Page 1 of 2

spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 11:29 pm
by texasres
So me and my gf got a baby res a few weeks ago And both of us are new to turtles. From what I've been reading here I think I've been over feeding for sure. There was no space between the scutes when we got him but now there is a pretty large gap. Also there is some lighter discoloration on the ridge of his carapace and towards the outer edge on some parts. Any ideas on what's going on with my new favorite pet? Also I'm trying to load some pictures of him (or her) but can't seem to figure out how.

Any advice would be appreciated

Re: spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Fri Jun 06, 2014 12:23 am
by steve
To upload pics, you can choose this: Full editor -- > upload attachment or use a 3rd party host. Imgur.com is free and fast (select BBCODE for it show up embedded in your posts).

Re: spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 9:16 am
by texasres
What is 512 kib? No matter what I do I can't get a picture that small

Re: spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 9:21 am
by texasres
Image

Re: spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 9:23 am
by texasres
Damn sorry, I know that's a huge picture. Idk what else to do tho

Re: spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Sat Jun 07, 2014 10:53 am
by steve
It's fine, I wish more people would post larger pics :)

The seams are little thick, but still good. The yellow coloration on the ridge is normal. The light/dull green spots look like they might be shedding but he is pretty young for that to happen. I'd keep an eye on it for now. Does have a UVB light, basking area, etc?

Re: spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:15 pm
by texasres
Ok good. And yup he has a turtle dock and a uvb/heat lamp combo so he can dry off and bask.

Re: spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:20 pm
by texasres
I've since changed his diet to a couple pieces of kale and 2 or 3 pellets in the morning and 5 or 6 more pellets when I get home about 12 hours later

Re: spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 1:32 pm
by texasres
At what age do the normally start shedding? And would environmental impacts cause that to happen sooner?

Re: spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 6:50 pm
by Into_the_Mystic
texasres wrote:I've since changed his diet to a couple pieces of kale and 2 or 3 pellets in the morning and 5 or 6 more pellets when I get home about 12 hours later

Sounds like a lot of pellets.. also be careful of the amount of Kale.. You may want to go with a Green leaf, Romain, or a Red Leaf type.

Re: spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Mon Jun 09, 2014 11:31 pm
by steve
I agree about the kale. Shedding is a bit unpredictable, there's no way to guess but it will go at it's own pace. Just make sure the shell is healthy and the scutes do not become retained.

Re: spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 6:30 am
by texasres
They're the zoo med hatchling formula. It's got 43% protein. That's too much still? It's less than what would fit In his head

Re: spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 8:25 am
by steve
Sounds OK. I would look into other pellets though... Mazuri, and Omega One are very good.

Re: spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:25 pm
by texasres
Ok cool. Thanks so much. And what does mystic mean by a red leaf type? Is kale something I shouldn't feed him at all?

Re: spacing between scutes?

PostPosted: Wed Jun 11, 2014 3:28 pm
by steve
Kale is fine as part of a balanced diet. But red leaf, green leaf have less phosphorus, which is a good thing.