General Care Discussion :: Difference between shell shedding and unhealthiness?

[forgetmenot9002]

My turtle is over five years old. I've only had him about a year. I'm still getting used to how to take care of him. His shell seems to have gotten stained from algea and is cracked around the edges. At first I let it be and made a better basking area and it seemed to have gotten better. Today when I was cleaning his tank and left him out the whole time his shell underneath as it dried seemed to look like it was peeling and I softly/gently peeled off some of the shell that was loose and it seemed fine. I was just curious if he was shedding or if I should be worried?
That might've been longer than necessary but I appreciate it.

Edit:
All but the first are pictures of him when he's dry. The last two are closer. Sorry the lighting isn't very good but it's better than nothing. I was also curious if anyone knew about the little dents on the bottom of his shell that you can see in the last picture.
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[rfjedi]

Mine did the same thing on the underside. I think it would be shedding but I am no expert.

[marisa]

Welcome. If the scutes (individual pieces that cover the shell) on the plastron (bottom shell) were as loose as you indicated, and the shell underneath looks OK, then no harm was done. (But if you feel any resistance to coming off, then leave the scute alone).

If he hasn't shed scutes in a while and he's got a better basking area which encourages him to bask more, that's good. But I wonder about the algae and cracking around the edges of the carapace (top shell). It would be good to gently clean the shell with either a soft cloth or soft toothbrush. Does he have both a UVB light and heat source to bask under? Can you post a pic of the shell when it's dry and clean?

[forgetmenot9002]

I was going to take pictures tomorrow and post pictures as soon as possible. There wasn't any resistance when I pulled some of the schutes off. I was careful. I believe I have a uvb light. I got two lights from the people I got him with. I'm thinking of buying new ones because I'm not sure how effective they are seeing as how his shell is.

[marisa]

Chances are, if the UVB light was being used prior to you're getting the turtle, it needs to be replaced. A conventional UVB light ideally should be replaced every 6 - 8 months. The strength of the UVB output diminishes over time as the light is used. If in doubt about how old it is, I'd replace it.

[forgetmenot9002]

Any recommendations for a new uvb and sun lamp? Links would be helpful.

[forgetmenot9002]

Any links for new light recommendations?

[steve]

If you want a single bulb, I'd go with the T-Rex or Mega-Ray. If you want a compact florecent, I'd use a Reptisun 5.0 and a halogen flood lamp.