General Care Discussion :: Izzy and Her Outer Cover!

[AllisonChains]

I have a few questions about Izzy and her shell. I have had her almost 2 months now and I still see some of the same problems ( I think) that she came home with.

I was told by the vet that these should clear up with some proper care and nutrition, but I dunno. I don't see any improvement.

I think that her seams are too big. I know that is a sign of growing too fast and overeating, but she really isn't a pig! She gets pellets every other day (size of head and all that; roughly 12-13 pellets) I break it up into 2 small meals (6 or 7 pellets each meal) with veggies (lettuce) in the middle. I have pushed and pushed veggies and so far she isn't having it. She did finally eat 2 small pieces of sweet potato, but I had to leave them in the tank and she ate them the next day.

She also pretty much abandoned her cuttlebone once she took to her lettuce more.

I am also worried about how sharp and pointy her shell is at the ends. Is that normal? It is like that all the way around and I worry that it might poke her head. The ends were sorta curled up when I first got her, but they seem to have straightened out a little.

Also, are those scutes shedding on the top of her shell? The first picture is a picture of her basking (profile) and the top of her shell looks like it is raised up, or sticking up.... should it do that?

Sorry for the long post and I think I pretty much covered all of the questions/thoughts that I had!

The pictures were quick and dirty, but I tried to get different angles as best I could.

Forgot to say that she is 4" right now.

[steve]

The symptoms are of fast growth. Keep trying with the veggies (carrots and aquatic plants are good) and you need to be the judge on the pellets. Honestly, the less the better. You don't need to follow the guideline, so offer less than what it calls for (or at least what an adult RES would get). It's great news that the ends are straightening out!

The marginals will shed, but it will probably take a bit longer than normal. A vet can file down the nuchal if it is causing a problem (the one behind the head).

[AllisonChains]

I don't see the nuchal causing a problem, yet.

I will go get her some more anacharis today and she started eating her cuttlebone again! Finicky turt, she is.

So, the fast growth would be from too many pellets and not enough veggies? She eats lettuce like crazy - a little too much lately as discussed in another post. I will try some more today.

Thanks!

[marisa]

Too much food, especially food high in protein (pellets are fairly high in it) encourages growth as does warmth (temps that are too high).

The serated edges on the marginal scutes are older scutes that are being pushed outward from the growth of the underlying scutes. A good shedding, and your turtle will have a nice shell.

[AllisonChains]

Marisa - do you think the amount of pellets is a little much, too? She only gets them every other day. I would assume that even a little too much would cause a problem pretty quick?

If I cut back on the pellets will that help the seams?

I wondered about the marginal scutes and whether or not they would even out and look all nice like everyone else's after shedding, so glad you said that.

Her basking area is 95/96. I just recently moved the lamp to 11" away from platform as it wasn't getting above about 87 at 12" with the 100 watt lamp. The water is at 73/74.

[marisa]

Sorry to take so long to respond. About cutting back----if you've been giving 12-13 pellets every other day, that averages out to 6-7 pellets every day. What brand are you giving? If it's not Reptomin, what's the protein content (it should say on the container)?

Since your turtle seems to be growing rather quickly, it would be good to cut back. Feed fewer---if you're giving Reptomin, try 4-5. Personally, I like to give something daily and would give some each day rather than 2X a day every other day.

Try other veggies, especially dandelion greens. Lettuce is OK (what kind are you feeding?), but if your turtle will eat dandelion greens, an occasional collard green, turnip greens and you include them in the diet, that would be healthier.

It's good you've turned down the heat. If your turtle basks at 87F, that's fine. If not, move the temp up a notch, but I wouldn't go much above 90F (88-90F is fine). If you can get your turtle out for some sunshine, periodically, that would help with the shedding.

Your turtle's carapace has a nice sheen to it and there's no pyramiding, so once she sheds, she should look really nice. I wouldn't worry about the seam at this point. When growth slows, it will become part of the scute and won't be as noticeable, especially when the scute sheds.

I will say, though, that if the marginals stay serated and don't shed for a long time, to me it sometimes seems that although the scutes will look even, the shape of the underlying ones gets compromised, and when shedding does occur there may be a pointiness to the areas where they meet each other (a slight scalloped effect). This doesn't look bad, and may not even happen with your turtle.

[AllisonChains]

I give her the ZooMed Growth Formula Pellets; says crude protein is 35%.

I will try some dandelion greens. She absolutely hates mustard greens. I have tried them on several different occasions and she just won't eat them.

She will eat sweet potato bites and she absolutely loves red leaf and green leaf lettuce. I usually give her one big piece of those a day (switching between the 2) and she eats on it throughout the day. She will devour Anacharis, also.

I will keep trying different veggies, she is just a picky eater!

Thanks so much for your advice and suggestions.