My turtle's belly shell is yellow. What is it and how to treat?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
Ho I have a short neck murray river turtle I noticed today when i got him out to clean tank he has some yellowish stuff on his belly side of its shell What could this be and how do i treat it
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on August 28th, 2017
Looks like ulcerative shell disease which is often called SCUD or 'shell rot'. It comes in two primary forms. The dry form is often associated with a fungal infection and the wet form is often associated with gram negative bacteria (and usually develops after an injury to the shell). This looks to be the dry form. Treatment consists of cleaning the area with a diluted Betadine solution (1 part betadine to 10 parts water). Put it on the affected areas, let it sit for 5-10 minutes and then rinse thoroughly. I would do this twice a day. Also dry docking for 4-8 hours a day is strongly recommended. Go over all your husbandry carefully - ie: water quality/chemistry, lighting, diet, etc. as usually this is a husbandry issue. This article is very informative. https://www.amazingamazon.com.au/murray-river-turtle-care-short-neck-turtle-care Hope this helps. Best wishes!
4Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on June 21st, 2018
A reddened shell can be due to trauma, but it can also be due to infections in the body, called sepsis. I think that you mentioned previously that you had been to a veterinarian recently - I would recommend that you contact them, and see if they would be willing to fill a course of antibiotics for you. This would incur a cost, but if they have seen Cooper recently, they may not require an exam for this, so that would save you some money. However, I don’t know if they would feel comfortable in doing this, so you would need to ask them. Otherwise, please ensure that the husbandry and water quality are as good as possible, because contaminated water can have excessive amounts of bacteria which can lead to infections.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Health & Wellbeing
Four days ago, I noticed some white spots on my Yellow Belied Slider's shell. These spots were not there before. I got worried so I searched about it. According to various sites on Internet, these white spots can be caused by bacteria if I have not c
This may be normal shedding of scutes. It may also be infection, rot or due to poor water conditions. Continue to maintain water quality via water changes and/or a filter. You'll also need to heat the water and provide a heat amp and UVB lighting to promote shell health. A balanced diet and vitamin/mineral supplementation are also important. To treat minor infection, continue to maintain clean water and use a diluted betadine or chlorhexidine solution and a soft bristled toothbrush to gently scrub the area daily. Allow for a 1-2 hour dry dock after each cleaning. Monitor for worsening or spread, redness, pitting or softness of the shell. See your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles if necessary. If they are juveniles, a 10 gallon tank will be fine for now. As they grow though, you will need to provide a much larger tank. The general recommendation is 10 gallons per inch of turtle. You can review slider care below. Red eared sliders and yellow bellied sliders shar
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My turtles shell has some pale spots and a soft area on the shell near the tail. As well as I noticed her scutes didnt shed properly. She is a yellow belly. 55 Gallon heated filtered tank. She outgrew her basking area which I have now fixed but this
These could be spots of infection or injury. Maintain pristine water quality via filtration and regular partial water changes. Also, maintain proper environmental parameters. Replace the UVB bulb if it is older than 6 months. Supplement regularly with multivitamin and calcium powders. This will promote shell health. You can even float a cuttlebone in the tank for her to munch on as needed. Use a soft bristled toothbrush and a diluted Betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) solution to gently scrub the affected areas. Allow for a 1 hour dry dock (out of the water) after each cleaning. If you see know improvement in a week or so then have her physically examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles. You can review slider care at the links below. (Yes, they say red eared slider, but care is the same for YBS). http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Red-Eared-Slider-Care-Sheet/ http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
How do I treat shell rot? The bottom of his shell is pocked, and his skin color is tinted dark green. There are some weird dents, but no pus or anything is coming out, but his shell is definitely rotting.
