General Care Discussion :: Shedding and Shell...

[Cosmo]

is it normal for a turtle to shed?

maurice's legs, neck, and tail are shedding. i think i read that it could be caused from over-feeding...but i'm not sure. he also has some funny-looking circles growing on his shell. i checked and his shell isn't shedding so it must be underneath the shell or possibly just the shell design? anyway, i'll take some pics and get it on here...but mostly, i wanted to know about the shedding.

thanks guys!

-em

[marisa]

They shed both skin and scutes as they grow. The skin shedding shouldn't be continuous and shouldn't last an excessive amount of time.

Overfeeding will cause faster growth (and therefore shedding), but temps that are too warm is another factor that will contribute to shedding skin. What's the temp of the water and basking area?

Pics would be good...

[Starchick]

Can shedding for too long lead to problems? I've noticed Napoleon shedding an awful lot lately, and I'm sure it's from the temps being too high. They've been raised since November because he's been battling a respiratory infection, and now that he's better, I'm scared to lower them too much.

[Cosmo]

i keep the water around 78...when i change the water sometimes it's warmer...but i usually wait to put maurice back in. basking is around 85.

i have to leave for now...but i'll get pics as soon as i get home.

[Cosmo]

here are some pics of his shell. the spots are underneath the shell and they worry me. they are most obvious underwater and look like they could be bubbles under the shell...

because these spots are everywhere, could he just be growing? ...but i'm not sure. it doesn't look like shell rot to me but it could be early stages. i just don't understand why if it does turn out to be shell rot because i have done everything to keep him healthy and to prevent it since my last turtle died from extreme shell rot. i have the right lamp, i've made sure that he's got enough calcium, and i clean his tank once a week, no exceptions. he seems so healthy too that it just doesn't seem like shell rot to me...so i guess i'm just curious as to what my baby's got.

[Cosmo]

somebody?

[steve]

I can't tell from those pictures. Has it been changing gradually? There are a couple of pics here for comparison: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/Care/medshell.htm

[SpotsMama]

When scutes are lifting and getting ready to shed, they will seem to have bubbles underneath. Here's a thread that sounds similar. See if this is helpful:

http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... les+scutes

[Cosmo]

thank you soooooooooooooo much!! you made my day! i was so paranoid that my baby was going to get shell rot! just to be sure i've kept him out of the water for a day, i cleaned his tank, and he's soaking in an anti-bacterial bath. i'm so relieved! thank you so much!

so what happens when he sheds his shell? will there be bits and pieces coming off? i'm new to the whole shedding deal.