General Care Discussion :: Hard water deposit on shell

[emmers05]

I have a RES that I've had for about 6 mos & he's about 4 inches. The water where I live is really really hard & I noticed that when his shell dries off while he's basking, he has hard water deposit all over his shell. I'm going to be changing the water from tap to the reverse osmosis water because even water conditioner doesn't soften the water up. My question is how do I get the hard water deposit off of his shell?? I have a shell conditioner, but I was wondering if a sulfa dip would help as well. If anyone could help me out I would really appreciate it. He's a normal happy turtle so this doesn't seem to be affecting him. He's still eating & basking normally.

[TheComputerGremlin]

I think if you just take a soft toothbrush and some good water, you should be able to gently scrub it off. It might take a few days, since he might not be too interested in a long scrubbing, but it should help out. I don't think a sulfa dip would be recommended, just a couple good scrubs to dissolve the deposits.

[megcornell]

If by shell conditioner you mean "vitashell" don't use it. It causes a lot of shell issues and provides nothing beneficial.
You can try to gently scrub the stains off. But if you're changing the water then the problem really should resolve itself.

[emmers05]

I'll try using the toothbrush. I was using the vitashell once every month or so, but the water conditioner I got has done absolutely nothing to soften the water. Thanks for the quick replies!

[SpotsMama]

The operative word here is "gently". Be sure and scrub very gently. Turtles can feel through their shells, especially the seams between the scutes are very sensitive. Rather than scrub with a toothbrush, you might try rubbing with a soft wet cloth. That might be more effective. If the stains don't come off easily, don't force it because too much force will do more harm than good.

What's probably coating your turtle's shell is minerals like calcium. I don't believe typical water conditioners do anything to reduce mineral content. Most people just wait for their turtles to shed and after the shed the shell looks great for a while until the coating starts building up again.

[emmers05]

The problem is he's recently shedded, & while I'm currently using the hard tap water, & it just keeps building up. I'm going to start using better water, so I'll see if that helps before I start messing with his shell. Thanks for the advice!

[flyjawn]

you can try a little baking soda and vinegar on a soft cloth. just a dash of vinegar to past a bubbly paste is a good start. that should remove the stains.

[industrial_girl_2000]

My turtle used to live in hard water & had lots of hard water staining as well. It isn't harmful to them, just doesn't look good. The only way to get rid of the staining is for the turtle to shed.

Make sure you continue to find a way to soften the water before filling his tank. As long as you still have the hard water, the problem of shell-stains will always be there. Better to prevent the problem than try to solve it after-the-fact.

[emmers05]

we changed his water to reverse osmosis, so there shouldn't be as much of the minerals. i also gently scrubbed his shell with a soft cloth & that worked pretty well, he also seemed to like it because he didn't fight at all. i think with the softer water & the occasional shell massage he'll be happier. thanks!

[steve]

If your turtle has recently shed, it might not be hard water stains. Can you post pictures of the shell when it is dry?