General Care Discussion :: Grinding, Scratching, Rubbing! Please Help!

[queenjane]

Tank is still doing it.

Every day, he goes under my couch to grind his shell on the dull metal parts underneath it. Today, he discovered that he can grind against my fingernails.

He seems to be primarily interested in grinding out the groove between the main plates on his back and that outer ring that goes all the way around.

When he grinds himself on the couch or on my fingernails white, flaky stuff comes out from between the scutes like when you file your nails. doesn't appear to hurt him-- It actually makes his shell look better, but I wonder if something isn't the matter with his health that is making him do this. He won't allow me to clean him with a toothbrush in water or anything because it upsets him, but if I offer to "clean" him with my fingernail, he will absolutely go nuts and just grind against my thumbnail for 10 minutes straight. I think it feels good to him, but I just want to make sure he's not hurting himself.

I have all the proper equipment and diet. He has not shed in over four months. He will not eat tomatos, blueberries, or apple peel, but likes everything else on the recommended feeding list. He gets cuttlebone just about every other day, veggies every other day (lettuce, carrots, sweet potato), pellets every other day, and shrimp as a treat.

Shell photos:

[TheComputerGremlin]

Hmm, I wonder what the white flaky stuff is, other than the top layer of shell. I double it's like the stuff on human nails, but his shell looks very good. It looks like he's got the retained baby scutes (mine does too, I don't think it's harmful and they'll come off when they actually shed), but otherwise, it seems fine.

I would imagine that a short grind period shouldn't hurt him, though you may consider taking him to a vet just because he might be ill or missing some nutrient that you aren't aware of.

[tammi]

Maybe he just likes his back scratched

[jozzep]

My turtles scratch their bellied and backs on rocks in my basking area and in the tank.It's totally normal.
I think the white stuff your talking about are "your" nails that he grinds down when scratching.

[marisa]

Sounds like a shedding may be coming...

[queenjane]

The white stuff isn't my nails, haha. It's actually comes out of the ridges in his shell when I scrub him out with a toothbrush or when he grinds right into the groove of the shell.

I did a sulfa dip on him yesterday as a preventative and he looks really good today.

You think those retained baby scutes will come off eventually? That woud be nice.

[untsmurf]

The baby scutes will probably come off with his next shed.

This might be a no brainer but if you don't want him scratching on the post, don't allow him down there. Put up a barrier that doesn't allow him access, take him outside, or just keep him in the tank.

As for the toothbrush thing, whether he gets upset or not doesn't matter (as long as you're doing it right) so give him a good cleaning and see if he still rubs.

His shell looks perfectly healthy.

As for the sulfa-dip, you should save that until your turtle actually has a problem. If you use it too much now, your turtle will grow immune to it and it won't work when you actually need it.

Are you treating your water with any sort of water conditioner?

[queenjane]

Oh, I don't care if he scratches on anything, I just wanted to make sure he wasn't hurting himself. Anytime I touch him with my fingernails he starts rubbing his whole back on them... he appears to like it. Since he started this scratching business, his shell has gotten a lot shinier and the crud between the scutes has come out.

I usually give him a toothbrush bath like once every three months because he hates it so much and his claws destroy my hands. Should I do it more frequently? Maybe this is why he is itchy-- he has build up of gunk inbetween his scutes and he wants it out? Well, if that's the case, it's his fault, lol, because he won't let me give him baths.

I do use a water conditioner and some cleaner stuff for turtles now and then that helps keep the water ungunkified. I always have a huge problem with my water evaporating, so I have to put another 3-5 gallons of water in there every two weeks. I change the filters regularly and usually skim the water with a net.