General Care Discussion :: Help! Turtle's skin turning pink?

[mocha]

Some of the lighter parts of Mocha's skin have turned kind of pink... he's a RES... the whitish/light yellow area where his hind legs meet the inside of his shell and between his toes, if you can call them that, have a weird pink hue... it's mostly noticeable when he's basking but I know it's not the light making his skin pinkish. Anyone know why this may be? And should I be worried? You don't think he's sick or anything do you? Nothing's changed in his tank setup and I've had him for quite a long time now (years!).

[megcornell]

Can you post a picture of the skin? That would be very helpful for getting an idea of what's going on.
How is Mocha behaving? Is he still active and eating and swimming well? Usually loss of appetite and behavior changes can accompany illnesses.
Finally, can you describe your set up- Mocha's size, the tank size, filter, lights, etc...

[marisa]

Welcome to the forum. How big (and about how old) is Mocha? Those are the only two places that have a pink hue? How long have you noticed the pinkness? Your turtle appears healthy otherwise? No changes in behavior?

Pics of the areas dry would be helpful.

What is Mocha's diet like? Is s/he shedding skin at all?

[mocha]

Thank you for the welcome Mocha's about 7 yrs old and 6.5 inches. I got him when he was about 1 yr old from my friend who moved out of town. Mocha lives in a 90 gal tank with a canister filter, heat lamp, UV lamp, basking area, large river rocks and fake plants, heater. I feed him his leafy greens and carrots, zuchinni, and Reptomin. I give him other veggies and fruit every now and then to vary his diet -- usually whatever I have on hand at the time, though I am careful to avoid the "bad" foods. He's not shedding right now and he's more than willing to eat. Now that you mention it, Mocha's always been active but lately he's a little too active to the point of being restless, only stopping at night to sleep. I noticed the pinkness several weeks ago, about the time he began getting really restless. Yikes. I should have thought more of it at the time.

[industrial_girl_2000]

LOL about the pink skin. Keep an eye out to see if the pink comes & goes. Reason why I say this is because RES's have really bad blood circulation & when they sit in the same position for a long time (like basking or sleeping), their blood can pool under the skin & turn it pinkish/reddish. This pinkish color should disappear in a few hours after they start moving around again.

Keep an eye out on your turt & see if the color comes & goes.