General Care Discussion :: SHOULD YOU CLEAN YOUR TURTLE???

[ch12ag]

hi guys just wondering i have had my turtles for about a year now but i have never cleaned him now i've started to see info on the net about people cleanin their turtles with like soapy water and toothbrush is this necessary or better for the turtle?? All mine seem very clean anyway but SHOULD i be doing this???

[steve]

If the turtles are kept in a good and clean environment, then cleaning shouldn't be necessary. Just do a visual inspection to determine if there needs any cleaning. And don't use soap, take out some tank water and grab a NEW, soft toothbrush.

[ch12ag]

well he looks all good but jus thought i needed to do anything extra

[Arisu]

scrubbing isn't necessary. however, I scrub one of my turtle's shell because she has retained scutes. minerals and bacteria are likely to get trapped under the scutes so scrubbing in this case is beneficial.

as steve mentioned, hard tooth brushes + soap = no no. and if your turts are healthy, chances are scrubbing won't do anything :p except annoy your turtle maybe!

[marisa]

If your turtles' shells are firm and look good, why would you think of changing what you've been doing for them? Normally, a turtle's shell doesn't need to be cleaned. If the shell looks good but on touching it it feels slimy, it is good to give the shell a gentle wiping with a soft cloth (and you can inspect the shell for any potential problems while you're doing it). Otherwise, just keep the tank water clean and your turtle healthy.

[ch12ag]

No his shell is hard, not slimy or anything amiss but he does have some retained scutes as he is only 4 inches, so may be worthwhile then rite?

[zoologist]

to scrub his shell? I think you may wanna post some pictures of what your turtle's scutes look like

[mikee]

I would suggest not to use soap and only wash them off when there is a good reason. From time to time mine get a little algea on them and I use a soft tooth brush and table salt in warm water. Put as much salt as you can disolve in the water and don't take too long cleaning them. They don't like it one bit. The best thing is to keep their tank water clean and they will do just fine with the uvb and uva lighting. m.

[ch12ag]

zoologist: I would but its too much hassle for nothing. nothing wrong with them he only saw the vet 2 days ago for his general 3 monthly check up and he was very happy with him but it jus got me thinkin wat more i could do thats all. but thanks anyway.

mikee: ye to be honest i think im lucky in that i have never ever had an algae prob with mine. ye i mean i do weekly water changes scrub and clean the tank itself 2 weekly, i guess i'll only bother then if they start to have probs, thanks

[Dormant]

You clean your tank an awful lot...

You shouldn't need to clean your turt. If your turt is retaining scutes, I'd make sure your set up has the prop temps and possibly replace your lighting if it's been a while since you've done that.

[ch12ag]

just replaced it with a SolarGlo Mercury vapour bulb 2 weeks ago