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My turtle has got some kinda white spots on his neck???? What is that for???? What does it mean????

My turtle has got some kinda white spots on his neck???? What is that for???? What does it mean????

Updated On June 15th, 2018

Pet's info: Other | Unknown - Other | Male

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Answered By Miranda Sadar, DVM, DACZM

Veterinarian

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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.

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