Odd spots and marks appearing on your pet turtle will quickly catch your eye if you’re raising these reptiles, including an orange spot on the turtle’s shell.
This article looks into why your tortoise shell suddenly developed an orange spot on its shell.
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Orange spot on tortoise’s shell:
A lot of people choose to raise and keep non-typical companion animals. These animals, just like other companion animals need to maintain good health.
If your tortoise develops an orange spot on its shell then you may think that there is something wrong with it.
Here is why this developed on your pet:
Old age:
If you’re raising a turtle with a darker shell color, and if your pet turtle is older and develops an orange spot on the shell, then this may be happening because of old age.
As a turtle ages, its shell starts to get bleached by the sun or by the lights in its enclosure. This bleaching turns that shell orange or even yellow over time.
The orange coloring may be the beginning stage of this bleaching in your pet.
What to do:
This is normal and natural. As long as the animal isn’t showing any sign of distress, or sickness, and is acting normally, then you don’t have to worry.
Most turtles will start showing changes in their shell color as they age, your pet is fine.
Shell rot:
Another reason why your tortoise’s shell may be developing orange spots may be because the animal is suffering from shell rot.
This condition can develop on the top shell, the carapace, or, the bottom shell, the plastron. It can develop because your pet is suffering from shell damage, or because of an incorrect environment.
One symptom of shell rot in tortoises is red or orange ulcers, these may be the orange spots that you’re seeing. These ulcers will look like reddish or orange fluid under the plates of the shell.
Other symptoms of this condition in your pet include an unpleasant smell coming from the area, shell plates falling off, and lifting of the shell plates.
What to do:
This condition can be treated at home or you can take the animal to the vet to be treated.
If you want to treat your pet at home you can start off by vigorously cleaning your pet’s shell using a chlorhexidine solution.
Brush your pet’s shell using a soft bristle brush and then rinse the area well. Once thoroughly rinsed allow the shell to dry off completely.
Make sure that the shell stays dry and keep an eye on your pet while it is bathing. If your pet releases waste into the water then clean out the water to keep infections at bay.
Keep doing this until the animal’s shell is all better.
Also, isolate this affected turtle from the rest, this will keep the shell rot from infecting the other turtles and will keep the infected and weaker turtle from having to compete for food and water.
If your pet’s shell is broken and bleeding bacteria may get in and cause an infection, for this reason, taking your pet to the vet to be prescribed antibiotics is recommended.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other turtle/tortoise related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Can Turtles Turn Around In Their Shell?, Why Is My Turtle Turning Orange And Red?, Why Is My Turtle Turning Orange?, Baby Turtle Shell Color Fading To Yellow, Red-Eared Slider Orange Mouth, Turtle Shell Color Fading To Yellow