How to Tell if your Turtle's Shell is Healthy, Spot Shell Rot and Overfeeding Pyramiding.

In this video I will show and explain how a healthy turtles shell should look and feel. I give tips and advice on how to spot the onset of shell rot and a little about preventing it.

I also explain signs of over feeding and some of the health problems it can cause for your turtle such as pyramiding and rapid growth.

[bobsus]

I feel like your turtle is just so chill about being handled. My turtle, no matter how gentle I am, must think the world is coming to an end when he's being handled.

[SAMMIsLIFE]

Your turtles such a good volunteer, lol, he jus sat there

[slxbeats]

Turtle: I dont know how long I can act like I'm not catching anxiety..do what ever your doing quick

[didimitten]

The shell curling could be lack of calcium. Make sure he has a basking area with a heat lamp AND a UVB light. Also make sure he gets calcium supplements, maybe cuttlebone left in the tank to nibble on and some calcium powder to dip treats in. Keep trying with the veggies. You could try not feeding him anything else but leaving veggies in the tank for a few days and see if he gives in. Red or green leaf lettuce is the easiest most nutritious thing to offer. Hope this helps.

[didimitten]

I prevent algae growing by gently cleaning the slime off of the shell every time I clean the tank, at least once a week. Keeping the water very clean will also prevent this.

[didimitten]

I think some turtles have that dinosaur looking "fin" along their shells, that isn't usually pyramiding. Pyramiding happens on each individual scute. As for temperature, the water should be 72 to 76 degrees for sub-adults & adults, 78 to 80 degrees for hatchlings & smaller juveniles. The basking are should be around 85-90. If you are not sure, get a thermometer to check these areas and if the water is getting too cold, get an aquarium water heater to regulate that. Hope this helps :)

[didimitten]

I am glad you enjoyed this video. A soft movable part of she shell however doesn't sound good. The whole shell, top to bottom should be solid. Sometimes the thin edge of the shell can flex a little like a nail would but other than that, it shouldn't move at all. Faint wheezing noises could also be a sign of a respiratory infection which could be caused by a number of things. If he seems vibrant and greedy, any small problems he might have can be easily corrected if caught early.

[didimitten]

Awww I am so sad and sorry to hear this :( Your turtle did sound very small and breeders are not aloud to sell turtles until there shell is over 4 inches in length and one of the reasons for this is that you don't get a very sick baby. Good luck with your other turtle and of course you can ask questions any time and I will always try to help the best I can.

[linkinparkluver]

I just rescued two turtles from a neighbor who kept them in a tiny, unfiltered tank with no UV lamp (though they did have them in a windowsill) for most of their lives (one of them is about a year old, the other's just a baby). They both seem to have pyramiding on their shells, though I haven't yet noticed any shellrot at least. I'm still just trying to research as much about turtle care as I can. I've got them in a 20-gallon size tank with a filter, heater, dock, and lamp, and I know they're at least very happy about the upgrade, but I want to make sure they can thrive.

Your videos are helping me so much, thank you!

[FrisaBrian]

Your turtle is so cute and adorable. It is so calm when u lift it up unlike mine. If I do it, my turtle will scratch my hand with her hands & legs. If she can say her voice, she'll probably say "lemme go off. I wanna walk". Sometimes she looks around for some mins but scratch again and she has very big curiosity on everything. Btw I Like the vid. Very informative. Thanks

[momccoy]

Hi DidiMitten! I'm the proud new turtle mama of Mario, a 27 yr. old RES that I got from my employer after 2 yrs. of working for them & visiting with him every day---they had him for 12 years before that! His habitat seems pretty ideal, but perhaps not large enough? He is full grown in a 55 gallon tank. Thank you so much for all the info that you communicate!

[didimitten]

Basically he has a calcium deficiency. And a severe one at that. Make sure you are giving him calcium supplements in the form of cuttlebone (leave it floating in the tank), powdered calcium to dip treats in and things like that . And if you don't have a UVB light over his basking area, get one as this what they need to metabolize calcium. He will slowly improve. Hope this helps.

[didimitten]

Sometimes the scutes on his plastron (belly) can flake off and they look white if he has been basking and jumps back into the water. White flaking areas can also be a sign of shell rot also. Google shell rot images and see if it looks anything like it just to be on the safe side.

[didimitten]

I have had a small patch like that appear underneath my turtle where he slides off his basking ramp but if there are a lot of these patches, they look white he may have shell rot. They also shed their scutes occasionally as well. Keep the water super clean, and make sure his diet and living conditions are optimum and keep a close eye on him. Hope this helps.

[didimitten]

I have never seen a turtle with mineral deposits but it can happen. Soft areas in the shell is a major warning sign though and really does sound like something to be really concerned about. I would honestly try to find a vet that is experienced in reptiles and get a second opinion. It doesn't sound good, the way you described it and if he never basks, that sounds like the cause. You need to make sure that the water temperature and basking temperatures are right and his diet is correct also.

[MrTuckerfied]

Glad to see a healthy turtle, too many people not knowing how to properly care for their pet😊

[didimitten]

A small soft spot on the shell probably isn't soft shell (metabolic bone disease) as that would usually effect the whole shell. On the safe side though you should make sure the turtle is getting plenty of calcium either from cuttle bone being placed in the water, or their food dipped in calcium supplement powder. Also make sure they have a basking area oout of the water with the heat lamp and UVB lamp as they need this to metabolize the calcium. If the soft spot seems white or pink...

[TET]

This turtle is having an excellent shell!

[msxmargo]

It would be very helpful if u had clearer pictures and if we could see the turtle from the side for pymrid

[bethanyfiguray]

I have a probably 15 year old RES. (We've had him a long time and he was probably a year or two old when we got him.) We have him in clean water, with an excellent 4 level type filter. He didn't get much greens until we did tough love and withheld food, the little turtle stick addict. He now eats his greens VERY happily and we supplement with the turtle sticks every other day. He has a turtle dock with a basking area/lights that he uses frequently. Overall I think he's in a pretty healthy environment. When he swims though, I notice that his skin seems to have feathery white on it. I've heard of fungus or infection being darker/more slimy. Based on what I've read of the description it seems like it might be his skin shedding. He's had this over the years and I always assumed it was a shed. But lately it seems like there's more of it and the process doesn't seem to be stopping. And when he's on his dock, he'll do this little twitch thing where he moves his head in a circle and waves his arm. It's like he's trying to scratch an itch or something. Does this sound normal and just itchy shedding skin? It's less now than a week ago when he was basking a lot and doing it a lot. Now it's more occasional but I just want to make sure I don't need to take any action for him. He's a pig and always wants food so we're trying to make sure we don't overfeed but I'm concerned that we might be and triggering constant shedding. Thanks in advance!!!!