General Care Discussion :: small indent on red stripe?

[emilybean]

I noticed a few weeks ago that my turtle Mr Bean has an indent on the red stripes of his head. I waited to see what would happen and it seems like they've gotten bigger. The indent on his left side is more prominent than the one on his right. So I took a few pictures.. I googled and searched this forum and couldn't find anything. Maybe it's just his muscle? Maybe it' just because he's losing his color? He's about 13 years old. He basks, swims, and eats normally. His water temp is ~72, his basking spot is ~90. He's in a 75 gal tank with about 50 gal of water. Hopefully I'm a little worried over nothing!

[steve]

Looks normal to me

[emilybean]

Really? Oh good thanks!

[steve]

It's the one that's most noticeable in the 2nd pic (center)? How long has your RES been becoming melanastic? I can barely see any red on my male RES.

[emilybean]

Yep that's it. I wondered if maybe it was a sign of calcium deficiency. I don't know how long he's been turning melanistic, probably a couple years, so since he was ~12. It was a gradual change that I noticed last year or so when I looked at pictures of other RES online and noticed how green and colorful they were compared to Mr Bean

[steve]

I don't know what it is. I don't think I would be worried unless there was something more noticeable or it was changing quickly.