General Care Discussion :: shedding/scute?

[powerofvoodoo]

I don't know if my 3 yr old cooter has ever shed before (I just got her and my sister never mentioned anything about it before), but she looks as though she is starting to now.
I was just wondering if I would be finding the scute in her tank or not afterwards.
Also, I know that turtles typically shed in late summer but do they (should they) shed annually? Again, I think my sister would have mentioned finding pieces of the scute in the tank to me so I'm not sure if she's shedded before.

[camee1991]

Hey. You should find the scutes in the tank. And yeah they normally shed annually at any time. My girl never shed until she was 3...now she is 4 and shedding again. My little one is not even 1 years old and he is shedding now and the scutes are in the tank. Or when they come out to play..I find them on the carpet.

Just dont try to pull them off. Could do damage to the turt! Let nature take its course. She will try to rub on stuff to help the process and they will eventually come off. It takes a WHILE sometimes! Good Luck!

[powerofvoodoo]

No, no, I couldn't even dream of pulling them off! I've noticed that the bottom might be shedding as well. I don't have much in the cage for her to rub the the top of her shell on to get it off (the ramp leading up to her basking area is like a bunch of little stairs which will take care o the bottom) so hopefully it won't take too long to come off. =)
I think it'll be really exciting to watch the process.

[camee1991]

Yeah the bottom sheds also and it IS cool. I have Tobi's 1st WHOLE body of scutes she shed! lol Gonna make a puzzle someday...lol

And honestly as long as they have heat uva/uvb rays to bask, that will help speed the process...otherwise it just takes time. They will find almost ANYWHERE to rub, lol.

And I HAVE actually pulled off a scute and that is ONLY if it was hanging and came off with NO force at all. (Just a little help)...but if they are tight...leave em. Enjoy! Your baby is growing up!

[Tattoo]

My turtle Turbo is starting to shed. I think..lol.. Does their skin on their neck shed?
Turbo has some white flaks hanging from his neck and legs. It looks like skin. This is common right?

[kmichael55]

Yes, turtles do shed skin, it is normal, and what you described is shedding skin. If the temps are too high, they could shed too much, but some shedding is normal.

[Tattoo]

my temps stay inbetween 75-78. this has been a slow prosses so I too believed it was normal, jut wanted to make sure. Thanks

[SpotsMama]

Tattoo, can you see the white that appears to be skin when Turbo is dry or only when he's in the water? Normal skin shedding looks like little translucent whisps when the turtle is in the water. It's not normally visible on a dry turtle. There are skin fungus conditions, though, that are visible when the turtle is dry.

[Tattoo]

The white stuff is only seen when dry. It looks just like you discribed.

[marisa]

If it's normal skin shedding, you'd see the white tissue-like pieces of skin much more in the water, not really when the skin is dry.

[Tattoo]

oops my last comment was a typo..I meant to say that you can only see it when wet. Not dry!

[marisa]

OK

[mina777]

Hello, I just got my first res yesterday. I had the tank all set up before we went to get him. The water is between 75 and 78 degrees. I have read so many different water temps, I don't know if it is right or wrong. I was told at one Petco the water needed to be around 80 degrees. The Petco where we got him said between 70 and 75. I had already bought a heater and I really have no idea if I should be using it or not! Anyway, he/she is shedding like crazy. Every time he moves, flakes of skin fly up all around him. There is more billowy looking skin on his neck and arms. Is this normal, or is his water too hot/cold?

Also, he won't go onto his basking area. Granted, I didn't have the lamp set up right until a few minutes ago...he hasn't even seemed interested in climbing up there. I called Petco and was told that "95% of our sliders never bask." Seems suspicious considering all I've read about it???

He also has a back leg that seems kind of gimpy. I don't know about this turtle. They said we had 15 days to bring him back for free veterinary care. Is this all perfectly normal? Am I just being ultra paranoid or should I take him in to be seen?

Thanks!
Marina

[steve]

The water temperature should depend on the size/age of the turtle. A hatchling should be in slightly warmer waters, 78-80 range. It's not harmful if an older turtle is within those temperatures either. More importantly, try to maintain steady temps. If you hit the 78F mark, it should be fine.
As for basking, give it time. Leave the turtle alone to adjust to it's new environment. It may be exciting for you, but it can be real stressful for him.

Can you post any pics of is leg? And you might want to start a new topic with specific questions regarding your turtle.

[mina777]

Ok, Thank you for the advice on the temp. The leg looks normal like the other leg, just not as strong?

Sorry, I guess I got too excited about finding all of you and I have so many questions. I thought I was ready for this, researched it for a bit before rushing into it. Now I feel uncertain.