General Care Discussion :: shell concern

[octpusgirl8]

Turtley just finished shedding all of his carapace scutes a week or two ago, it was his first ever good shed, they all came off as whole scutes rather than flaking off bit by bit. His shell definitely showed improvement in its shape afterwards too. There is something i am concerned about, though. I was looking at him today and thought it looked a little funny, like there might be tiny bubbles under the scutes. I took him out and looked closer, and it's almost like there's a very thin layer over each scute. It flakes off a little if i scratch it with my fingernail. There are also some areas where this layer is craked. I have a picture of his shell dry, i couldn't get a closer shot because my camera isn't the greatest.

What do you all think? Is there a problem? Is this just leftover shell problems from his past neglect? Am i just worrying too much? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated

[steve]

Turtley looks good to me. I can't see the tiny bubbles, it could just be a fine layer that needs to come off too. I'm not sure what you mean by cracked... is it just the growth ring you're looking at?

[octpusgirl8]

Yeah it's hard to see them in the picture unless you know what you're looking for i guess. You can see the "cracks" on the pleural scutes on his left side (the top of the photo). I was thinking maybe it was just a little layer that didn't come off all the way, but i wasn't sure. I need to better educate myself on shell problems, i'm never quite sure what to look out for (other than the really obvious stuff) so i'm always a little paranoid about it. I figure the sooner you catch a shell problem the easier it is to treat. And about the growth ring, is that okay? It seems awfully wide, and he doesn't seem to be growing anymore. He's been at exactly 5" for as long as i've measured him, so almost a year.

[grey goose]

Turtles can take a long time to recover from illness or neglect. His shell looks a lot better than Gomie's. I've been waiting since spring for her to shed!

[octpusgirl8]

Yeah, he had it rough for his first 4 years or so before i got him. When i took him over i hooked him up with a bigger tank and his very first basking supplies, but i was overfeeding him for a while (they just act so hungry!) and i didn't "convince" him to eat his veggies like he should till about 9 months ago. I'm glad to finally start seeing some improvements in his shell's shape, but i know it might never look all smooth and nice, and that's fine by me, as long as he's healthy.
Another thing i just thought of, ever since he shed he's been getting under the water tube in his tank and using it to scratch his shell. It's really funny to watch, he gets under it and rocks back and forth and his face looks so serious like he's concentrating really hard. Do they get itchy shells? I would think that he would have been doing the scratching while he was trying to shed, not after he was done.

[DavidY]

I think he looks really nice too. I wonder if what you're seeing is just whatever may have built up between the shed scutes and the new ones. Is it slimy or is it like a hard layer?

[octpusgirl8]

It seems kind of like a very thin layer of shell material. Not slimy at all, i would be really worried if it was slimy! Maybe it could be something that built up from water under the scutes while he was shedding, it took a long time for them to come off. They seem to loosen in the middles first and the edges last, so there was water under them for a while. He's a good basker though, so it didn't stay wet continuously.

[grey goose]

Another thing i just thought of, ever since he shed he's been getting under the water tube in his tank and using it to scratch his shell. It's really funny to watch, he gets under it and rocks back and forth and his face looks so serious like he's concentrating really hard. Do they get itchy shells? I would think that he would have been doing the scratching while he was trying to shed, not after he was done.

Some turts, like Gomie and BD, love having their shells scratched. Some, like Beaker, not so much. I really don't scratch their back as much as I just hold my nails against their shell and let them dance away! Sometimes I use a small, soft nail brush....it's so funny to watch!

[camee1991]

Gorgeous! Looks like my Tobi girl's shell!!!

[SpotsMama]

Shell looks beautiful!

When Spot shed, there was often a very thin greyish almost powdery film on the fresh shell. After a week or so, the film wore off and then the scute was nice and shiny. I don't know what the film was but it didn't seem to hurt anything. I think that's what you are seeing on Turtley.

[octpusgirl8]

Oh thanks everybody i feel quite reassured now! Maybe he's been rubbing since his shed because he has better feeling in it without that thick extra layer. Now that i know it's normal i can enjoy how cute it is. He's doing it right now, he's holding his head up high and he's got his eyes closed...he's loving it!

[marisa]

I think I can see what you're talking about (faint white lines in the upper 3-4 scutes), but in general, your turtle has a very nice-looking shell.