General Care Discussion :: Do RES skin shed?

[Rylanda]

Hi there !

Just watching my Link and she looks like some skin on her feet and neck is shedding, is this normal or is this something I need to be worried about?

She's eating normal, begging normal, basking just fine and doing her bodily functions fine.. it's just this skin shedding.


Thanks!

[steve]

Yes, they do. Thin and wispy is normal and nearly invisible when they're out of water. Poor water quality or excessively warm water is believed to cause excessive skin shedding,

[Rylanda]

Ok good. The water quality is great I have a test kit and all in normal ranges. It's not too warm either. It's very thin aND wispy. Move is done so Link is in fresh water now tested twice to ensure good quality.

Thank you!!!

[litefoot]

Glad all worked out for you and Link ! Now it's time to enjoy each others company ! Bet Link is thrilled in her setup. Oh if anything comes up Link will tell you what she needs. They have there own way of teaching us , that's for sure !

[Rylanda]

I've been told we are getting a 125 gallon tank in the next month or so and then we won't have to upgrade again. I'm not going to decorate this tank too much since we will be upgrain again (yay for Link). She has a lovely spot right now and is able to view everything. She weathered the trip very well and ate very well after I set her in her small tank while working on the larger one. I will post photos when it's all set up.

[litefoot]

Think you may fill all the way and make an "ATBA" ?

[Rylanda]

ATBA? What is that?

[litefoot]

"Above Top Basking Area" for turtles. You could do 1/2 the top or all the top. It's a way to upgrade amount of water for turtles. Now that 125 gallon is full ! Google it , click on images or look on this site for ideas. You can make it a DIY project ! Can be as simple as you want or elaborate just make it safe !

Difference , basking area in tank , to be safe some kind of top cover or use only half water for safety. What a waste of a glass aquarium. To have all that space with only 60 gallons of water. Works but the cost to DIY "ATBA" compared to another upgrade for a full grown adult ....? Even a full grown female RES would love 125 gallons of water (12" size with 10 gal for every inch of shell ) ! Hope I'm making myself clear?

For me always setup a tank for the adult size , save a lot of money and upgrades ! Doing this a long time and I plan on a turtle living a long time with me ! A part of my family ! Yes a 1 1/2 " baby gets a 150 gallon tank , I just offer plenty of resting areas if it get's tired. That's just me !

NOT you but I have come across people that think a LPS is somewhere to buy another turtle when they Kill a pet and it's just fine to them . For those people they don't deserve a pet rock! Wish I could say more about that...

My oldest will take Piggley if some thing would happen to me and he's also in my will ! Piggley will be around for 40 years or more and in my family. No , part of my Family !

[Rylanda]

Awesome I think I will do that!! Link will like that for sure or I hope she will! Thanks!

[penelope]

My oldest will take Piggley if some thing would happen to me and he's also in my will ! Piggley will be around for 40 years or more and in my family. No , part of my Family !

Ha! Glad I am not the only one!!
I have my amphibian-loving son all lined up to take Penelope. I give him training "classes" in filtration when he comes home to visit (AKA - Mom is taking advantage of having someone else lug the two FX5s out to the yard). I even added in the cost of moving the humongous tank and its stand to where ever he is living. It cost me a fortune to move it a few miles down the road. My other son is a mammal lover, but he agrees to be the back-up just in case.

[Rylanda]

I will have a 125 gallon tank or bigger by Christmas time for Link for sure. I've been watching videos of people's set ups and reading this site as well for DIY things. I just got a gorgeous stand with doors and drawers that will hold up to a 200 gallon tank - and I got it free, someone was throwing it out, I asked if I could have it and they said "get someone to move it for you and it's yours" so that's a good step and it's in perfect condition, not even a scratch on it!

The floor of the house will more than hold the stand and a tank full of water so no worries there. I priced out a Fluval that will work with either a 125 tank or up to a 200 gallon tank and that's on my "Christmas" list as well. I know it's double or more whatever the tank size is for proper filtration for a turtle, they can be dirty little things

I will say since Link was unceremoniously dropped at my door she has grown so I guess I'm doing something right. She has fresh quality water, a variety of food (she can be a piggy if I let her). We are going to the lake to get some river rocks (thanks for the idea Litefoot) and getting her some aquatic plants too (I read they also help keep water quality along with a food/play source for Link).

While at the lake we'll look for driftwood and ensure that it's cleaned outside very well before introducing it to the tank. We are also going to keep the 20 gallon tank as a tank for feeder fish for Link. Can I get those ghost shrimp for a feeder tank too or do they not mix well with fish?

I'll be adding Link to my Will as well, I just have to find someone who I can leave her to as my son is not even remotely interested.

[litefoot]

Must be a slab house? If raised some have to reinforce for large tanks at least the one's who think it out , others find the water on the floor the hard way. . That 125 full water only is 1043 #'s ! My stock tank weights at 1500#'s .
The rocks and any driftwood clean very well and soak some. Me I even "cook" to kill any Tannins or little critters !

PS: Shrimp in with feeder fish works well in a breeding tank. Where I live get them free too ! Spring and fall take my old minnow trap lined it with screen wire and just hide it in a canal for a day or three. In a grassy area. Go back an have 100's of shrimp , free. I use some of my neighbors dry dog food in a old media bag for bait and he gets shrimp for his Oscars as payment. When I was younger I used a scoop net and done good too.

[Rylanda]

We had all the floors in the house redone a few years ago stripped down to nothing, reinforced, new boards, new top boards, new hardwood and ceramic. The floors are beyond solid so there is no worries for the weight at all.

I'm not sure we have shrimp in our area so I'd have to purchase them, keep them in a tank with the fish. You have the luck of where you live to have access to that. I live near Lake Ontario and on the other side Lake Erie - I don't think those carry shrimp.

I'll make sure to "cook" any driftwood we find, we have an outdoor burner I can use with a huge kettle to boil away - then bring to cool in the house. Thanks!

[litefoot]

"Thanks" : No , Thank you and Link. It's so nice to guide someone like you towards a proper setup ! It's all about the turtle being happy and healthy. Your reward will be the relationship you and Link have. And all the personality that Link will show you. Some out there just don't get it and will only do what they want to hear. Most every illness or problem with turtles are directly related to improper or unhealthy habitats and poor diet. Prevention is key! Even crystal clear water can be bad if all the parameters are out of whack. So we test even if all looks good and do our proper water changes , to prevent. Thank you Rylanda and Link.

Luck ? Maybe but we pay for it with Heat and Humidity ... never turned my heater on once this past winter.