General Care Discussion :: White chalky substance on skin

[cute is what we aim for]

When mimi is basking, she always gets white stuff on her skin, is that normal?

[SebastianMillhouse]

A picture would be helpful. For the longest time my turtle had some sort of white stuff on its neck. It turned out to be some kind of algae and we treated it.

Also, skin sheds and you may be seeing that.

[cute is what we aim for]

[missibsu]

It's kind of hard to tell by that picture. Try taking a qtip with a small amount of vinegar on it. When you rub it on the shell does it remove it? If so, it could just me mineral deposits.

[cute is what we aim for]

thanks =]

[marisa]

The white stuff on the skin looks like residue from something like the turtle blocks that people sometimes put in the tank. Do you use them? Whatever it is, wash the skin with plain water (don't use vinegar), and see if it doesn't come off. If it does, try to notice what's in the tank when it reappears.

How often do you change the water?

[cute is what we aim for]

no i dont use those turtle blocks, and it goes away when she goes in the water

[steve]

Looks like its just mineral (calcium/salt) deposits. It can happen when they bask for a while. Should be no concern and unnecessary to treat, unless you have hard water problems.

[cute is what we aim for]

she does bask all day, i wonder if thats a bad thing?
what is hard water?

thanks you all for your help =]

[missibsu]

I thought we were talking about the shell...I totally missed that we were talking about the skin. My apologies!

[steve]

I thought we were talking about the shell...I totally missed that we were talking about the skin. My apologies!

Hard to keep up with all these posts.. and new members too. I missed a few days and had to spend half a day catching-up!

[Kallistos]

I'd be concerned if she's basking all day, meaning more than 8 hours at a time. Especially if she's not alert and has her eyes closed.

Hard water is just water that's filled with minerals. Calcium, chlorine etc.... (me thinks)

[cute is what we aim for]

thanks for the help guys

today i made a few adjustment on the
basking lights, now she opens her eyes when shes out
and im trying to find something for the water, to clean it

[marisa]

What do you mean by cleaning the water? Is there a filter in the tank?

[industrial_girl_2000]

she does bask all day, i wonder if thats a bad thing?
what is hard water?

thanks you all for your help =]

Hard water is when there is a lot of minerals dissolved in it, like calcium or iron (good example is water that comes from a well.....it has that funky taste and it is the minerals you are tasting!).

I think the chalky stuff is most likely some natural calcium that was dissolved in the water & as the water evaporates, the calcium in the water can't evaporate, so calcium traces (white chalky stuff) are left on your turtle.