General Care Discussion :: Broken nail.

[sai_dee]

Well I saw one of my turtles with one of it's nails broken off.
Is this a big problem or not really?

[emma]

How big is your turtle? My turtle was only a hatchling when is nail was broken off. And it has taken about 2-3 months for it to grow in again, and it is still not totally done.
I would think that if it is an adult RES, it would take a while longer for the nail to grow back, rather than a hatchling. I think your turtle will be OK though. Try to keep the tank as clean as you can.

[sai_dee]

Just a hatchling, didn't seem to affect it too much though. Still going about hanging around like it didn't happen.

[grey goose]

How many turtles do you have?

[marisa]

If the nail bed isn't (or doesn't) get infected, it should grow back eventually. I'd check it and if it appears swollen at all or if the skin is broken, I'd apply a little Neosporin (keep him out of the water for about 30 minutes to let it do some good) to it.

One of my eastern painteds lost his nail completely in late winter/early spring and it's still only about half grown in. Have you any idea how your turtle could have lost his nail (trying to climb on the basking dock, bitten by another turtle, for example)? Since you have more than 1 turtle in the tank, I'd check the one with the lost nail for any abrasions/bite marks. How big are your turtles (shell lengths without the curves) and how big is the tank they're in?

[Blue Flamingo]

I think before I got my turtle she some how broke one of her nails. It looks a little funky so dont expect the new nail to look like the others.