General Care Discussion :: Elongated Rear marginal scutes????

[planet.caravan]

I have seeing picures of other turtles on the forum and compairing them to my baby and he seems to have long marginal scrutes compared to other turtles.

Is it normal for turtles to have different sized scutes?
If it isn't are there any things that particularly cause this issue?
I have looked online and haven't found answers

Thank you

[mikee]

Photo please! It would be a big help.

[Diamondbacks4Life]

Sounds like your turtle isnt shedding and retaining his scutes which starts to make the scutes become long.

A pic helps to confirm what i just told you.

[planet.caravan]

http://i778.photobucket.com/albums/yy63 ... oard01.jpg

He wouldn't stay still to let me take a better one lol![/img]

[Kemul]

I'm helping to show the photo:


Looks like retained scutes. That turtle needs shedding, just like Panteds4life said.

[planet.caravan]

What should I do to help make him shed?

[TheComputerGremlin]

To help him shed, you need to make sure your UVB and heating bulbs are in proper working order. UVB bulbs need to be replaced every 6-8 months even when they don't burn out because the output of UVB decreases to almost nothing at that point. You want heat on the basking area to be at least 85 degrees F, and make sure the basking area is easily accessible.

Shedding is assisted (mind you, this is only assisted, my turtle is going on 2+ years that I've had her without shedding, she just refuses to do it!) with vitamin E and calcium can't hurt. So make sure he is getting cuttlebone (found in the bird section of the pet store, has a hard backing that has to be removed) as often as he wants it and you can bump up your blueberry feeding to help shedding. I would say 3-4 blueberries each week won't do much damage, just don't feed him other sweets during this time.

If the back shell gets too long to the point that it is hurting him or causing him trouble to move, you need to see a vet. A vet can assess the situation and may need to sand down the shell a bit, but that's in extreme cases.

[bradmeisel]

Looks like nothing to worry about. cuttlebone

[planet.caravan]

I've read online that massaging the scutes with a toothbrush and some hydrogen peroxide works as well

I don't think this would cause any damage right?

[marisa]

Don't know about the hydrogen peroxide (although it's fine to clean out cuts). I would think plain water and a soft brush would be fine for cleaning. As for helping scutes shed, if they're already loose, it would loosen them more.

[Melvira_Fox]

I know I'm digging this one out of the grave, but in reference to the picture... is retained scutes what gives them the bumpy appearance?

Sid's shell is pretty bumpy looking and I've been searching around to find out what might be the cause.

[mikee]

Plan-van - I am a firm believer in sticking to the basics. The carapace health is largely due to proper lighting and basking temp. Keep the basking area about 90 to 91 degrees with good UVB lighting. If he does not bask long you can lower the water temp and he will get out to bask and staying longer. Next make sure he is getting a lot of calcium in his diet. The above should enhance the shedding of the scutes.

[worldpeace]

Melvira_Fox - Yes, retained scutes means that the turtle didn't shed. Instead of shedding the old ones, the new scutes grow underneath them and push them upwards therefore creating that bumpy appearance.

From my experience I would say that the majority of turtles kept indoors have, to some extent, a bumpy shell. Turtles who get a lot of natural light seem to be shedding more regularly. It's nothing to worry about, really. Make sure that your turtle gets plenty UVB light, and there are also things like blueberries that are supposed to help with shedding.

The bumpyness can also be caused by overfeeding. Do you have a feeding schedule for your turtle?

[Melvira_Fox]

Melvira_Fox - Yes, retained scutes means that the turtle didn't shed. Instead of shedding the old ones, the new scutes grow underneath them and push them upwards therefore creating that bumpy appearance.

From my experience I would say that the majority of turtles kept indoors have, to some extent, a bumpy shell. Turtles who get a lot of natural light seem to be shedding more regularly. It's nothing to worry about, really. Make sure that your turtle gets plenty UVB light, and there are also things like blueberries that are supposed to help with shedding.

The bumpyness can also be caused by overfeeding. Do you have a feeding schedule for your turtle?

Thanks worldpeace.

Well my mom has had Sid for the past five years and I know she's been overfeeding her. She's on a strict diet now. Today we did give her two blueberries and took her outside in her nesting box to get some real sun.

I can see water under some of her scutes, but the really bumpy ones are just a bit flaky but don't seem like they're going to come off any time soon. I'm worried about there being constant water against her shell.

So just blueberries and plenty of UVB? How long does it generally take for retained scutes to come off?

[worldpeace]

Oh that's a rather difficult question to answer. There are a lot of factors involved so I couldn't really give you an approximation. It could take weeks, or months...