General Care Discussion :: magical color-changing shell

[Pluckt007]

hola, my little 2" turtle started to shed. first, i did not know this. i began to watch him swim around, and i notice a difference in the shell now than what i was when i bought him like a month ago. first, the diffinative lines in the "squares" on the shell, are fading into a yelllow. Second, the outside rim of the shell is starting to make a curve upwards. it looks like the turtle can fly like batman. third, the rim thats curving, is transparent like about 1mm in. is this good or bad? is he going to die? should i stop feeding him twice a day, im thinking it could be too much food. other than that, i have no idea.....

[Tenodera]

Yea, just feed him once per day. How much are you feeding him? Shedding is normal, although it's happening rather fast.

[Safdar]

They loose their green shell color as they get older
Only feed him 1 time a day

[SpotsMama]

A shell with upward curling edges is usually considered a sign of overfeeding or too much protein in the diet. Have you read up on the feeding guidelines on here? If you stay within these guidelines you can't go wrong. It's not so much how often you feed your turtle as how much and what that counts. Here's all the good stuff on nuitrition:

http://www.redearslider.com/index_nutrition.html

On exactly what's going on with your turtle's shell, it's really hard to say without seeing it. Could you post pictures of the shell when it's completely dry and also when it's wet? That would help a lot.

[marisa]

The fading lines sound like the scutes are lifting, which can make the pattern seem dull and less noticeable. The transparent edge indicates the older marginal scutes area being pushed outward by the newer scutes underneath.

If the rim is lifting up, it sounds like your turtle is being fed too much as well as getting a diet that's too high in protein. What do you feed, how much and how often?

A pic of the shell dry would be helpful.

[Pluckt007]

yeah, ur all going to laugh at me... i feed him like twice a day, 10 or so reptomin baby pellets each time. at night, i also give him this little orange fish looking treat from HGH. ok, so more like 5 a day, one time. and what about leaving the tank near the window, so sunlight hits it as well as that little blue full spectrum light i bought for 10 bucks. just tell me, i"ll figure it out, then my turtle will live forever and everyone will be happy, cus i had a feeling i was overfeeding.... and i pic will come, hold on...im poor and it takes us longer.

[untsmurf]

It depends on the size of your turtle, but if you have a younger one, then yes, five is much better than twenty a day. Do not put your tank in front of a window. The heat could affect the water temperature and it will also speed up algae growth. You need a UVA and UVB bulb. UVA comes from any common household bulb, it is what gives off heat. UVB is a specialized bulb and if it doesn't say UVB on the package it doesn't haven't it in the bulb.

[SpotsMama]

If you want to, you could still feed him twice a day - three pellets one time and two the next!

As he grows, he will need more pellets. Just keep and eye on him and, when the time is right, you can give him more pellets. You know the guildeline about feeding a little turtle as many pellets every day as would fit in his head if it were hollow?

Also, he can have all the green leafy vegetables or water plants he wants.

Does he have a cuttlebone in the tank for between meal snacks?

[camee1991]

I agree with the above mentioned on how to feed. And as for being by the window...it will cause the water to overheat. I have my girl in front of a window BUT it is never open and we have special light and heat deflecting blinds we use. So it is not a bother.

If your turt doesnt go out daily to get UVB rays from the sun (which he shouldnt yet, since he is so small) , you should get a combined uva/uvb mercury vapor bulb if you can. They sell online for about 37.00...give or take a couple bucks. But last a year. That will give your turt the amount of rays it needs. The blue full spectrum light isnt as beneficial for the turts. And as I have heard, the blue light is bad on their eyes.

Hang in there. I knew NOTHING when I 1st got my baby. You can do it!

[Pluckt007]

the reptisun 5.0 and the desk lamp will do the trick, thanks....