General Care Discussion :: RES skin shedding?

Taking care of your turtle's overall health.

Post Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 5:45 pm   RES skin shedding?

Hello,
I have had my RES for 14 years, and something new is happening with her. She has been shedding skin for a while now - took her to the vet who recommended that I put her in a betadine bath. I was scared to do that to her so I didn't. Now, the shedding is out of control. It fills her tank and creates a slime coating. I am attaching a close up of her face and a picture of her filter that I just cleaned. Her tank was completely clean a week ago.

Her tank is 75 gallons, about 76-78 degrees with one large rock for her to stand on and a basking spot. She eats pellets every night, lettuce in the mornings.

It can't be the water because I have a YES in the tank next to her with clear water after cleaning it last week. She isn't shedding though.

Thanks for any advice you can give - I can take her back to the vet or if someone has done betadine baths and knows it is safe, I will try that!
Sarah
Attachments
IMG_2003.JPG
Crushette in cloudy water
IMG_1997.JPG
Crushette's filter after a week
IMG_2002.JPG
Crushette closeup
sarahndrew
 
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Post Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 10:23 pm   Re: RES skin shedding?

Is she basking? How is her skin, aside from the shedding?
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steve
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Post Posted: Sun Oct 09, 2016 11:09 pm   Re: RES skin shedding?

She basks but not as often as my YES. Her skin looks fine, although both of my guys are a little pink. The vet mentioned that was not completely normal?
sarahndrew
 
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Post Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 10:06 am   Re: RES skin shedding?

It depends on where the pink coloring is and if it comes off. It should be normal if it is a little pink around the webbing around the claws or near where skin meets the shell. If there is a lot of shedding, it might look a little pink. If there is a little pink that can be wiped off, then it is usually bacteria (not likely dangerous).

Is she swollen? She looks a little chubby in the picture.
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steve
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Post Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 7:12 pm   Re: RES skin shedding?

I don't think she is swollen, but I am attaching another photo of her for you to see her full body.
What causes excess shedding like this?
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IMG_2011 (1).JPG
sarahndrew
 
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Post Posted: Tue Oct 11, 2016 9:39 pm   Re: RES skin shedding?

It might be some loose skin, though she does look a little chubby to me.

As for excess shedding, there is no real answer. The most common theory is warm water and poor water quality. On some occasions it could be fungus causing problems but that doesn't happen very often.
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