial water changes weekly or every 2 weeks to maintain water quality. Turtles eat and defecate in the water, so it can get dirty very quickly without regular maintenance. Scrub Jazzy using a soft bristled toothbrush and a diluted Betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) solution. Allow for a 1-2 hour dry dock (out of the water) after each scrubbing. Monitor for lethargy, loss of appetite, soft spots on the shell or pitting. These are symptoms that should be addressed by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles. You can review slider care at the link below. http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Why does my turtle have white spots on its neck? Is it serious?

White spots on an aquatic turtle is often related to husbandry - most specifically the quality of the water. Aquatic turtles can be very dirty, and therefore they challenge most water filtration systems and it can be difficult to keep the water clean. I would recommend reviewing your husbandry with a care sheet, such as those for soft shelled turtles on Reptiles Magazine's website, and ensuring that it is as perfect as possible. You can see if the white spots are attached or if there is something just growing on the surface of your turtle - you can use Q-tips or a cloth to try to gently wipe them off, but be careful that you don't wipe too hard and hurt the turtle, and use caution in case Shiro tries to bite while you are trying this. If the white spots do not come off, I would recommend that Shiro is seen by a veterinarian. The spots may be bacterial or fungal growth from water quality problems, as mentioned above, but they may also be a growth of tissue as well. A veterinarian can sample the area, and look at the material under the microscope to determine what it is composed of. From there, they can make recommendations about diagnostic tests or treatments that can be used.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Training & Behavior

My turtle has a red spot and soft shell. What can I do at home?

Yes, the images are blurry. The best you can do is monitor the spot for rapid change or growth. Maintain water quality and environmental parameters. Provide a well balanced diet along with vitamin and mineral supplementation. Unfortunately, without a physical exam, there is not much more to be done that you aren't doing already.

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Have A Vet Question?

Book an appointment with the pros – our expert vets are here to help.

Share