General Care Discussion :: Sheeding

[IgNiTe]

As far as shedding goes..

At what size/age does it happen?

What can I do to help my turtle shed properly?

How can I prevent pyramiding?

Anything else I should know about shedding to ensure my turtle shed's happily?

[Daniel3507]

there isnt really a set age for shedding and i dont think there is a set size. it depends on the turtle and condition. having a good basking area is the best thing for them to shed and you could also feed foods high in vitamin e like blueberrys and apple skins every now and then. you can prevent pyramiding by not overfeeding and feeding proper diet

[SpotsMama]

Young turtles shed more often than old ones. A little one may shed several times a year whereas an old one may not shed but every few years. When a turtle shell scutes, only the top thin translucent layer comes off. Sometimes it takes months for all the scutes to shed once the process gets started.

Like Daniel said, food containing vitamin e is very helpful. In addition to blueberries and apple skin, some other good foods are tomato, turnip greens and sweet potato. Most turtles like blueberries and really love a little steamed sweet potato (good to know for those who have trouble getting their turtles to eat veggies). Don't pull on loose scutes - let them drop off on their own.

You can tell scutes are getting ready to shed when (1) they get a dull whitish look, usually around the edges of scutes (2) you notice lifting around the edges (3) when the turtle is in water, there appear to be shiny silver or copper blotches on the shell - means air is trapped under the scute (4) when the turtle is out of water you can sometimes see water ooze out from underneath a loose scute when you press gently on it (5) turtles getting ready to shed will often scratch or rub their shells against hard things like tank decorations - sometimes this gets quite noisy.

To prevent pyramiding, don't feed your turtle more than the recommended amount of protein, be sure a cuttlebone is always available for calcium, and be sure the turtle gets to bask under good quality UVB.

In addition to pyramiding, another common shell problem is retained scutes. This is where scutes are due to shed but never fall off so that layers of unshed scutes pile up. A good clean habitat, good diet including calcium and some vitamin e-containing veggies, lots of basking under under good quality UVB where the shell gets to dry out completely will cure or prevent retained scutes.

[CB]

To prevent pyramiding, don't feed your turtle more than the recommended amount of protein, be sure a cuttlebone is always available for calcium, and be sure the turtle gets to bask under good quality UVB.

is there an option other than cuddlebone? my turtle ignores it. weeks and nothing, so any help would be appreciated. thank you.
cb

[SpotsMama]

Cuttlebone is great because it's easy to get and quite nuitritious. My turtle prefers his cuttlebone anchored to the wall of the tank with a veggie clip. He doesn't like old soggy cuttlebone - he wants it fresh. Some turtles seem to be just the opposite - they won't touch the cuttlebone until it's all waterlogged and sitting on the bottom of the tank.

There are some good OTC supplements for calcium. Here's info for you:

http://www.redearslider.com/supplements.html

[nT)Gauss]

Are boci pear skins good enough for vitamin e? If not, what kind of apple skins? Macintosh would be good?

[SpotsMama]

I don't know that it makes a difference what brand of apple skins you use. I suppose use the kind that you like best.

Some of the sources say pears contain about as much vitamin e as apples but others don't. Some sources say mango contains some vitamin e but others don't.

Some other foods containing a little vitamin e are blackberries, rasberries and strawberries.