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Hi! I have a male rescued RES with shell deformities ever since we got him, unsure of his age but he's been with us for 12 years. He's been this size ever since and has been through 1-2 sheds (rare) and the shed scutes were always clear and thin.

Recently he's shedding again but it's taking long and the scutes are taking a golden appearance (in water and more prominent when dry). Water comes out when I press on the scutes and the 'almost shed scutes' appear to be in complete pieces. I'm worried there may be a build up of gunk/bacteria/etc underneath these scutes as they look weird and an unusual colour. He has a UVB light(Exo Terra UVB 100) in his tank, basks and eats normally and is very active. Is this a cause of concern or is this normal?

Thanks!

If they are already lifting up, you can give it a gentle assist. Just don't force anything that isn't ready to come off and note that the edges are probably the last areas to loosen up.

Thanks! Would adding wheat germ pellets in his diet help with the shedding?

Can't hurt to try and adds a bit of variety into the diet.

Awww... poor little guy... How can people be so mean to their pets?
But I'm very happy you found him so he can have a better life now How is the shell now? Is the shedding done?

He has shed most of it! Although there seem to be some left on the sides and near the tail. He has shed (mostly) in whole pieces except some half-tampered ones with my itchy hands it was already fully lifted except the edges, didn't want to force it so i left it as it is)

His shell looks pretty nasty now when it's dry so I'm kinda paranoid Do you think he could be lacking/have caught something?

His shell when wet:



His shell when dry:

Looks mostly like good progress. Some of the seams between the scutes look a bit deep, so I would give it a gently scrub with a toothbrush and maybe some diluted betadine or hibiclens and give it a good inspection.