I have two RES, got them the same time but one grows much faster than the other, but seems always to have some shell problems since it's as a baby. As you can see in pics, the big one has darker shells and less vibrant colors, as if there's some mineral deposit on the scutes. It looked fine in water, but when taken out and dry for a while, almost the entire shell turns to a flaky white mess. I was afraid it's shell rot, thus took it to the vets and got some betadine , but the vet is not very experienced with reptiles, and I don't think it helped very much.. I use the betadine to clean its shell weekly anyways just in case I can't spot any real infections (hence the yellow ish color in picture). Also the big buddy never shed entire scutes. I don't recall seeing any shed ever, the little guy has done some regular shedding and has less of the white spots (still a little bit on the side). Sometimes if I pick on the dried shell for the big one, I could peel off flakes of the white layer, and the original color would show underneath. Other than this they seem to be doing fine, regular baskings and feeding and pooping and kicking very strongly (I can barely hold the big guy in my hand anymore with all his kicking). Is this something I should worry about or try to scrub it off? For setups I have a picture included too, I removed any excessive gravels to keep the tank clean.
How big is your turtle? 4.5 inches
How long have you had it? 22months
What is the water temperature? 78F
Did you use a thermometer? No
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? 15-20 gallon
Are you using a water conditioner? Yes
Are you using any filtration? Yes
What is the basking temperature? I'm not sure exactly..it's definitely warmer than water
Is there a basking light? Yes Both heating light and UVB light
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? The floating dock
Is there a UVB light? Yes
What have you been trying to feed it? Pellets only
When was the last time your turtle ate? I feed them every day or every other day
How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 33 gallon tank
Is the tank near a window? Yes
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? In corner of living room, but nobody is home during the day as we both off to work and no kids around house
Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes, but couldn't exactly the same situation thus posting here
Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? Not really..