Urgent Care :: My Turtles Shell is Peeling!! Is this normal?

[truds1986]

I have just been given a Turtle which is about a year old and has been neglected out in a pond, he looks to be quite health but I have noticed his shell is peeling as to say. It has pieces coming off. What is this a cause of and how can I fix it? Also would I need to take him to a vet?

Please help, Thanks

How big is your turtle? About 10cm

How long have you had it? A day or so

What is the water temperature? It's cold because the person we got it off had him in a pond and he wasn't cared for very well

Did you use a thermometer? No

Are you using a water heater? Not at the moment but I am planning to move him to a bigger tank that has a heater.

How much water is in there? Half the tank size which is about 35cm tall but very long

Are you using a water conditioner? not at the moment

Are you using any filtration? Yes a pump

What is the basking temperature? don't have a light there yet

Is there a basking light? No

Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes

What kind is it or what is it made out of? Rock

Is there a UVB light?Not yet. I have the bulbs for it but they only fit into the bigger tank

What have you been trying to feed it? I have Aqua master Turtle food (Pellets) Nutrafin basix Turtle Snack and Wardley Turtle Delite.

When was the last time your turtle ate? Yesterday

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? It is 90cm wide 35cm high and 30cm thick

Is the tank near a window? yes

Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? a little bit

Have you read the Basic Care section? No

Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? The shell has bits peeling off of it.

[octpusgirl8]

Can you post a picture? He's probably just shedding his scutes, but since he wasn't well cared for he may have some shell issues going on. Read through all the info on redearslider.com, it's got pretty much everything you need to know about the feeding and care of RES.

[marisa]

A picture of the shell dry would give a much better idea of what you're talking about (and show the condition of the shell).

Is the rock that you're using for a basking area easy to get on? Is it abrasive? If it is, it would be better to change the basking area to something that isn't, to minimize him scraping his shell.

[truds1986]

When I get home today I will post some pictures of him. How do I get hold of a basking rock or platform? I have no idea where to get this sort of stuff, any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks and will post pictures later today. . .

[octpusgirl8]

Any major pet store like Petsmart or Petco will carry Zoomed Turtle Docks. But...i see you're in NZ, perhaps they don't have those stores over there. Whatever the case, check the local pet stores. Another option for a basking area is cork bark, it may be easier to find.

[truds1986]

Thank you for that octpusgirl8 but we don't have those stores in NZ. Thanks anyway.

I have pictures of my turtle but im not sure how to put them on here, any help you can give me?

[octpusgirl8]

There's a sticky at the top pf the photo gallery section of the forum with directions. Basically, you need to sign up for a photo sharing site like photobucket (it's free don't worry), and upload the pictures there. Then, once you have the picture uploaded you'll see a few copy and paste links below the thumbnail of it. Copy and paste the [img] link where you want the picture to show up in the post.

[truds1986]

Thanks octpusgirl8 you are a very great help!

Here is the photos of my Turtle, hope this works. . .







The bits are peeling on the side of him, I don't know if you can see it very well in these photos

[marisa]

His shell looks wet, so there's a shine to some of the areas...From what I can see, though, it looks like some of those scutes may shed (and they need to). Give him a good basking area, good lighting (UVB light and heat light) and a good basking area temp (88-90F)---basking under proper lighting will help him shed them (shedding scutes and also skin is normal). I'd say if it were summer and weather permitting, taking him outside for some natural sunlight would be good. But the seasons are opposite to ours where you are, are they not?

It would also be good to vary the diet more with other foods, rather than just pellets. Look at the feeding info for other foods that are good to give.

[octpusgirl8]

That looks a lot like my turtle's shell looked when i first got him. He had been on a pellet/fish food only diet, and hadn't had proper basking conditions, and as a result he was retaining scutes and had a rough looking shell. For a while instead of shedding his scutes whole they would slowly flake off in little pieces. After a year or so of living under better conditions he finally had a good shed and his shell looks a whole lot better. I bet once you get him set up with a good diet and basking area it will start to look better. Just be patient, shell problems do take some time to clear out. In the meantime, it might be a good idea to do a bit of research into shell rot and shell fungus, just so you can know what they look like and keep an eye out for any problems. Good for you for taking him in, i'm sure he's very grateful

[jacqui]

Hi!
I'm in NZ too! Try trademe for yor supplies, everything can be found on there
and I have a floating dock if you still need one