General Care Discussion :: Shedding scutes...

[Ashley]

How long does it normally take a turtle to shed its scutes and how frequently should they shed?
Bowser has shed her skin many times in the 5 months we've had her, but no luck on scute shedding.
Her color has changed from a lighter green to a darker green during that time, and you can see the golden/shiny spots where the scutes are trying to shed.
She basks plenty with a strong UVB light and eats lots of cuttlebone.
Maybe trying the jello shots will help?

[theartbook35]

Shedding varies depending on the turtle. You should see them shed once or twice a year, based on how fast they grow. You can speed up shedding with the addition of blueberries once a week, they are high in calcium.

[marisa]

A larger turtle that's growing more slowly will shed scutes less frequently and for me, it will take longer for them to come off. My RES (nine years old) didn't fully shed this year. My painteds, which are younger (about 6 years), have been shedding once a year. When they shed, the scutes pretty much come off within days.

FYI, blueberries are not a source of calcium, they contain Vit. E. I personally have seen no "speeding up" of shedding with the addition of blueberries to the diet.

[TurtleKeeper48]

We have an 8 year old "rescue" that appered to have never really shed properly. Lots and lots of retained scutes. I knew she needed to shed badly, and we could see signs of air bubbles, but it took well over a year - about 15 months of keeping her in proper conditions with proper diet before she finally shed a the first scute. She's been shedding for about 4 months now and I would estimate is less than half done. Patients. It can take some time.

[theartbook35]

A larger turtle that's growing more slowly will shed scutes less frequently and for me, it will take longer for them to come off. My RES (nine years old) didn't fully shed this year. My painteds, which are younger (about 6 years), have been shedding once a year. When they shed, the scutes pretty much come off within days.

FYI, blueberries are not a source of calcium, they contain Vit. E. I personally have seen no "speeding up" of shedding with the addition of blueberries to the diet.

Really? I thought they had calcium in them... In any case, When my little ones first started shedding their scutes, I gave them blueberries, and those scutes came off in about a week's worth of time. I haven't been giving blueberries because they are hard to get during the winter months, and, they haven't been shedding their scutes as quickly. I think it depends on how much you give them. Typhoon and Hurricane each got a whole blueberry, and ate the whole thing, even the skin.

I'm also making the educated guess that, since they contain vitamin E, they are good for the skin, and a large part of skin health in reptiles is proper shedding. My understanding has always been that the scutes are just larger scales, if I'm wrong on that I won't be surprised though.

[SeriSlider]

I am kinda have the same issue. I have a 2yr old that I've had for a week now and I think she's shedding improperly due to neglect at the pet shop. but anyway I notice the "shiny spots" and im not sure if i should "Help" her shed by removing the parts that are lifted around the edges. I was also given a jello shot variation with blueberries in it and some way its suppose to help.
*check my other post for the recipe, or I could find it*

[SeriSlider]

found it
viewtopic.php?f=8&t=28328

[steve]

Never try to "help" those scutes, they should come off when they're ready.

[oothimus]

What is the down side to just pulling off the ones that are at an advanced shed stage?

[steve]

Some areas, particularly the edges might not be ready to come off and leave parts of the scute behind. In worse situations, it'll come off but take a bit of the fresh scute layer with it.

I usually say "never" to try to help inexperienced keepers who might be impatient about shedding without recognizing the different stages of it and then try to force it along.

[Trevor's_Mom]

What is the down side to just pulling off the ones that are at an advanced shed stage?

Don't do it!!! Steve is correct- they will come off when they are ready. When I was younger and had my first RES, my best friend up the street got one too (we would've been...8? maybe 9 years old?) and her RES came from the SPCA in our area and was older than my tiny little 2 inch pet store hatchling... Anyway, I was at her house one afternoon, and we were "playing" with her RES and she noticed a scute that was starting to shed, it was just starting to lift up... she yanked it off not knowing any better and it did take new, fresh scute with it. It ended up causing a wound on the RES and it got infected and the poor turtle died. I still think about that RES even today and how much pain that poor little guy must've been in when she yanked it off. *shudder

So yeah, leave them alone.

[oothimus]

Okay, so leave them alone. Got it. But that pulling off a shedding scute, even if it yanks a new one, is a surprise for me... never thought any nerve cells were in the shell...

[Ashley]

Bowser is taking FOREVER to shed her scutes. LOL They've looked like they're ready to come off for a couple of months now.
Oh well...she'll she when she's good and ready.

[steve]

If you push down on a scute, do you see water seep out?

[Motorwaffle]

My RES, King Koopa, has been shedding more or less since I got him last week. The shell under the scutes feels normal, but it's slighty lighter in color than what's comming off. Is this cause for concern?