General Care Discussion :: Shell Bends

[SINI5T3R]

My 3 Young RES are getting bigger but I just noticed today when I picked one up that his shell felt weird. If i put a tiny ammount of pressure on the very outside of his shell the scuts will bend pretty easy, is this just shedding or could it be water damage. there in the water quite a bit and dont bask much. ALL 3 Turtles have it. and the scuts on the top of the shell are sort of coming up like if i rub my finger over the shell i can feel the tips poke my finger

[worldpeace]

You might want to try smelling their shells (I know it might seem like a weird suggestion). When a turtle's shell is soft it could mean a shell infection (shell rot) but this can be ruled out with a quick sniff. It it doesn't smell bad then nothing's wrong. From what you're saying at the end (that you feel the scutes poking your finger) it seems like it's just normal shedding.

[LilTurtSquirt]

[SINI5T3R]

Do they have someway to get out of the water completely, and to completely dry off under a heat lamp? It could be due to them being in the water too much, if they don't like to bask. I know they're supposed to bask during the day. Squirt basks an average of 6-8 hours each day, completely out of the water on his basking dock and totally dry under his heat lamp. Doing so is required for their health, otherwise they'll get shell rot.

They have a spot to get fully out of the water and its like RIGHT over a lamp. so I know they can get out and dry cuz i always see 1 or 2 doing it here and there but i think they mostly bask at night when everyone is asleep cuz there just too excited seeing everyone walk around the tank so they think there alwasy going to get fed

[worldpeace]

You can't really assume that they bask at night since you don't really know that. Are your temperatures right? Do you have a heating lamp and a UVB lamp?

The temperature of the basking area should be around 10 degrees F greater than the temperature of the water to entice them to climb up. You can even go a little higher but not less than 10. If it's lower than that or the basking area is not very accessible they won't bask. And as LilTurtSquirt said, this can lead to serious shell rot problems and, believe me, you don't want that.

If you find that the temperature and everything is alright but they still don't bask you might want to do what I did when Charlie was smaller and didn't like to bask. I used to take him once a day and place him in a plastic rubbermaid container with at least the heat lamp placed above it. You don't want the container to be too small, so they have room to move, but not huge either, where they could just go in one corner of the container where it's cold and the lamp rays don't reach. After about 2 weeks I didn't have to do this anymore because Charlie would bask by himself.

[Diamondbacks4Life]

You said young res. How young is young? If there below 2inches in length shell will bend at the end. It takes a couple months for new turtle's shells to completely become hard.

[SINI5T3R]

You said young res. How young is young? If there below 2inches in length shell will bend at the end. It takes a couple months for new turtle's shells to completely become hard.

Maybe that is what it is then. They dont seem to be rotting or anything and there shell looks okay all round, its just the very tips that can bend a little. And I know they Bask at night because I come into the kitchen to get water and they will all be in the same spot all huddled around the light.

Will Turtles get more unactive or not eat or anything if shell rot occurs? like what do they do when there sick? just lay there all day?