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Map Turtle

22 16:03:18

Question
I recently purchased a Map Turtle. It is young (approx 1 1/2 " shell). It is very active, eats well, and is a lot of fun. We have the appropriate tank, heated water, and a UV Lamp. The problem is that when I bought it from the pet shop it had 3 white spots on it's shell. The spots are coarse and dry. The shell is not soft. The person at the store said it was either shell damage or a calcium issue. I am not sure I believe either. This turtle shows no other sign of being sick and is really fun. I am concerned about the spots and would like to know your thoughts. Many thanks.

Answer
Hello Sean, Congrads on your new shelled friend. What you describe sounds to be a fungus. You can take him out of the water and with a soft tooth brush, remove the fungal spots. This make take time to heal and as long as you have all the right things for him then he should recover rather quickly if you get the fungus off him.