Hi everyone! Im new here and i was hoping someone could give me some advice on an Oblong turtle that i have here.
This little guy/girl was brought to me by a friend that has a market garden. They have a dam that is very polluted by chemical runoff and rubbish dumped by losers that have obviously never heard of a tip. Its not at all suitable for anything to live in- the water quality is shocking. There is a nearby swamp that has been dried up for a few years now so im assuming all the turtles have started coming to this dam as its the only other water source close.
Usually my friend catches them, brings them to me and i relocate them to the turtle friendly river near my place.
This one however, caught my eye. Half his/her shell is white and somewhat softish. There does appear to be a couple of small white lumps that look to me could be ulcers maybe? He/she is very active, eyes, nostrils and skin looks fine.
For the last 2 days i have been using an old toothbrush and gently scrubbing the shell with undiluted Betadine, putting him in a tub for 2 hours to dry and then putting him back in a pond i set up (he has dry land to get onto of he wishes). I only have done it once a day as im worried about stressing him out too much. I know im not allowed to keep him and am quite happy to hand him over to a wildlife carer/ rehab facility, i just wanted to make sure it is infact a fungal infection/shell rot before i take him. I really dont want to turn up with him only to be told he's shedding or something! I would feel pretty stupid.
I have attached some pics- they are not the best and i hope they work. Sorry my post is sooo long, im really hoping someone can give me some advice on what to do with the poor little bugger.
Thanks in advance!
This little guy/girl was brought to me by a friend that has a market garden. They have a dam that is very polluted by chemical runoff and rubbish dumped by losers that have obviously never heard of a tip. Its not at all suitable for anything to live in- the water quality is shocking. There is a nearby swamp that has been dried up for a few years now so im assuming all the turtles have started coming to this dam as its the only other water source close.
Usually my friend catches them, brings them to me and i relocate them to the turtle friendly river near my place.
This one however, caught my eye. Half his/her shell is white and somewhat softish. There does appear to be a couple of small white lumps that look to me could be ulcers maybe? He/she is very active, eyes, nostrils and skin looks fine.
For the last 2 days i have been using an old toothbrush and gently scrubbing the shell with undiluted Betadine, putting him in a tub for 2 hours to dry and then putting him back in a pond i set up (he has dry land to get onto of he wishes). I only have done it once a day as im worried about stressing him out too much. I know im not allowed to keep him and am quite happy to hand him over to a wildlife carer/ rehab facility, i just wanted to make sure it is infact a fungal infection/shell rot before i take him. I really dont want to turn up with him only to be told he's shedding or something! I would feel pretty stupid.
I have attached some pics- they are not the best and i hope they work. Sorry my post is sooo long, im really hoping someone can give me some advice on what to do with the poor little bugger.
Thanks in advance!
