When I first got my two baby RES, one was very reluctant to eat veggies and the other refused totally. So out of ignorance and fear of starvation I made the mistake of overfeeding protein. As a result, both developed some shell pyramiding (one worse than the other) and the worse of the two also developed a little curling. Eventually I got them eating their veggies and they continued growing without any further shell deterioration, but the early damage was done. They don't look terrible, but they are not normal looking either.
One thing I have noticed lately is that when they shed a scute, it tends to reveal a flatter shell underneath. That makes the turtle look slightly more normal than before it shed. Between the normal growth over the last couple of years and shedding, one of the two really doesn't look too bad now at all. The other still doesn't look too good because of the combination of curling and pyramiding, but she's not a disaster.
What I am wondering is if adult turtles continue shedding scutes after they are fully grown?
I suspect mine are not fully grown yet and may continue shedding a bit, but I am hoping that if this is an ongoing process, they may shed their way into a fairly close to normal appearance (at least one of them)
