General Care Discussion :: Can you force shedding?

[Ferd]

One of my turtles has wierd shaped scutes on the top. i think this is because of all the falls that he has hadfrom going onto the top of my intank cascade filter. there are some indentations on the shell that have filled in with algae. Ive tried to scrape it off but that doesnt seem to help. is there some way to force shedding since ricochete is in for a shedding. THX!

[Kallistos]

First of all, make it so he can't get onto of your cascade filter. I doubt you can force shedding, and don't force him to bask. Over time with less falls, a proper basking spot, it should heal by itself. I wouldn't worry too much, it's not like it's lethal....

[Ferd]

thank you for that.
ive removed all of the hazards to fall on. but my tank is too small for a basking spot. the smallest one would take up all the swimming area. since i just got this cage a few months ago, my parents wont let me get a new one. yes i do have a large tupperware container. but since my parents wont let the turtles leave my room, and i have no room except in my closet where it is crammed, i cant move them up. They do have a good point because we have dogs that LOVE their water.

[Kallistos]

So there's no way for your turtle to go up and dry off?

[Ferd]

they can climb up with no problem. the problem was just going down. i changed that seing that they were having problems. the only thing now is the dents have filled with algae. although it looks prety on his dull shell, it cant be healthy

[marisa]

You said the tank is too small for a basking area. What are they climbing up on? If they have a good habitat with a basking area and proper lighting so they can dry off and bask, they should shed their scutes naturally.

[Ferd]

The basking spot that they have is a cascade filter that both can fit on. they have it all day to themselves. since i have to keep them in my room, they get startled easily and jump off. otherwise they do fine. could the be too small? the largest is about 2.5 inches length. Its just that the shell looks like it has layers of shells. you can tell that it is layerd. it looks like a topographic map in some places. is this a sign of pyramiding?

[steve]

Despite the looks, is it actually bumpy?

[Ferd]

well, the scutes themselves are smoothe, just bumpy. the only thing i have against it is that it is filling in with algae

[cprcheetah]

My Zeke had a lot of scutes that wouldn't come off so we did 'forced' basking (put him in a rubbermaid container with the basking light on him for about 15 minutes at a time) It did wonders for his scutes.

[Ferd]

hmm
ill have to try that
thanks! ill see what happens

[marisa]

If your turtle's shell has "layers of shell," it sounds like he's retaining scutes. This is often an issue of improper/insufficient basking and/or diet.

The filter doesn't sound like a very good basking area to me (they can get fully dry, even their plastrons (undersides)? Do they have proper lighting (both a UVB light and a heat light? The lights should be over the basking area to help them dry off...

You could try to keep him out to bask (stressful), but he still needs to be basking under proper lighting. It would really be good if you could somehow get a bigger container and give them a decent basking area (with the lighting).

[Ferd]

the lighting is no prob. I just got a new 75 watt basking lamp and have a tropical uvb light with 5% uvb.

[Ferd]

well, i tried the forced shedding and that didnt work out too well. nuthing has happened yet. Right now, i want to know how to kill the algae on the shell.