General Care Discussion :: Shedding scutes and appetite

[WyredHardware]

Hey all,
I noticed something today with Kokoro. She has some scuttles that, from the picks I have seen, are ready to peel/come off. In my tank I have some structures. All of them are made of plastic. One is of a decomposing tree the other is her old basking platform. The interesting thing is that Kokoro has managed to flip the basking platform over and is now using it to rub her shell against. Have any of you seen this kind of behavior as a means of helping shed scuttles. I know that horned animals like deer and moose will dub their horns against rocks and trees to get the velvet off them and expose the strong bone underneath. Do RESs do the same thing with their shells?

[SpotsMama]

Yes! RES like to rub their shells against something rough - it helps them to shed. Some turtles that are very friendly with their owners like to scratch themselves on their owners' fingernails.

[WyredHardware]

haha cool. I will have to try to scratch Kokoro's shell next time she is running around on the floor an I am doing a water change

[SpotsMama]

Yes - sometimes Spot seems to like it when it gently message his shell with a terrycloth towel.

Gently does it - those shells, especially at the seams - are sensitive. Though sometimes when they get to scratching against a rock or something it sure looks like they like a hard scratch.

[WyredHardware]

Ya. The way Kokoro was going at it yesterday I thought she got trapped and was desperately trying to escape. When I got my face close to the tank she leisurely swam over to say hi. Then want back to trashing under the old basking platform.

[pamelas]

In one of my earlier posts on this topic I noted my girl was rubbing her shell against the coffee table ;-) She also will get into the kick space under a cabinet or cupboard, go up on toes and rub her shell on the underside of the kick space. Sometimes she just uses my ankles!

[marisa]

pamelas, can't say I've ever noticed a difference in any of my turtles' appetites whether or not they're shedding. In fact, Tilly (my RES) is getting ready to shed his carapace big time and he's been eating like a pig, especially plant matter, and I think it's because of the season and warm weather. He's also been rubbing his carapace up against everything possible in the tank.

[pamelas]

Hi Marisa-- I am wondering now if it was just too darn hot for her. We have come out of the mini heat wave, and she is back on pellets and plants. She is not eating fast and furious as before, but eating. Once a year our friends bring their 2 little girls over for "Turtle Day" , and my kid didn't really have a chance to bask or attempt basking, today. I am hoping tomorrow I'll see her out in the sun. I am starting to be more concerned about the lack of basking (and she may be doing it and I am not around at the right times to see) than the lack of food. Thank you for the reply--Pams