General Care Discussion :: Shell Problems? 18 y/o but new to me!

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 12:38 am   Shell Problems? 18 y/o but new to me!

Hello I just found this forum and it's amazing. I was hoping someone could look at my :mrgreen: and let me know what they think? I have had her for a little while, but she's actually 18 years old. Previously she was with an owner that didn't bother to have a UVB bulb replaced after it burnt out. She was also just eating purely protein (feeder fish and dried insects). Now she eats turtle bites and sometimes snails/shrimp/feeder fish. I've had a very hard time getting her to eat veggies/plants. Also, I didn't have a very good setup when I first got her. The water was cloudy as I didn't have a big enough filter.

I think she needs to shed (also has pyramiding especially on the 2 scutes closest to her head) but I've never seen this before so I'm not sure if it's really happening. There are a few small pieces on the outer part of her shell that are starting to come off. They look like a thin transparent sheet. There are also other things about her shell that I worry about, but I'll just let you see below. Thanks so much for any help!
Attachments
tucker04.jpg
tucker02.jpg
tucker01.jpg
User avatar
KnTucker
 
Posts: 35
Joined: Aug 31, 2010

Post Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 8:02 am   Re: Shell Problems? 18 y/o but new to me!

Well I have seen worse but all that poor care taking has lead to the shell looking like that, she grew way to fast and caused her to get pyramiding and bad shell formation. The bad news is at her size/age her shell will look like it does always. You wont see much improvement sorry to say.

Have you red about making jello shots? viewtopic.php?f=8&t=17486 It is a good way to get your turtle to eat its veggies. Thats all you can do now is get her on a proper diet and give her a good setup.
Instagram: Diamondbacks4Life
User avatar
Diamondbacks4Life
Moderator
 
Posts: 2349
Joined: Apr 4, 2009
Location: Pennsylvania
Gender: Male

Post Posted: Wed Sep 01, 2010 10:52 pm   Re: Shell Problems? 18 y/o but new to me!

Thanks so much! Well I'm glad at least that she'll be ok if I keep taking care of her properly. The jello shots looks like a great idea.
User avatar
KnTucker
 
Posts: 35
Joined: Aug 31, 2010


Return to General Care Discussion

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 444 guests