Vet Q&A-Reptile

I have an Indian roofed turtle it has white patches on its top shell and also it has (fungus colour) green coloured patches on starting and ending of the top shell the pattern of on its bottom shell is also fading from a spot , maybe it is shedding its skin from there.I keep the turtle in a tub with normal water and and I keep it in my room I also give him 1 to 2 hours for basking in the sun . I live in Delhi where average temperature nowadays is 27-32C and it is monsoon here . Pls help.

Thanks for reaching out about Bucky and including photos. The white areas are exposed bone and needs to be addressed by a veterinarian. Water must be kept in a pristine condition. A topical antibiotic can be applied in a thin layer but systemic antibiotic are likely needed. Good luck.

My eastern box turtle Is unresponsive. I am not sure if it is dead because rather than being limp, out of its shell with its eyes opened like turtles normally are when they die it is mostly in its shell resembling when it is asleep despite one leg that is slightly out but still not limp, and it's eyes are closed tight. It does not respond to any touch or water.

Thanks for reaching out about Hank. Not all animals remain limp after dying. and can stiffen up (rigor mortis) A veterinary visit can assess for a heart beat, but this does not appear promising. Sorry.

Red eared slider has swollen eyes. This is been going on for over a week close to 2 I am using repti Turtle eye drops I'm not sure if I should use them once or twice a day. I would like to know why his eyes are swollen and what I should do about it

For closed eyes, instill 1-2 drops per eye once daily for a week. For maintenance, it is 1-2 drops per per once weekly. Swollen eyes can be due to infection, trauma or vitamin deficiency (typically vitamin A). Maintain pristine water quality during treatment. Consider a temporary 5-10 degree F increase in temperature to aid in recovery. If the eyes do not improve, have Kiwi examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles to diagnose and treat infection or injury.

Hello, our 15-16 year old red-eared slider turtle (not sure if female or male but we think female) recently developed a discoloured greyish patch on its neck (in photos). We are concerned about this. This patch was developed in the last 7 days when she was left at a friends house, together with another red-eared slider who is 14 years old (we think female too). They were left in a fairly small tub together for the 7 days (much smaller than their usual home tank). Do we need to worry about this?

It may be local infection or irritation. Female sliders can be territorial, so injury is also a possibility. If Jenny is behaving normally, you can monitor the spot at home. Maintain pristine water conditions. You can gently cleanse the area daily using a diluted betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) solution followed by a 1-2 hour dry dock. If the spot doesn't clear up, have her examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles. Yes, Jenny is female. Short nails on the front limbs and the thin tail are indicative of a female slider.

I have a 2 months old RES Turtle.. Actually i have 2 turtles, of which this is male. He keeps on sleeping and do not ever wakes up until i put him in water. Is it normal? As my other female turltle is super active. She never rests. Now also while i am typing, she is roaming all over my house. He do not have swollen eyes as i rarely put him in water, like thrice a day just to feed him. While eating he wakes up and eats his food.. But otherwise, he just keep his eyes closed and sleeps. Please help

Red eared sliders are aquatic turtles. They need to be in water all the time. At that size, water depth should be no deeper than twice the length of the shell. Provide a swim area and a dock easily accessible from the water that they can climb up on. The water should be heated and filtered. Turtles also require a basking light (for heat) as well as UVB lighting. Low temps, ambient and water, can affect appetite and activity in turtles.You can review slider care at the link below. http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html

I'm not sure if my snake needs help with it's shed. She is a piebald ball python approx. 16 inches in length. This is her first shed with me and she seems to have been shedding for the past week. I know I had my humidity too low for at least some of that time, and she is only shedding in tiny pieces at the moment. Looks like her belly and other parts have shed but she still has a layer of skin on the top. I haven't been able to tell if she has gone "in blue" yet. So, can I soak her or wait?

Soaking won't harm her at this point. A warm water bath for 15-20 minutes daily will be fine. Provide a bowl of fresh water in her enclosure at all times and increase humidity to about 65% while she is in shed.

Y do turtles or tortoises blow their throat like balloon... Even frogs do... Y??

Frogs (and toads) have a vocal sac that is used to amplify their various calls (mating and letting others know of their presence). You may see turtles and tortoises "blowing their throats" since neither have a muscular diaphragm to aid in respiration. They use limb and head movement as well as muscled attached to internal organs to inflate and deflate the lungs.

So I have found a hole in my cat's leg, near his paw. It looks like a snake bite to me but there is only one hole. When I look into the hole, it actually looks Hollow. Should I go to a vet nearby, or will my cat be okay?

This is likely a bite wound from another cat or mammal. If it was a snake bite your cat's leg would be very swollen or he would be dead by now.. However almost 100% of bite wounds in cats develop an abscess. This is why you should have your kitty examined by your vet who will clip, clean and disinfect the wound, flush it if necessary and may prescribe an antibiotic and pain medicine.

Hi i have a red ear slider and i believe he has shell rot on his plastron , I have tried adding turtle fix to his water but it seems to be getting worse , what can i do to help him??

Thanks for reaching out about Frank and including the pictures. The lesions on the plastron (lower shell) doe appear to be due to an infection. Rarely do the fluid additives help in situations like this, because the infection is too deep for this treatment to work. Gently scrubbing with an old toothbrush with a dilute betadyne solution (1:10, light tan color) to remove any debris. Applying a topical antibiotics such as neosporin could work well but Frank needs to stay dry for 6-8 hours. Red eared sliders do great out of water and only need water to eat and drink. If the lesions get worse, a visit to a reptile veterinarian and systemic antibiotics is needed. Monitor water quality to provide a clean environment to live. Good luck.