General Care Discussion :: weird..

[sx2r]

so i got a new hatchling after taking tuck back to petland, they only had one turtle left so i didnt get to choose..

anyways when i got him home i noticed hes got this weird bottom shell. its like a little circle in the very middle that looks really thin. he's like half the size of speedy. i dont know if this patch will thicken or what. im kind of curious about that. and nervous at the same time that something is really wrong.. i'll try to take a picture tomorrow if my camera is even good enough to do that..

[jay2487]

hatchlings have very soft and weak shells at first. It takes plenty of calcium and UVB lighting to toughen up. It is probably a defect from going without those two things in the pet shop for so long. Just provide those items and all should fix itself

[BullDog]

If he's really small, sounds like it might be where his yolk sack was attached.
A picture will be very helpful.

[sx2r]

i got a picture its not the best he seems to be very camera shy, i dont blame him. im just uploading it to photobucket.

[sx2r]

heres the best pic i could get of it. dont mind the messyness in the tank, i fed them to make slow poke to come over near me. plus it was feed time.

[BullDog]

In the middle, near the top where it looks a bit darker?
I think that's a bit high for the yolk sac.
That does look a little bit unusual. As if maybe he had some uneven growth or something. But I don't think it's something to worry about too much. Make sure there's nothing too abrasive in the tank. With his first shed, it should even out.

[sx2r]

when should he shed? and how do i know hes shedding?
he acts fine so im not too concerned it just looks really thing there, and i was thinkin it cant be normal..

[BullDog]

Might take 6 months to a year for him to shed. You'll know he's shedding because you'll see the top layer of scutes flaking off, and you'll probably find scutes in the tank. Sometimes they come off in chunks. and sometimes they come off whole.

[sx2r]

k thanks