Urgent Care :: how long should shedding last

[scriabin]

Both of my turtles started shedding recently and I figured it would just take it's course ... I'm not sure how long it's been exactly but we must be pushing two weeks - is it supposed to take that long?

If this is a case of excessive shedding, what should I do?

Thanks,

Jonathan

[SpotsMama]

Are you talking about shell or skin shedding?

[scriabin]

sorry, skin shedding - both of the turtles.

[SpotsMama]

Most of them will shed more or less all the time. When the water temps on the warm side, or when they are being overfed, they'll shed noticeably more. If your guys are shedding a lot, try lowering the temp a couple of degrees and see if it helps. If they are shedding a lot and keep shedding and shedding, then they might have a (rare) skin infection. Here are some examples of shedding:


Normal, light shedding: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewt ... %2A#137696

Normal shedding: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15453

Abnormally heavy shedding: http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=14653

[scriabin]

Thanks for the info - it has been pretty warm for everyone - today was 100 degrees in Los Angeles and my apt isn't air conditioned, so the turts water was at 80 degrees without the heater. I'll give it another week or two before I get concerned...

[SpotsMama]

You have my sympathy. Stay cool.

[marisa]

My turtles only shed periodically, not all the time. And sometimes it's not even enough to really notice...

Warm temps will encourage shedding. How big is your tank? How much water do you have in it? What kind of filtration are you using? How often do you clean the tank and change the water?

If the temps are consistently warm, it would be good to do more frequent partial water changes.