General Care Discussion :: what happen if turtle never shed scute?

[Sassamo]

Now some more question's will the scuter shed in one big piece? Or in thin layers until it gets too the cracks? So far she's on the 4th layer of shedding on top and I have only noticed loose scuters on her bottom once or twice.
Sorry for the hijak Novros, It's good that you posted this because I couldn't get a good pic's of my girl. Thank you

I wouldn't be surpized if Sassamo is still young and grew too fast too, I know they where over feeding her like crazy. The people who gave her too me didn't know her age, since they got her from someone else. Poor turt, she's here too stay now

[novroz]

you know waht i found helped? for whatever reason and i know your supposed to give it to them anyway, but after rolo consumed a cuttle bone she popped up to five scutes in a few days ( at least three) then in the times between the cuttle bone it wouls slow down to almost a stop untill the next one. i think it helped develop the under scute faster and allowed the old ones to drop. *shrug* probably not entirely new news but basicly my advice is give her more cuttle bone than she usually gets if you can.

same thing with kame...she shed 5 little scutes after eating cuttlebone for the 1st time...but now it stopped for months. I hope kame will be like rolo, she will start shedding scute again.

That can be a problem, especially if there is stuff trapped underneath. About a year and half ago, I had to deal with something similar and when the scute shed, there was an infection underneath. It was treatable, but Kame's problem is that she grew too fast. A regular diet (and regular growth) along with shedding should be a big improvement.

she has eaten better diet now...no more shrimp and other meat (except once a month). she has cuttlebone attach everyday. Do you think she'll be alright??

I find this site too long ...my poor kame

Sorry for the hijak Novros, It's good that you posted this because I couldn't get a good pic's of my girl. Thank you

I wouldn't be surpized if Sassamo is still young and grew too fast too, I know they where over feeding her like crazy. The people who gave her too me didn't know her age, since they got her from someone else. Poor turt, she's here too stay now

it's okay sassamo
if they over feeding her with veggie that wont create big problem...my kame ate too much high protein food and I didn't know much about day.

[ESG4Life]

Sand underneath the shell? That would be like getting sand underneath your toenail or in-between your cuticles and can sometimes cause an infection
( For humans,that is, I was just relating to what it would be like.)

[TurtleLover_S&B]

Just be patient and continue to feed a good diet of veggies and pellets every other day. Make sure you also have a good UVB bulb and the scutes will fall off themselves. Don't try to force the scutes off, that will only harm the new scute underneath.

If you're interested you can read about retained scutes and pyramiding on the main care page on the site.

I agree.Do you feed them cuttlebone?If they don't have enough calcium,it can lead up to pyramiding.

[Caphits]

I have never heard of a lack of calcium causing pyramiding. But it might, I dunno.

EDIT: Yeah, sorry if this came off as "turtles dont need calcium" THEY DO!

[SpotsMama]

Too little calcium leads to major shell and bone problems up to and including metabolic bone disease. A turtle with calcium deficiency will sometimes have a flattened or caved in look, the edges of the shell may curl upwards, there may be a lack of symetry, the shell may look too small for the turtle and the shell may even soften. All around bad news. All that can be avoided by including cuttlebone in a good balanced diet and by being sure the turtle gets to bask under good UVB so his/her body can metabolise the calcium he/she eats. Turtles need a lot of calcium, especially females who are laying eggs.

[novroz]

A turtle with calcium deficiency will sometimes have a flattened

by being sure the turtle gets to bask under good UVB so his/her body can metabolise the calcium he/she eats.

kame is more flattened than kroten

she has been eating cuttle bone for sometimes now

How the I know which one is a good UVB? I have one but not sure is it good or not.

[SpotsMama]

On the flattened look, some normal turtles have flatter profiles than others and it's ok. In general, females tend to have a more rounded look than males but it's not a strict rule. When a turtle has metabolic bone disease, the flattened look is pretty pronounced. If you see it in a photo, you can tell something is not quite right. Novroz, I've seen photos of Kame and she's not at all flattened like a turtle with metabolic bone disease - she has a nice rounded shape. Some pyramiding perhaps and some retained scutes, but not flattened.

Novroz, on the UVB bulb, what brand and strength do you have? How long have you had the bulb?

[novroz]

that's a relief...Kame looks flatened compare to kroten, Thx GOD I was worry for nothing.

I don't know, it's in chinese character and it's not a bulb, it's a neon light but the seller told me it contains UV.

I have it about 4-5months (since I learnt that UV is a must from this site...I'm a bad owner before finding this forum).

A new good news : she finally eats the whole leaf of turnip, I hope that'll cover her vitamin E

[Caphits]

I wouldn't trust that bulb. Get a reputable bulb for 15 bucks, and save yourself trouble in the long run.

[novroz]

IT's kinda hard to find!! I do not live in US

[Caphits]

Internet? Yes, or else you wouldn't be on here.

http://www.amazon.com/Exo-Terra-Repti-Glo-Tropical-Terrarium-Fluorescent/dp/B00101JI2Y/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1233167521&sr=8-4

It looks like they ship pretty much everywhere.

[novroz]

haha I know that we can buy from net...but I don't have credit card to pay it...my salary isn't enough to apply for a card

[Caphits]

Get a check card from a bank. No minimums.

Or, you could even get a pre-paid credit card.

[novroz]

kay...I'll try. thx