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Ive recently started to notice the edges of my RES shell are blackining. She is shedding at the moment, and Im just wanting to make sure all looks okay. I took some pictures, they are not the greatest, but hopefully you will be able to tell. Thankss

SIZE OF TURTLE:


TOP OF SHELL:




BELLY: (( I know these are hard to see))

pictures are extremely blurry.

I know, thats why i said they are not the greatest. Just wondering if anybody can tell with what I have.

Try holding the camera a little further away. If you can't get better focus, try searching this forum (use the "search" function) for other shells and see if you can find something similar for us to look at.

Are you talking about wide, dark seams - the spaces between the sections of shell (scutes)?

yeah thats what im talking about.

does your camera have a macro function? That would make all the difference. Perhaps you could borrow a friends camera?

Those dark seams are the new shell coming in, and the brighter green scutes probably just havent shed yet. (From what I can see)

Try washing your turtle's shell gently with a wet paper towel and see if some of the dark stuff comes off.

Usually wide seams are an indicator that a turtle is growing rapidly. For turtles, that's not necessarily a good thing - it's often a symptom of overfeeding.

Double check the amount your turtle is eating, and also whether the diet is balanced. Too much protein in particular will cause rapid growth in a turtle, which can lead to pyramiding and stress on the organs and a shortened life span. It's hard to resist a turtle begging for food - but we have to do what's best for them.