Keeping a pet turtle is not so much of a foreign idea as it may seem. It’s a versatile, low maintenance, and an overall lovely pet to raise for your own. However, like any other pet (dogs for example), raising a turtle of your own requires heavy responsibilities – and this includes constantly monitoring a careful eye on your turtle’s health.
Fungal growth can appear if your turtle companion does not live in a humid and dirty habitat. There are multiple ways to avoid this from happening in the first place, but in the event you spot the growth on your turtle, there are multiple cures to it. Find out more in this article on how to cure your turtle’s fungal infection.
1. Understand the Causes
In order to treat your turtle’s fungal infection, we should first understand the infection’s causes. Fungal infections on turtles are usually caused by an unkept habitat, dirty waters, and other sanitary problems. Once we are able to pinpoint the exact cause, we could target on the problem and treat the infection easier.
2. Know the Symptoms
The next thing you should be aware of is the infection’s symptoms. Recognising the symptoms earlier would help you avoid further damage to your turtle companion. Noted that regardless of the animal, there are several uniformed symptoms to the fungal infection. In a turtle’s case, aside from visible white spots on their shells, feet, and neck, other symptoms may include:
- The turtle hardly moves and does not response when being fed
- Shedding on the turtle’s skin around the white spots
- Blisters, cuts, and shedding of the turtle’s exterior
- Swollen and inflamed skin
3. Wash Your Turtle
After recognising the symptoms, you should wash your turtle immediately. Washing your turtle companion with warm water and brushing their skins gently would help sanitised the infected areas. In doing so, be cautious to avoid harming the turtle from brushing too rough and accidentally making further damage.
4. Soak Your Turtle
When you’re done gently exfoliating your turtle, the next step is to soak your turtle in a harmless medicinal bath. Prepare the special bath by combining lukewarm water with anti-fungal medicine, and proceed to soak your turtle companion for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, be sure to sunbathe your turtle under the natural sun to dry off the excess moisture. Once in a while, a good bath is needed to maintain your animal companion’s good hygiene.
5. Clean Their Tanks
After treating your turtle, perhaps the most important step to avoid this from happening again is to deep clean their tanks. It has become clear that their tank would be infested in harmful bacterias that could trigger the fungal infection once more. To clean their tanks, be sure to replace the existing water with new ones, and deep cleanse other materials placed in the habitat as well. You can never underestimate the positive influence of a clean and comfortable living spacehas to your animal companion’s growth!
This marks the end of a to-do list on how to cure your turtle’s fungal infection. Do note that these are just basic first aid help, and it is wise to consult medical professionals if the problem cease to desist. Let this article be a cautionary memo to monitor, clean, and take your animal companion for check ups regularly!