redearslider.com

How's it going everyone? So last weekend I took my turtle out of the tank (for the first time in a while) while i cleaned it. She was out for a couple of hours during which she completely dried. while she was dried i noticed some discoloration in her shell. I've noticed it when she was in the tank but to me it looked like air getting under shedding scutes so I didn't really think anything of it. Since I've noticed I've been cleaning her shell with Chlorhexidine (soaking a soft tooth brush in it and scrubbing her every 10 minutes or so for about an hour) and pulling off loose scutes followed by a few hours of keeping her dry. it looks like it's getting better but don't know for sure and have no clue how long to keep doing this for. she has also been a lot less active than she used to be, not sure if it's because she's stressed from the daily cleaning or if it's something more than that. I was just wondering if this is the right course of action or if there's something else i should be doing. i have pictures from each day below, any help would be appreciated. thanks!

The shell looks the way it looks due to some irregular shedding and overfeeding. As long as there is progress on shedding by itself, then just leave it alone. It will take a few sheds to make shell look better.

perfect, thanks. no signs of fungus/shell rot that you can see? should i stop with the daily cleanings?

I don't see any direct fungal infections. Yes, I would stop with the cleanings, and maybe do a gentle scrub/inspection every couple of weeks.

Thanks for all your help Steve!

No problem, let us know of any progress!

I have a baby red eared slider, Timothee, ( I tried to attach a picture hopefully you can see it) I’m a little concerned about his shell, does it look like it’s about to shed? Is he too young to shed? He’s about an inch and a half long and lives in a 20 gallon tank with 10 gallons of water that stays at 75 degrees ( I plan on upgrading in size in the future as he grows) . The basking spot stays around 90. I feed him 3 reptomin sticks a day and a couple days a week I’ll give him a krill. Am I over feeding? Sorry for all the questions, just want to make sure I’m doing everything I can to take the best care of him.

Not sure I see shedding just yet but I do think he might be overfed. Although the amount you give him is small, could someone else be sneaking him food? How long have you had him?

Thank you for the quick reply! We’ve had him for a little over a month. I’ve ask the other members of the household and they swear they aren’t feeding him. Any ideas on what can be done or the cause?

He could have been overfed before you got him, do you have pictures from a month ago? Overall it's not bad and correctable at this point.

I’ll have to look for a picture. Should I change how much I am feeding him?

Probably not, though I would try Omega One pellets as they should be better for him.

Ok thank you sooo much!!