General Care Discussion :: Shedding shell/scutes

[Michele108]

Relatively new turtle keeper here. Just adopted a 5yr old RES a few weeks ago. She was in a 29gal tank half full with no heat/light/nothing... She's now in a 60 gal tote little more than half full, has basking area between 85-90F, water temp 75-80F, eating like a little pig - not having great luck with vegetation, but not giving up. Working on the UVB bulb (got one online and it was broken). I know its not perfect, but for now it is much better than what she was in.

She appears to be shedding her shell/scutes. I've had many snakes and lizards, so I'm not totally unfamiliar with shedding, but I can't seem to find much information about turtle shedding. She has been losing one little section of shell at a time, about every other day. I've been finding the pieces in the water, they look like complete sections of shell. Nice and transparent, with some coloration to them. Similar to pieces of a snake shed. Her shell looks nice and bright where the pieces have shed, and the shell is firm. Her skin is slightly pink, but not red or irritated looking. Question is simply is this all normal? I've been looking online for information on normal shedding, but have only had luck finding articles about abnormal shedding. Thanks in advance for any input.

[steve]

It's good she has an appetite. Cut down on the pellets and use a veggie clip with her greens... she will take them eventually. The shell shedding sounds perfect. Slightly skin pink can be normal, but usually not all over. You'd see it where the flesh meets the shell, of there is loose skin and the pinkish stuff is bacteria. You should be able to wipe it off skin. If it's not that, then you will need to keep an eye on it.

[Michele108]

Thanks again Steve. I thought it seemed normal. I know my ball python will get a pinkish hue when she sheds, usually fades in a couple days. The turtle, which the grandkids named Shelly, looks really healthy to me, but since I've not had one before, just not positive about some things.

I've gotten her to eat some anachris, hornwort, carrot and sweet potato, but she's got little interest in the lettuces or fruits I've tried yet. She nibbles some, not much, but I'm more stubborn than she is. ha ha Just found the turtle jello shots recipe yesterday. Gonna try that to see if it gets some more greens into her. Does anyone have recommendations on a recipe for these that could be used as her staple diet if she likes it? I know there is some protein in the gelatin, but if you packed them with veggies, vitamins and just enough tuna to attract her attention could that be an adequate staple diet? Obviously still providing greens daily.

Also, Steve, I got the infrared thermometer. Works great! Wish I'd have thought of that years ago. Do you know if they are accurate on water temp? Manual that came with it was pretty basic, just how to work it, not necessarily what it works on.

[steve]

I haven't seen any pinkish tints related to scute shedding. If you take her out of the water, see if any of the pink can be wiped off. For veggies, I think a veggie clip is worth trying. It seems to be effective for picky eaters. As for the jello, I have not tried it but people mix and match with what they have on hand. I'd love to hear what you come up with.

As for the thermometer, it only measures the surface (so it's fine for indoor aquariums) and if you have one that is 1:1, then it needs to be 1" away to be accurate. So it might be a little off but it is still more accurate than any other type of thermometer. I'll sometimes point it at the glass instead of sticking my arm into the tank, and it'll only be a 0.1F difference. It's one of my favorite turtle "toys".

[Michele108]

It was more of a pinkish iridescence, which is gone this morning, so it must be just like the ball python.

I used to have a bag full of veggie clips, which now, of course, I can't find. and our local pet shops haven't had any... I've just been letting it float until I find one. She nibbles some, but I doubt she's eating much of it because I find little green bits in the bottom when I clean.

Have to admit, I've been using the thermometer to check temps on many things too... It's been reading her water temp at about 76-79 most times I check it. Just wasn't sure how accurate I should take these readings. Definitely not putting one of my floating aquarium thermometers in there, she'll try to eat it!

[steve]

I'm not sure what brand you picked up, but I also like to use it check random things I would still recommend an old fashioned LCD stick-on as a back up. Avoid those digital ones with a probe... very unreliable and inaccurate.

[Michele108]

Would the Stick on type work on a tote? I have one, but didn't know if it would register on the plastic tote.

The infrared is a Pittsburgh brand. Cheapo from Harbor Freight Tools. But I wanted to put more money into her enclosure than the thermometer.. Seems to work pretty well. I used it to check my other reptile enclosures, and compare with their analog thermometers. Seemed pretty accurate compared to them. Also checked my fish tanks after I posted earlier, was within a couple degrees my floating thermometers..that's close enough for me. And yeah, we've checked random things through the house too. Adults are allowed to play some too.

[steve]

A stick on will work on plastic too. Again, there might be some slight accuracy issues but overall should be close enough. I have not tried the Harbor Freight Tools version but sounds like it should be good. Have fun!