Page 1 of 1

shedding or sick?

PostPosted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 6:23 pm
by pumpkinsherbet
i am sorry to post so much today, but i want to make sure my little one's doing okay. aeryn's activity hasn't changed a bit, she's still very active and healthy. as a matter of fact she's grown! but today i noticed a bit of the white lines on her scutes and i want to make sure she's not sick.

How big is your turtle? approx 1 3/4"
How long have you had it? little over 1 month

What is the water temperature? 79 degrees
Are you using a water heater? yes
How much water is in there? approx 15 gallons (i have to save up for a bigger tank)
Are you using a water conditioner? yes, tetra AquaSafe
Are you using any filtration? yes, but it's inadequate. going to get another one asap until then i have bottom feeders and clean out the tank everyday

What is the basking temperature? 82 degrees http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7676
Is there a basking light? yes (see above link)
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?there are two easily accessible basking areas
What kind is it or what is it made out of? basking dock and hiding cave/rock
Is there a UVB light? yes

What have you been trying to feed it? reptomin baby pellets everyday, every other day fresh veggies (e.g. peas, carrots, romaine lettuce). meat items every two weeks (recently got them crickets) and live fish scheduled to be given once every 6 weeks.
When was the last time your turtle ate? a couple hours ago

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 20 gallons (saving up for bigger tank)
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? it's in the living room. sometimes there's lots of activity but usually not

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes, but nothing that answered my question

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? no

and here are a few pictures:
wet shell
Image

dry shell, carapace shot
ImageImage

dry shell, plastron shot
Image
(the orange stripe on the r side is from camera lighting, there is no unusual discolouration besides the white)

PostPosted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 8:47 pm
by Pizza
I believe it's normal, your turtle is growing, and so is its shell. Maybe someone can better answer your question.

PostPosted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:04 pm
by DaddySkittles
Look's normal. And love that plastron shot!! so cute!

PostPosted: Fri Feb 02, 2007 9:53 pm
by pumpkinsherbet
haha she didn't like it much!

well it's good to know it seems to be on the normal side so far! it's hard to tell these things when you're new at it :p

PostPosted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:04 pm
by marisa
Cute turtle. To me, the white in the seam of the dry carapace on the left looks almost like residue from something in the tank. The right pic of the dry carapace looks like the edges of some of the scutes are starting to dry out and lift (as in the start of shedding).

PostPosted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 5:36 pm
by kikicool
adorable platron shot! What personality. She looks so indignant! Looks like grownig to me, too.

PostPosted: Sat Feb 03, 2007 8:51 pm
by pumpkinsherbet
yeah i need to learn some tricks to be quick with my camera, there are some really funny times where she'll just turn her head to look at me, shove my finger, then kindof do that ''hrmph" head turn. it's very indignant. like a kid that turns around and starts pouting when you say they can't have candy.