Diseases
Most diseases which turtles are susceptible to are preventable by appropriate care. To keep your turtle healthy is it important to create the correct habitat with correct water conditions and sufficiant filteration also feeding the correct diet. Everything matters when it comes to turtle care. A lack of anything, no matter how insignificant it may seem at the time, can cause serious problems.
Don't forget to quarentine any sick turtles, you don't want to spread illness to your others!
Pyramiding
Symptoms
Pitting of both the carapace and the plastron. When in the advanced stage each individual scute appears to have a flat topped pyramid on it.
Causes
A diet which is too high in protein, for example, too much raw meat, ant eggs, blood worm, live foods etc. and overfeeding. It can be caused by too much humidity in the envoirnment, or even due to lack of seasonal changes of temperature in some species.
Cure
There is no actual cure, but you can slow and halt the process which in time will become less apparent. You need to feed plenty of greens, and limited protein food to do this, but there is no need to stop protein completely. It should also be noted that it is a lot more prominent in some species, mainly land turtles, as they would naturally have little to no protein in their diet
Soft Shell
Symptoms
Shell appears to be peeling, and softer than usual. Long term suffering can lead to paralysis of the rear legs and even death. If soft shell is left untreated it can progess to shell rot.
Causes
Improper feeding i.e. a diet with a low intake of calcium such as dried shellfish and cuttlefish.
A deficiency of vitamin D3, this comes from the UV light which should be above the terrapins basking site, this could be the lack of correct lighting or the fact the turtle is not basking enough. Incorrect temperatures - either the basking area being too cold or the water being to warm.
Cure
The turtle should have a monitored diet, consisting of high calcium foods, not using any high protein foods until the turtle has recovered. All food should be sprinkled with a vitamin supplement and their light period should be prolonged. If improvement is not seen then you should take your terrapin to a vet who in extreme cases will administer a vitamin injection. Basking is encouraged by dropping water temperatures to around 20°C and raising the basking area to around 35°C.
Shell Rot
Symptoms
Soft patches on the shell which are swollen and contain a furry, foul smelling substance or open wounds on the plastron.
Causes
Shell rot is most commonly caused by a bacterial or fungal infection. It can also be caused by high levels of amonia in the water, this happens when there is insufficiant filteration.
Cure
You should start by changing all the water in the tank everyday until the infection is completely cured. Only a small amount of water is required whilst in the hospital tank. You should also clean out the patches with iodine reptile wound treatment. After applying the iodine treatment the turtle should be kept in dry conditions for an hour to allow the solution to work before it gets washed off. Remember to quarentine sick turtles so as not to spread the infection.
Respiratory Infections
Symptoms
First symptoms are usually swimming lopsided due to the infected lung. Other symptoms include raspy breathing, closed eyes, swollen eyes, appetite loss, excessive basking and bubbly mucus from the nostrils or mouth.
Causes
These kinds of infections usually come from drafts or cold air temperatures around the basking site.
Cure
Make sure there are no direct drafts to the tank, ensure the air temperature is at the very least the same temperature of the water, ideally 5°C more. You should also raise the water temperature to around 27°C. If health does not improve, contact a vet.
Swollen Eyes
Symptoms
Eyes seem swollen and even closed, may be leaking a mucus like substance. NB, swollen eyes can sometimes be a symptom of respiratory infections.
Cause
This is caused by a lack of vitamin A in the diet.
Cure
Improve diet, if this does not help then a vet can inject a supplement to help the turtles boost their vitamin A levels. Care should be taken when supplementing vitamin A as high levels can be toxic. With swollen eyes a vet visit is advisable upon discovery, although it is more likely to be a respiratory infection.
Parasites
Symptoms
Terrapins don't often suffer with external parasites, and usually the only symptoms for internal parasites are lack of appetite and runny, bloody or mucus like faeces.
Cause
Usually only seen in animals caught from the wild and brought into captivity. Parasites can also sometimes be caught when adding live plants or fish to the tank for food
Cure
Unfortunatly there is nothing you can do, you need to see your vet asap!
Ear Infections
Symptoms
Lumps on either side of the head.
Cause
This is rare for terrapins and is usually only found in wild caught turtles.
Cure
Again, there is nothing you can do for this one, so back to the vets.