I'm thinking what TurtleBug described is probably what happened with Munchy. We don't know if he was wild caught or not. We don't know his age either. We adopted him as an adult from Turtle Rescue of Long Island and we didn't get much info, as they said they didn't have much info about his background when he was brought in. I said his shell was "rotting from the inside out" because that is the way I described it to my 8 year old son. Yes, his case of shell rot was severe since about 1/3 of his plastron needed peeling up and there was one area that was a rather deep "pit" going about 1/4" into his shell. A week into our soaking/medicating/bandaging treatment, another smaller area of his plastron, farther down towards his tail loosened and peeled up, but that one did not have any pits and the underlying tissue was still very firm with good color. It was just so shocking to me, because even having received the difficult news that his shell rot was so bad, he was responding great and his plastron was starting to look much better, his eating and activity level was going up to where it was usually during the summer. He had a clean bill of health in July for a check up, but we didn't run extensive testing at that time since he looked great. It just seems odd to me that he responded so well to the treatment for 2 weeks, only to dramatically drop to the point where he is now. I didn't mean to confuse anyone by starting a new post, I just thought the conversation was going to get rather lengthy for an intro and I wanted it to be in a thread others could recognize and read if they were wondering about their vet care as well. I know I get a lot of good info by reading threads other people pst.
I can post enclosure pictures another day. The enclosure he's in now is small, it's 3x2', we actually removed the upper level to prevent him from being able to climb while bandaged. I know we would get a whole new enclosure if we get another RT in the future. I'm thinking we would get a 125 gallon aquarium so it would hold moisture like a tote but be more practical for viewing by our kids and for being able to secure a lid on since we have other pets. It's hard to think about getting another pet right now, but Munchy belongs to our 8 year old son. Personally, I feel like throwing in the towel with reptiles, even though I enjoy them and successfully kept an iguana in the past. However, I don't want my discouraged attitude to be passed onto my son if he really loves reptiles and wants to have another. We will not rush into it though, I told him we will wait a couple months at least to ensure we can get a better setup and have time to think things through.
I was told by this new vet that if he has kidney stones they aren't treatable? I have to admit, I have never owned another pet with such conflicting information available about their care...
Thank you to everyone who took a minute to write a kind and encouraging word on here. It really has meant a lot to me to have a friendly place I can try work through these thoughts... We've had a very, very rough year with some family trauma and this situation with Munchy is heavy on my already hurting heart. I truly appreciate your kindness and willingness to take a moment to help.
I can post enclosure pictures another day. The enclosure he's in now is small, it's 3x2', we actually removed the upper level to prevent him from being able to climb while bandaged. I know we would get a whole new enclosure if we get another RT in the future. I'm thinking we would get a 125 gallon aquarium so it would hold moisture like a tote but be more practical for viewing by our kids and for being able to secure a lid on since we have other pets. It's hard to think about getting another pet right now, but Munchy belongs to our 8 year old son. Personally, I feel like throwing in the towel with reptiles, even though I enjoy them and successfully kept an iguana in the past. However, I don't want my discouraged attitude to be passed onto my son if he really loves reptiles and wants to have another. We will not rush into it though, I told him we will wait a couple months at least to ensure we can get a better setup and have time to think things through.
I was told by this new vet that if he has kidney stones they aren't treatable? I have to admit, I have never owned another pet with such conflicting information available about their care...
Thank you to everyone who took a minute to write a kind and encouraging word on here. It really has meant a lot to me to have a friendly place I can try work through these thoughts... We've had a very, very rough year with some family trauma and this situation with Munchy is heavy on my already hurting heart. I truly appreciate your kindness and willingness to take a moment to help.