Urgent Care :: Shedding

[zeek]

Hi there,
I just got my RES about 3 and a half weeks now. I feed is everyday and I keep the water as clean as I can, there is a heater and such because its winter where I am at the moment. The Temp is at 75.0 degrees Fahrenheit.
At times the water feel A bit cool and a bit warm.

Q: Is the water suppose to feel warm, or cool?

The other topic is about shedding, she is starting to shed a lot now, like its peeling off all over the place, so I was wondering if that is normal or is it a bad thing. The water is not too warm and its not too cold and I use a digital thermometer to keep the temp.

[Vtolds]

Your water should be at least 78 degrees all the time, you may need a bigger heater. Shedding is normal, unless they are growing to quickly. Your Definition of a lot may not be a lot actually.

[zeek]

78 feels a bit warm, like warm water from the tap so I was a little worried, I don't want to biol him alive lol, but alright then. Another thing is that she is only eating the Pellets. If i give her tuna she eats it and egg yoke as well, but those are not too good for a turtle so what kind of greens do you feel yours, please be detailed for me, thank you

[marisa]

It would be good if you did some reading on what to feed (and not feed) your turtle. There is is list on the site (including good leafy greens) if you look.

Check the water temp with a thermometer---just going by how it feels to you isn't very accurate.

[Bascomb]

Zk-- It doesn't matter how it feels to you. It matters what is best for your turtle. If your turtle is healthy, 78 degrees is a good temperature. I use two thermometers to check the temp. And I keep it at 78. The basking temp. should be about 90 degrees. They need these temperatures to metabolize their food properly.

[grey goose]

Here's a pic of Gomie with moderate shedding under her chin and neck. If your turt's shedding is heavier or constant (chronic shedding) the water temp may be too high or you are overfeeding or both:



From my own experience, I've noticed that if I keep the water temps above 76F they get lazy and just "bask" in the water like this (see how she sticks her rear legs out as if basking on the ramp?).



If your turt is not basking enough, double check the water temp, also check the basking area temp and set it at around 90F.
If she's not basking enough, it may take longer for the skin to fall off.

[SpotsMama]

What the other folks are telling you about not being able to tell what the temp is just by touch is completely true. There's no way to tell without a thermometer. For example, most of the time 78 degree water feels quite cool to me - someone else up above said it feels warm to him. Sometimes, however, 78 feels warm to me - like when I've been outside and my hands are cold.

It's very important to get those temps right - water temp and also basking temp. A standard digital thermometer that measures both water and air temp will be a very good investment.

[TheComputerGremlin]

I can recommend a digital IR thermometer. I just bought one (for other reasons) and I used it to check my turtle's tank. It's great. You can check the outside of the class, the water surface temp, and the basking surface temp in a matter of seconds. On Amazon.com, the one I bought was only ~$30. And it's super tiny, so it doesn't take up space.

As for what the others are saying, your body temp changes slightly, so even if the water is kept at the same temp, your body will tell you different things. For example, if you just came in out of the sun, 78 degree water will feel very cool. But out from the cold and winter, 78 will feel warm.

And my turtle only eats pellets. He refuses to eat anything else I've given him. So, occasionally I try to give him different food, and if he doesn't eat it, I take it out. I figure eventually he'll come around, but I'm not going to force him. As long as he's eating something, that's better than nothing, right?

[steve]

I've been playing with a temp gun too, it's pretty neat. Seems pretty consistent but I currently recommend that people use 2 thermometers of different types.