Urgent Care :: markings on shell

[magnermi]

hello, new to the forum and new to turtle keeping. my RES has these markings on its shell and i dont know what they are from and if they are a problem. any suggestions?





thanks

[octpusgirl8]

Hi and welcome! It looks to me like air bubbles trapped under his scutes, indicating that he's in the process of shedding them. Do they have a sort or metallic look to them? Do they seem to dissapear or become less prominent when the shell is dry? It looks like he's in need of a good shed. What's his diet like?

[megcornell]

If you could answer the questions at the top of the urgent care forum to describe your set up and care regime, that would help to figure out what might be going on. I agree it looks like air trapped. Is he basking regularly?

[magnermi]

they do appear to have a metallic shine to them and do seem less prominent when he is dry. I feed him mostly the little turtle pellets. he basks regularly but i did just have to transport him from school to home and just set up his tank, which is only a ten gallon and i know he is getting too big for, i am in the process of getting him a new tank.

[TheComputerGremlin]

Please answer the questions located at http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2142.

Also, just from the pictures, it appears that your turtle may have some pyramiding of his shell. Better pictures would help determine if your turtle is pyramiding. You may be overfeeding your turtle in protein.

[mikee]

Magmi -- I am inclined to think that it is the scutes that are trying to come off, however, I would make sure he get plenty of basking with uvb lighting. You will have to be careful that the scutes dry out every day. Fungus can get under them and cause a proplem. Most scutes curl up at the edges and do not cause a problem. You do have a pyramiding issue and maybe should cut back on the proteins a little.

[marisa]

If you take him out of the water and press gently on the scutes with those spots, do the spots appear to move? If so, it's air that's trapped under the scutes as the scute begins to lift off. If he is starting to shed, when the scutes get really loose and you gently press on them, water will seep out from the edges.