Photo Gallery :: healthy shells?

[louie&rascal01]

ok so i think my turtles shells are pyrimiding but im not sure, tell me what u think.;


here is Mrs Turtle

[img][img]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/rascal_louie01/P1010113.jpg[/img][/img]


[img][img]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/rascal_louie01/P1010112.jpg[/img][/img]



[img][img]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/rascal_louie01/P1010111.jpg[/img][/img]




and here is Mr Turtle


[img][img]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/rascal_louie01/P1010115.jpg[/img][/img]


[img][img]http://i19.photobucket.com/albums/b199/rascal_louie01/P1010114.jpg[/img][/img]


well please tell me what u think.

[TexasJagsFan]

I'm not even close to an expert like Marise and others are, but if I took an educated guess, it does look like pyramiding?

You have probably already said this, but what does their diet consist of?

[louie&rascal01]

well i feed them carrots and romaine lettuce every day and i feed them pellets every other day or every third day

[TexasJagsFan]

I think I also read somewhere on here that turtles that live in a human habitat can get shell pyramiding, compared to turtles living in the wild, no matter what they are fed.

[JessicaTS]

Quite true TJF, all of the wild turts I see have super large, super smooth carapace. Am kinda jealous

[marisa]

If that is true (I don't really think it is, though), the diet would certainly be a part of it--not just the protein in the diet, but also the kind of veggies being fed. There are other factors as well, though--calcium, Vit D3 amoung them.

I've read true pyramiding in aquatics isn't all that common.

When was the last time your turtles shed?

[louie&rascal01]

u mean the shell right, well i think there shedding right now, like im not too sure what u mean but i think its like when there basking when there dry u see like white stuff like its peeling off the shell right? i see there skin shedding all the time.

[TexasJagsFan]

Marisa-

How would turtles get protein in the wild?

[tini]

TJF- I know that was set for marisa but fish have protein.


louie&rascal01 they are starting to get big maybe you should only feed them 5 times a week.

[louie&rascal01]

so dont give them anythign at all for 2 days?

[marisa]

TGF, they get protein from a number of foods. Fish, like Tini said and also things like worms, bugs, etc. And because they're opportunistic eaters, they'll also eat carrion if they find it. They don't get the abundant amounts of protein that captive turtles often get, and they don't always find anything to eat every day, though, which is a reason why wild turtles are usually smaller than captive turtles of the same age.

lr01, how many pellets do you feed them at a time every other day or every third day? Try some different plant matter besides romaine and carrots.

You said their skin is shedding all the time--what are the temps of the water and basking area? How much water do you have in the tank and how often do you change it?

[louie&rascal01]

i feed them like 3 or 4 pellets when i give then it. the water changes since i dont have a heater, when i turn off the light at night, in the morning the water is like 70 degrees and by the end of the day its like 80. its a 10 gallon tank and theres like 7 gallons of water in it. the basking temperature is about 90 degrees. i change the water ususally like once a week.

[cam722]

Where are you located? That water temp fluctuation is not a good thing. You really should think about investing in a heater to keep the temperature more constant.

[louie&rascal01]

im in las vegas

[tini]

no, no, no. Feed them one day skip a day, feed them one day skip a day and feed them the rest of the week.

I know it is hard to do. I try so hard to go a day or two with out feeding them.