My turtle's belly shell is yellow. What is it and how to treat?

The peeling scutes may be normal shedding. Do not attempt to remove them yourself. Maintain pristine water quality. You can use a soft bristled tooth brush and a diluted Betadine solution to gently scrub the shell or affected areas. Allow for a 1 hour dry dock (out of the water) after each cleaning. If the UVB bulb has been in use longer than 6 months, replace it. Make sure it is not blocked by fine mesh, glass or plexiglass. Provide a balanced diet including prey, fresh greens and vegetables and a commercial pelleted diet. Dust food and prey with both a multivitamin and a calcium supplement regularly.

Hi there! So sorry to hear about Willow's shell troubles. You can try dry-docking him and just letting him into the water for an hour a day to defecate to let the shell really dry out. You can clean the shell with some very dilute betadine or iodine, or chlorhexidine solution mixed one part solution with 10 parts water 2-3 times per day while you dry dock. Keep in mind, when trying to feed him a couple times per week, he'll want to be in the water for that as well as for going to the bathroom. They will not eat when being dry docked. If here is no improvement at all in a week or so, he may need some prescription cream to apply to the shell. Shell rot usually will be a result of water quality not being ideal. Below is a link to Austin's turtle page, one of my favorite turtle husbandry pages, as well as a link about treating shell rot. I hope you find this answer helpful. Best of luck! http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/caresheet-mississippi_map.htm https://www.vettails.com/vettails/2016/2/21/how-i-treat-shell-rot-in-turtles

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

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.

Thanks for reaching out about Rizzo and including photos. This does appear to be a deep shell infection. First, water quality is incredibly important. All substrate (rocks, soil) should be removed. Water changes daily. Next, a dry environment needs to be set up to allow the wound to dry. Aquatic turtles can stay out of the water for very long periods of time. Rizzo can be kept dry all day and allowed two periods of time to be allowed to eat (1-2 hours each time) as turtles will not eat if dry. This will all allow the topical application of a anti-microbial cream, and not have it wash off. A soft towel or T-shirts can be used for bedding. Lastly, a veterinary visit is needed to prescribe systemic antibiotics, likely injections, as creams don't penetrate too deeply. These will heal over time if therapy is aggressive. Good luck.

Unfortunately it looks like Alex has a bad case of wet shell rot also known as SCUD. As this is quite severe I would take him to a vet with experience of chelonians asap as untreated it can progress into blood poisoning. If possible it woukd be best to isolate Alex as it is usually due to an infection of bacteria or fungi.

Shell rot is characterized by pitting, soft spots, foul odor or discharge or loss of scutes. It can be a serious condition and requires veterinary attention. Your turtle may have rot or the discoloration may be due to excess mold or algae. Clean the tank, do a water change and change the filter media. Confirm proper environmental conditions for your particular species of turtle. Try using a toothbrush and gently scrubbing the affected area of the shell. Make sure your turtle has a warm, dry basking area with proper UVB lighting. If your UVB bulb is older than 6 months, replace it. Do not place glass or plastic covers between the turtle and the UVB bulb. Feed an appropriate diet and dust food with a calcium supplement once a week.