General Care Discussion :: My turtle Petri is having shell issues...

[PetriTheTurtle]

When I first got my turtle from a home that was not ideal for her, she had some shell issues. I tried my very best to read all the books and take excellent care of her...



After a few months it really seemed like it was starting to clear up...





But now (over a year later) it seems to be getting worse again... Her shell is dry and flaking. I don't know what to do. Below are some pictures:











List of General Questions:

How big is your turtle? Her shell is about 7 inches long
How long have you had it? Close to 3 years

What is the water temperature? Room Temperature
Are you using a water heater? Only in the winter when the water temp starts to drop
How much water is in there? 40 gallon breeder tank
Are you using a water conditioner? a few drops when I do a water or filter change
Are you using any filtration? Fuval 304

What is the basking temperature? one side of the platform is about 75 - 80 degrees, the other side is around 90 degrees
Is there a basking light? Yes. A coil UVA/UVB over the basking area, and a ReptileSun Strip light over the water.
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes, she up on it all the time
Is there a UVB light? yes, one over the basking area and one over the water

What have you been trying to feed it? Dry Turtle food, Dandilion greens, shredded carrots.
When was the last time your turtle ate? This morning

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure? 40 gallon breeder tank completely full to the top with water, ramp leading to a caged in basking area on top of the tank.
Is the tank near a window? no
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? moderate

Have you read the Basic Care section? yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? no[/b]

[missibsu]

Turtle shed their scutes. What does the shell look like under the dry scutes that are starting to lift off? Does it look like healthy shell? Could just be that it is time to shed again.

Is there any smell with the shell? Any soft spots? What happens to the color of the shell if you press on it?

My guess is just shedding though.

[PetriTheTurtle]

She's shed before and her scutes came off in one nice piece, but this time it is all flaking of in little pieces and it seems like there are several layers all build up that are coming off at once.

The scutes that are underneath all the flaky layers seem fine, they are shiny and healthy looking.

There is no smell (or at least nothing out of the ordinary) and no soft spots. No color change when I press on the shell.

I hope its just shedding.... but it doesn't seem like the usual shedding so i thought maybe i could get some insights on what could be going on...


Thanks for all your help!

[missibsu]

If Petri hasn't shed in awhile, then they could have built up. I still think it's shedding. Wait and see what other think though.

[jenaero]

Nothing really stands out to me. Looks like a normal older turtle shell. Mine aren't nearly that old/big yet so I can't say for sure but I wouldn't worry as long as everything else seems fine.

[fishandcandy]

My turtle (also named Petri!) has the same kind of thing going on... Like he needs to shed but for some reason it's not working.

[PetriTheTurtle]

Yeah, that exactly what it's like... like she needs to shed, but the layers are not coming off and are building up.

My concern is that all of those layers might be trapping water and could eventually lead to shell rot.

by the way, what a great name your turtle has!

[sonyj]

If he's retaining keratin then he may not be shedding like he should and retaining his scutes. I had to search the forum for a while but finally found an old post on it.

This is just a theory of what might be wrong with your RES, but this might help: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ght=#25268

[PetriTheTurtle]

If he's retaining keratin then he may not be shedding like he should and retaining his scutes. I had to search the forum for a while but finally found an old post on it.

This is just a theory of what might be wrong with your RES, but this might help: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... ght=#25268

Thanks, this looks very much like what's going on with petri. I think I'll try gentle scrubbing a few times a week and if that doesn't help, maybe i'll try dry docking at night.

Thanks for everyone's help!

[Monarch]

I think it's normal shedding myself. My big RES looks EXACTLY like yours! I took her to the vet over it and was told that she was fine. It may be like the previous post says though, and he/she is retaining Keratin. Can't hurt to check it out!

[marisa]

I'd try to vary the diet more and get your turtle outside in the sunlight to bask more. Retained scutes can be a husbandry issue as well.

[PetriTheTurtle]

Thank you everyone... I feel much better now.

She already gets a pretty varied diet (a mixture of several different dry turtle foods, calicum gut loaded crickets, lettuce, dandilion greens, carrots and other assorted fruits and veggies), but let me know if there is anything else I can add to make sure she's getting the proper nutition she needs.

Now that it's summer and I don't have to work (perks of being a teacher) I will definitely try to get her outside as much as I can.


She came to me from such a bad home, i'm trying my best to make sure she's happy and healthy with me!

[fishandcandy]

I gave my little Petri a scrub with the toothbrush (not easy now that he's growing long claws) and he looks much better. Still not great, but better.