General Care Discussion :: shedding

[bwilson]

my baby res which is 3 in. has just been shedding, not his shell, but his body all around his neck, arms, legs, it's finally done, but does this mean i am feeding him too much, or he is growing too much?

[missibsu]

Shedding is normal as long as it isn't happening all the time. If he starts shedding again within a month or so, then I would be worried.

What are your water and basking temps? For hatchlings, water temp should be around 78F and older RES 72-75F. Double check your temps, and if they are right on target, then I wouldn't worry too much right now!

[Herbietheturtle]

another question...i'm not sure if this is shedding related or not...but here it goes.

my turtle (res, around 4 in.) has a few cracks (following the pattern on his back) toward the base of his shell. is this a growing process or is something wrong??

[cprcheetah]

Shedding is normal part of growth. And as Missi said check your temps and that helps with shedding. Do you have pictures of the cracks?

[Herbietheturtle]

do u think i need a heater if it's like 72ish? i mean, i live in wis. and it's gonna get cold in winter. would it be smart to get one? that and i'm not sure what kind to get.

at the moment, the heatlamp is the only source of temp control in the tank. i turn off the light when i go to bed...is that good or bad...anyway, with the shedding deal..i'll try to get a pic of it for u...but i'm not sure how to get the thing on here...hang around for a while.

[cprcheetah]

A heater is one of the fundamental items in a proper turtle tank unless you can keep the temperature around 78 without one. I would definately get a heater and thermometer.

[missibsu]

How much water is in your set up? I'm curious how much your heat light is affecting your water temp. The less water, the more it can affect it. For hatchlings, water temp should be 78F, and should be steady. Hatchlings are more prone to catching respritory infections and a fluxuating water temp can lead to illness.

[Herbietheturtle]

it's like 4 or so inches. i figured that it would be just enough for him to swim under but not so deep that he can't stick his head up. most likely the lamp isn't doing much good to the water. i didn't buy herbie as a hatchling either, he's already around 4 inch so i'm not sure if the water temp would effect him drastically. i'm thinking that for winter i should get him a heater...but is it an immediate issue?

[missibsu]

Rule of thumb is 10 gallons of water per inch of shell length. If herbie is 4 inches, then he should have at least 40 gallons of water. If he was just a hatchling, and you were using a 10 gallon tank, then I could see the light affecting water temp.

I'd also do the heater. If you get a good one it won't just heat the water but help maintain the water temp. I prefer the stealth brand.

[marisa]

Can you post a pic of the shell dry that shows those cracks in the shell?