Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2006 11:50 pm
To answer your first question regarding the nails, it is usually not recommended to cut your turtle's nails. I know there are guides, tutorials, and other articles regarding this but once again, it is not recommended. I don't see a purpose of cutting off a turtle's nails. Turtles use it to tear their food apart as well for mating. If you must cut your turtle's nails for a really good reason, I suggest going to a experienced herp vet who can handle this situation if anything goes wrong. From my self-experience, a turtle's nail doesn't grow that rapidly like human. It takes years for it to grow long. For your second question regarding shedding, it is perfectly normal for turtles to shed skin and scutes from their shell. When a turtle's skin is shedding, it is usually a sign of growth. However, if it's skin shedding is excessive (meaning a lot of skins coming off from all around their body for a certain amount of time), you should be alarmed that the water might be too warm. It means they are growing too fast and that ain't good.
