Other Turtle Discussion :: Shell Shedding

[TheOneCalledRed]

My turtle has been shedding alot lately. I think it is mostly because she's growing up that new skin is developing. But her shell, top and bottom has pieces of skin slightly peeled over. I don't want to peel at them or anything but is this normal?

[SpotsMama]

It's normal for turtles to shed both skin and shell. When they shed skin, you see little whitish whisps when they are in the water. If they are shedding a lot of skin - so you see the whisps floating around in the water and standing out around the turtle - then it's probably an indication that the water temp's too high. Lowering the temp a few degrees will allow the shedding to slow down.

The very top translucent layer of shell also sheds or peels off as the turtle grows. If conditions are ideal, the pieces of shell will come off a whole scute at a time. Before the shed you'll probably see the scute lifting around the edges. Other signs the shell is getting ready to shed are a metallic look or coppery spots when the shell is underwater. Also, the shell gets a rather dull appearance before a shed. If conditions are not ideal the shell may come off in flakes instead of in large pieces.

Does any of this sound like your turtle?

It's best to let pieces of a shedding shell fall off on their own, but if the piece is lifting and is loose you can gently help it to come off. Just don't pull to get it off because if you have to pull that means it's not ready.

[Girlygirlpunx]

How long does it take to peel off (top and bottom) if conditions are ideal?
I noticed about a week after getting my 2 RES that this started to happen and was curious how long it would take.

[DavidY]

Yea it can take weeks. Between my 3 RES, they seem to always be in some stage of shedding. I'm regularly vacuuming scutes every so often. It's a good sign I guess.

[marisa]

Can you post a pic of the shell dry?