General Care Discussion :: Some growth concerns...

[sleepsinrain]

My turtle is about two months old now, and I've been noticing that her (I'm taking an educated guess here) shell is showing signs of what I think might be pyramiding, but I'm not entirely sure. When I first got her, I fed her only bloodworms and weaned her from these several weeks back; I feed her only pellets now, and I always provide a piece of cuttlebone to gnaw on. She gets as much sunlight and bask light as I can provide (several hours per day). I suspect I might be overfeeding, but I've been cutting back recently.

Also, I've noticed some vertical white "stripes" along her shell. What could this be?

Here are some photos I took:









If there's any other information I'm missing, please just ask. Thanks to anyone who can shed some light on this!

[chrisinva]

Your turtle looks the same as both of mine



From what I was told pyramiding is on each individual scute...Not just down the middle...The raised area down the middle is just the spine and the white area on the shell is shedding getting ready to take place


Also look at the dark lines in between each scute and they should be narrow...Wider lines are a sign of rapid growth...

How much are you feeding a day??

[sleepsinrain]

It varies, honestly. But most times not below 10 or 12 pellets daily, I think. And I know it's not 100% clear in the second pic, but when viewed from the side, her shell does have obvious ridges. Her shell's not smooth or rounded out the way other turtles' are. I know she's still growing and all but I'm just trying to catch any problems early on.

Also, anyone know how I can find a herp vet? The locater on this site isn't working yet.

[chrisinva]

You should only feed as many pellets as would fit inside the turtles head if it were hollow....I feed my babies 5 pellets a day max...and they are the Repto Min baby formula

Try here to find a herp vet in your area


http://www.nytts.org/nytts/helpnet.htm

[sleepsinrain]

Sounds good then. I guess I worry that since she's still a baby, she needs a lot of food. Whoops

I'm using Jurassi Diet...and sadly this was INSTEAD of ReptoMin, when I had the chance to buy it. Thanks for the tips.

[chrisinva]

Sounds good then. I guess I worry that since she's still a baby, she needs a lot of food. Whoops

I'm using Jurassi Diet...and sadly this was INSTEAD of ReptoMin, when I had the chance to buy it. Thanks for the tips.

You are very welcome...and remember that overfeeding can be very unhealthy...Try not to give in to the begging...I know it's hard

[SpotsMama]

I've seen a lot of baby turtles with white stripes down their backs. I'm not sure what causes it - perhaps their shells are softer and, since the shell along the backbone is raised, they scrape it against things and slightly damage it. I believe with time the white stripe disappears.