General Care Discussion :: Question on shedding

[seano997]

I did a search but I really couldn't find what I was looking for so I'll ask.

Zipper has been shedding her skin lately which I've learned is normal, but my question is: How long will she shed and how often? Does it depend mostly on her living conditions?

And being that she is about a year old, when can I expect her to start shedding her scutes? A couple on her shell are flaking a bit around the edges but I haven't seen any air bubbles really.

[papoopeepoo]

living conditions are the main factor for extended times of shedding skin. it really should only happen as the turtle grows out of its old skin, like a snake. poor water condition is the main reason you would notice excessive skin shedding. these conditions range from chlorinated water to badly filtered water.

[worldpeace]

It`s normal for hatchlings and yearlings to shed their skin, and they do so quite often in some cases. When they`re older they don`t shed as much. At 3-4 months old, Charlie shed his skin for a whole month, and after that I haven`t seen him shed anymore. Causes for excessive skin shedding: overfeeding, high water temperatures, water quality.

As for the scutes, from what I`ve read, you should be expecting the first shedding around 1-2 years.

[seano997]

Thanks for the replies.