Minor rot can be managed at home by providing pristine water conditions and cleansing the affected areas. Use a soft bristled toothbrush and diluted betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) solution to gently scrub the shell. Any loose material can be gently scraped off using a plastic straight edge. Don't use a knife. Allow for a 1-2 hour dry dock (out of the water) after each cleaning. Air and a drying out period are necessary for healing. UVB lighting, a balanced diet and adequate vitamin and mineral supplementation will also promote shell health. If you see no improvement within 5-7 days of continued treatment, have your turtle examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Is this shell rot? If so what can we do to treat it (until we can get her to a vet)? Do note that this is what her shell looks like coming right out of the water. None of it feels like it divots into the shell and none of it is soft. Shes active and
It could be. It is difficult to determine definitively by looking at an image. For now, maintain clean water and proper environmental parameters. You can scrub the shell daily using a soft bristled toothbrush and diluted Betadine or chlorhexidine (Hibiclens) solution. Allow for a 1-2 hour dry dock (out of the water) after each cleaning. Clean water, a balanced diet, vitamin/calcium supplementation and UVB lighting will all promote shell health.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My 4 month old turtle is developing white patches with tine black spots on his shell. They were initially localised but have started spreading now. Also, his vertebral scute seems to be lying at a different level than the rest of them. He eats well a
Biscuit may be developing shell rot. This condition is usually caused by poor lighting, poor water quality, poor diet or a combination of the three. The lack of a UVB light source may be contributing to the condition. Natural sunlight is great but the window panes can block a large portion of the beneficial UVB rays. If the shell underneath looks pitted, deformed or feels soft and spongy then there could be a serious issue. Minor shell rot can be treated at home. Use a soft bristled tooth brush and an antiseptic such as chlorhexidine or povidone to gently clean affected areas. Dry dock Biscuit until the area heals. This means keep him out of the water except for 30 minutes daily to eat, eliminate and hydrate. The dry dock (and tank) should have a UVB source placed no more than 12 - 18 inches above the tank. Use a screen instead of plexiglass or glass. Replace UVB bulbs every 6 months. Clean the tank, do a water change and change the filter media. Feed a species appropriate diet
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My turtle shell has some brown spots and some of he corners of his scutes are brown and peeling. His lines on his shell are also brown. He does have a uvb and heat lamp.
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.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Some of my box turtles have a whitish film covering some scutes in border of carapace and on plangstom. Is it Dysecdysis and how to cure.
You didn't include a photo so I'm not sure. Certainly this whitish film could be due to dysecdysis, though it would be unusual, given appropriate heat, diet, UVB light exposure, and a clean environment, for multiple turtles to develop shedding issues at once. If you're sure your husbandry is ok I would worry about "shell rot", or an infection over the scute. Treating this type of infection involves thorough cleaning of your enclosure(s), it will also involve treating each of the turtles. Depending on the cause of the infection (fungal, bacterial, or algal), your veterinarian will be able to determine the infectious agent (if this is in fact shell rot) and provide you with the proper shell cleaning agent. Good luck with your turtles, I hope this was helpful!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
How to tell if my turtles shell is rotten or not
Shell rot can present as pitting, bleeding or redness. You may see peeling or uneven scutes and there could be an odor. The shell may also be soft. Poor water quality, nutritional deficiency and a lack of UVB lighting can all contribute or complicate the condition. See your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating reptiles if you suspect your turtle has shell rot.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Training & Behavior
Hi, I'm a Mississippi Map Turtle owner, I recently discovered that turtles are meant to shed their scutes. I didn't know as this is my first turtle and he hasn't shed before, I've now had him for 2+ years. There was a lot of algae build up on his she
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
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My baby turtle has developed some white patches on his shell. On Google search I found that it might be fungus and some suggested applying betadine on the affected area. I would like to add this baby of mine is a voracious eater, avid swimmer but doe
Confirm proper environmental conditions. The basking spot should be around 31C. Make sure water quality is maintained via filtration and regular cleaning. Provide adequate amounts of UVB lighting, a multivitamin and a calcium supplement to promote shell health. You can use diluted betadine or chlorhexidine and a soft bristled brush to gently cleanse the shell. Keep him out of the water for an hour or two after each cleaning. The link below will provide additional information. http://www.anapsid.org/reslider.html
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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