General Care Discussion :: Jake's shell not looking so good

[geekyturtle]

Jake & Elwood are red-eared sliders who looked like this a few weeks ago:

Jake now looks like this:

and Elwood:


Any idea what happened to Jake's shell, and if there's anything I can/should be doing to make it better? They still have the same attitudes as usual, so I don't think it's an urgent issue, but something I'd like to get input on.

Thanks!

[SpotsMama]

I think he's just getting ready to shed. When you press gently on one of the scutes, does any water leak out? Do any of the scutes seem to be loose or lifting around the edges?

Do you see how the seams between the scutes are very wide? That means he's growing very fast - probably faster than he should. What does he eat and how much? Looks like Jake's a lot bigger than Elwood, too. Is there any chance Jake's stealing some of Elwood's food?

[steve]

Are they the same size now? Are they eating and basking the same amount?

[geekyturtle]

Ah! I didn't even think of shedding! They were the same size when I got them, but for the first three or so months I was feeding them wrong (didn't find this site until then), but now I make sure they each get at least 3 Reptomin Baby sticks a day, and I throw in one leaf of romaine lettuce, and sometimes a slice of baby carrot.

I'm pretty sure they're both basking ok. I have a 100W incandescent and a 5.0 UVB cfl on a 12hr timer (7am-7pm), and sometimes I catch them basking, so I assume they're getting enough during the day.

I just checked the tank this morning, and apparently the feeder fish had babies! There are three tiny baby fish swimming around, and Jake & Elwood swim right by them without even looking!

I'll post if/when they actually start shedding.

Thanks!