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hey im new to the turtle caring business so im not sure whats happening with my turtles shells! its kinda like their scutes(i think thats what you called them...) or that scales on the shells, whatever. there seems to be some kind of decay on them! it is threatening?

here are some pics that i take of the problem
http://s49.photobucket.com/albums/f268/ ... CT0911.jpg

http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f268/ ... CT0910.jpg

its that kinda whiteish greyish stuff on the edges of the shell scutes. could it be the water temperature? there heater is the one thing i dont have because i bought one off ebay but it was the wrong kind (the one you clip to the side of the tank for fish) im going to get a submersible water heater ASAP but what can i do in the meantime to help them?

Do you have a UVA and UVB light? It looks kind of like shell rot to me. But the pictures are a little blurry.

i will take better pictures then! =O

What is their current set up like? How big? water temp? basking lights (UVB and UVA)?

What happens to those spots when you push on them? Are they soft and mushy? Do they smell?

Also, try to get pics of the shells when they are good and dry. They are a little fuzzy. Does your camera have a macro mode on it? It's the little flower icon, and it will help your pic focus up close.

Definitely look into what Missibsu said above.

Also, consider this: here are 3 pics of my Sheba, one where she just got done shedding (& looks very pretty, despite the flash from the camera on her shiny shell!), and 2 others taken recently where she is getting ready to shed (and looks very whitish/gray). These pics are about 1.5 years apart, and I have been going thru these gray/shed/pretty/gray/shed/pretty cycles for the last 16 yrs with her. I should also mention that our city water has a lot of calcium in it which can also discolor the scutes. How do I know she is healthy? Her shell is very hard (even in the white areas), the shell is still very shiny (despite the gray/white) and nothing is crumbling off her shell. And, like any other healthy turtle, she has a good appetite & is very alert.