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so my little hatchling (1 inch) stella is very soft between all of her scutes, even the ones on her plastron. i can take my nail and and feel between her scutes and it's very soft..almost seems like i can get gunk out of it.

any thoughts as to what this could be?

she basks almost all day..seriously! so i don't think she's not basking enough..her water is crystal clear..

now she was very picky about what she was eating and would only eat live things, but she's past that now. she eats pellets and lettuce now with a mealworm every week.

Be VERY careful feeling between the scutes. That area is very sensitive and you might hurt her if you are not careful.

When turtles are little, their shells are typically flexible - not floppy, but not hard. As they grow up, their shells harden until by about one year old, their shells should be hard. The last part to harden is the area just above the tail.

Possibly what you're seeiing is normal for a little bitty turtle. Let us know a bit more about your setup so we can make sure.

Does she get calcium in her diet? A growing turtle needs a lot of calcium for shell and bone health. A cuttlebone in the tank is usually the best source for calcium.

What sort of light bulbs does she have - type and strength? Turtles need to bask under a good UVB light in order to metabolize the calcium they eat.

What brand of pellets does she eat and how much?

How does her shell look? If you can provide a picture when her shell is dry, that would be vey helpful.

Any behavior concerns, like lethargy? Sounds pretty good from what you describe - I gatheer she's basking a lot and eating well.

when a turtle is that small, their shells are pretty soft. if she is acting normal and does not appear to have an infection or fungus problem I would not worry much. Stella's shell will grow and get harder over time.

How big is your turtle? less than an inch
How long have you had it? a few weeks

What is the water temperature? 80
Did you use a thermometer? yes
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? it's a 10 gallon tank, and it's filled up 3 inches from the top
Are you using a water conditioner? yes, reptisafe
Are you using any filtration? yes

What is the basking temperature? about 87, 88.
Is there a basking light? yes, 100watt (its far enough away)
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? don't know what it's made of?
Is there a UVB light? yes, repti glow 5.0, 13 watt. its about 7 inches away from basking platform.

What have you been trying to feed it? reptomin pellets, romaine and red and green leaf lettuce, the occasional feeder fish, and a mealworm every week.
When was the last time your turtle ate? about an hour ago, i gave her a pellet

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 10 gallon
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? somewhat

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? no, just that her shell has always been strange. it seems her scutes always want to peel off. but she basks alot, has no trouble diving/swimming, has a hardy appetite, and no bleeding from her shell and no bone exposed either.

here is a pic from another topic about her shell.


she just seems to always have a problem going on with the edges of her scutes.

here are some pics i took just now: