General Care Discussion :: How long before shedding?

[BullDog]

About how long of a period is between shedding scutes?
The reason I ask is that it looks like Frankie has some minor mineral build up on her shell (it looks dull-ish), and a couple of what looks like abrasions (which have healed up quite well since I got her).
There's also two small pits that could be either healed shell rot or other deeper abrasions. There's no smell to them, and they're the same colour as the surface scutes.
With Ralph, it's hard to tell how often he sheds, because every time I clean the tank there's scutes in there. I think he probably sheds 1 scute a month all year round

As for Frankie, she's been basking regularly, and the water temp is around 75. I was just wondering when I could expect to start seeing the scutes coming off.
I've noticed she's shedding her skin a bit, but don't know if skin shedding is related at all to scute shedding (timing-wise).

[industrial_girl_2000]

Scute-shedding depends on a lot of factors: genetics, what they are eating, conditions of their home, UV light, etc. There is no set rule as to "when" they actually shed.

Keep in mind that the gray mineral build up isn't necessarily harmful for a turtle, just unsightly.

What kind of basking bulb do you have for your turtles?

[BullDog]

They both have a 5.0 Exo-terra compact flourecent. For heat, Ralph has a reading light, and Frankie has a gooseneck lamp with 100W bulb in it. Basking temp for her is about 86-87 degrees.

I know the mineral build up is no harm, but I'm just a bit paranoid about those pits. As I said, they look good, and otherwise her shell is in pretty good condition. I just wanted to make sure her shell is good and healthy underneith.

I guess I'll just keep an eye on them until she sheds

[marisa]

My turtles (RES and eastern painteds) shed scutes more frequently when they were smaller/younger. My RES will be 6-years-old and the Eastern Painteds 4-years-old this year. For the past few years they've been shedding their scutes yearly.