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Hello people.

I've had my turtle for a long time now, but just months ago he's been using his arm to scratch his neck. This happens quite a bit when his in the water than basking. Does anyone know whats going on?

Thanks

How often is he scratching? Is it severe, as if there is a serious skin irritation there? What does the flesh look like?

Also, try filling is some blanks here:
http://www.redearslider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2142

He scratches occationally, but sometimes he scratches frequently during a timespan.

How big is your turtle?
roughly 4'

How long have you had it?
10 + years

What is the water temperature?
??? room temp.

Are you using a water heater?
None

How much water is in there?
5' i know i need more

Are you using a water conditioner?
none

Are you using any filtration?
none

What is the basking temperature?
Room temp

Is there a basking light?
none

Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on?
yes

Is there a UVB light?
none

What have you been trying to feed it?
lettuce, pellets, carrots

When was the last time your turtle ate?
today.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
not sure?

Is the tank near a window?
no

Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity?
yes

Have you read the Basic Care section?
yes

Have you searched the forums for similar situations?
yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms?
usually swimming at the end of the tank,not swimming around as if trying to go further

Thanks for filling that out.... chlorine/chloramines can irritate skin and eyes. Aside from an irritation, I would also guess an injury might cause your slider to scratch his neck. Low water levels would lead to a higher instance of injuries.

The area that is scratched - does it look raw, discolored or flaking alot of skin?

Its also possible it can just be part of his personality, I know my RES bites her paws in her sleep.

You also said you have only 5 inches of water in the tank and no filtration. How big is the tank? How often do you change the tank water/clean the tank? (If you have no filter, this should be done frequently).

If the water is not kept clean/changed regularly, toxic substances (ammonia, nitrites, for example) can build up and contribute to shedding and general irritation of the skin.

Your turtle (a RES?) is 10+ years old and the shell length (not including the curve) is 4 inches?

steve wrote:Thanks for filling that out.... chlorine/chloramines can irridate skin and eyes. Aside from an irritation, I would also guess an injury might cause your slider to scratch his neck. Low water levels would lead to a higher instance of injuries.

The area that is scratched - does it look raw, discolored or flaking alot of skin?

Its also possible it can just be part of his personality, I know my RES bites her paws in her sleep.

His skin looks to be normal. Doesn't look to be any flaking or discolored.

marisa wrote:You also said you have only 5 inches of water in the tank and no filtration. How big is the tank? How often do you change the tank water/clean the tank? (If you have no filter, this should be done frequently).

If the water is not kept clean/changed regularly, toxic substances (ammonia, nitrites, for example) can build up and contribute to shedding and general irritation of the skin.

Your turtle (a RES?) is 10+ years old and the shell length (not including the curve) is 4 inches?

The Tank I believe is 10 gallon. I kind of guessed at the measurment of my turt, more like 5'.

I know that it seems small for as long as I owned my turt. I used to have another turtle maybe about 7-8 years and I'm guessing it was about 8'

A ten gallon tank is fine for a very small (about an inch shell length) turtle but too small for yours, whether or not your turtle is 4 or 5 inches. You never did say how often you changed the water and cleaned the tank...

If you keep an animal in a space that's too small, they will eventually become stressed. This could be contributing to the scratching.

He needs a bigger tank/container and a better set-up. He needs a better life.

dude, make a pet store run. you need a 40 gallon tank minimum. a nice filter, there are topics in these forums with suggestions for good brands. you NEED a UVB and basking lamp...theres just no question. if you feel you are unable to provide thses basic needs for a RES you need to seriously think about finding a more suitable home for your RES.

Sure thing, I'll see what I can do.

I've had my turtle for a while,,,i just got him a 55 gallon tank with that floating dock everyone has. And now he is doing that scratching neck thing when he dives off the dock....

Weird we have the same problem...

Did anyone find out why the turtle was doing the neck scratching thing? my turtle is grown up and very healthy except she recently shed a lot of skin and now she is scratching her neck a lot like she has fleas! she does not seem as active either. I dont know what to do for her. the new skin looks very healthy and everything else seems fine. Any suggestions? did the turtles you have stop scratching after some time?

Welcome. Your turtle is no longer shedding? Perhaps there is something still irritating the skin.

Turtles do shed skin as they grow, but it shouldn't be "a lot" at one time. Normal shedding isn't that excessive, more wispy threads in the water and not really visible out of the water.

The scratching--does your turtle do it while basking? In the water? Both?

When you say your turtle is grown up, how big is she (shell length not including the shell curve)? How long have you had her, and how much has she grown in the time you've had her (approximately)?

Has your turtle every shed like this before?

What kind of set-up is your turtle in--tank size, amount of water, filter, lighting, etc.?

How often do you change the water?

What are the temps of the water and basking area?

She is still shedding some. Originally she was shedding a lot, it was visible out of the water too. This went on for about 2 weeks. Now it is less visable. She is scratching in and out of the water, and biting her legs now too.
I got her about 7 years ago: she has grown 4 or 5 inches since then. She is about 7-8 inches across.
She is in a 40 gallon tank - filter is rated for 55 gallons. I clean the carbon media about 1-2 weeks and replace half the water once a month.
The water depth is about 10 inches. Florescent lighting that came with the tank. Water temp is about 78 degrees. She does have a basking area and has been staying on it-wont hardly go in the water.

I feed her pellets for water turtles, and use "turtle clean" in the water.

Yes, she did shed a lot like this one other time, but has never scratched like this. I think she may be coughing too.

Just an update.

I moved my turtle into a bigger tank, a proper basking area with UVB and UVA. Also added filtration and my turtle still is scratching, some days more than others.

Still active and always willing to eat, so I suppose it's not much to worry about. (In my case)