General Care Discussion :: excessive shedding

[ohmygosh_22]

One of my friendly aquatic friends keeps constantly shedding. He's about 5 in. and he frequently sheds huge peices of skin. we have the basking lamp and UVB light directly above them on the tank..

also his skin is more black looking than green...

thanks for the help

[untsmurf]

How old is he and what are you water/basking temps?

[marisa]

For normal shedding, you'd see the wisps of skin in the water but not really when he's out of it. What does the new skin look like?

What's the temp of the basking area and water? Temps that are too high will encourage shedding. If his skin is looking blackish, it sounds like he may be getting burned...How far away from the basking area is the UVB light?

When you say "them," how many turtles are in the tank? The other(s) do not have the same problem?

How big is the tank, how much water is in it and what kind of filtration are you using? How often is the water changed and tank cleaned?

[ohmygosh_22]

For normal shedding, you'd see the wisps of skin in the water but not really when he's out of it. What does the new skin look like?

What's the temp of the basking area and water? Temps that are too high will encourage shedding. If his skin is looking blackish, it sounds like he may be getting burned...How far away from the basking area is the UVB light?

When you say "them," how many turtles are in the tank? The other(s) do not have the same problem?

How big is the tank, how much water is in it and what kind of filtration are you using? How often is the water changed and tank cleaned?

i have 2 turtles..and the water temp is almost about 80 F and the basking area is about 85-90. both lights are directly over the basking area. they both shed but my biggest one, Al, sheds more than Fred does...

[marisa]

Both turtles are about the same size? If so, and if they're healthy, they can easily adapt to a cooler water temp. I'd lower the water temp to no more than 75F (I keep my RES's water temp at around 70F, he's used to cooler temps). You can do this gradually if you want.

You might want to recheck that basking area temp just to make sure it's as low as you say it is. A basking area temp of 88-90F is generally fine, so if yours is what you say it is, it shouldn't be a problem.

Again, how big is the tank they're in and how much water is in it? How often is the water changed and tank cleaned? Shedding skin along with other debris in the tank will increase the ammonia level. A high ammonia level will encourage shedding.