General Care Discussion :: Excessive shedding?

[thegrandpoohbah]

When I first got my RES two weeks ago I noticed after setting up her tank that she was shedding. I had read that this was normal so I thought nothing of it. Well, here it is two weeks later and she is still shedding constantly. My water temp is 75F. She gets fed a few pellets every day along with a bunch of chopped red leaf lettuce. She also gets a feeder danio every couple of days or so. Is this normal or is there something wrong with her?

[megcornell]

My turtle tends to shed quite a bit as well.
Can you see the shedding skin when your turtle is dry and basking? If so that's a sign of a fungus or other infection.
Your water temp is fine, so the shedding is not due to that.
It may just be she's shedding a lot because she's finally in the proper temperature getting the proper diet. Two weeks isn't very long for a turtle's body to adjust... so if you can't see the skin when it's dry I wouldn't worry too much quite yet.

[thegrandpoohbah]

No, it's definitely not a fungus. I can't see the shedding skin when she is out of the water. Also, I just did a waterchange and there was tons of shed bits of skin in the filter.

[grey goose]

High water temps and/or overfeeding is the main cause of excessive shedding. As long as it is the little "wisps" coming off don't worry. When they bask that all dries out and falls off. But if large chunks are coming off and there are ulcers on the skin, it might have to be treated.

[SpotsMama]

A couple of things can cause turtles to shed heavily. One is temperatures. You say your water temp is 75 which isn't terribly high. If your turtle is grown (more than 4" or so) you might drop it a degree or two and see if the shedding slows down. Another thing that can cause heavy shedding is ammonia build up in the water. Do you test your water? If so, what are the readings for ammonia and nitrite?

Does your turtle's skin have a slimy feel, or does it smell bad?