Other Turtle Discussion :: Shell is Peeling Around Edges

[Sammirah]

Hello,

I'm new here, my baby, Andre is about 4 years old, 4 inches in diameter, he was 3 ounces at his last vet visit 2 months ago. I was cleaning his tank today and decided to sit him outside on the patio to get some sun and explore. When the tank was done, I went to get him and noticed that the underside and around the edges of his shell seems to be flaking off. I've never seen this before, I became concerned and started poking at the shell to check for soft spots, found none. He seems pretty healthy otherwise. Is this just him growing out of his old shell? Or should I rush to the vet right away?

[magical_me44]

my female has the same prob but its all over on the top, i was told once that its cuz they are growing so rapidly that there shell has to compensate, so it peels, i dunno though, Spike is huge and fat, and I wish I could afford to take her to the vet, and unfortunatley i dunno how old she is

[steve]

it sounds like their old chutes are shedding, which is normal. it looks like a piece of the old shell and it's starting to loosen underneath.

if you can post a picture, it might help.

[bradhart]

I'd like to see pics of a res shedding it's shell. I swear to god, I'm like a new parent who thinks his baby has every disease under the sun every time it cries. I noticed a ridge down the center of my Res's shell(lenght wise) and thought it was pyramiding, it wouldn't streach its legs out while basking for a while, thought they were broken or something. lol. I'm sure when it starts shedding I'll think it'll be dead in an hour.

[pkneeyahx]

my RES has just recently gotten rid of the baby scutes after 2 years. scutes grow and form underneath the old ones, and as time goes, you can see "growth rings" at the edges of the scutes. Willy finally shed her little ones not too long ago. i think the hard water had a say in how long they stayed on.. :]

[Sammirah]

Well so far so good, Dre is happier as ever. The shedding is almost gone already. He isn't bothered by it so I will just let him be. Besides he gets so testy when I take him to the vet.

He's basking regularly and he still runs to the water when he sees me coming...as if he can honestly escape. Gods I love that little guy.