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I have a question regarding my turtles nails. His nails seem to be very long. Am I supposed to trim them or is he supposed to have long nails? Will he just take care of them himself or is this something I should be concerned about?

Also, He seems to be shedding his skin, is this normal? I know that his shell is supposed to shed, but am unsure about his skin itself.

Both are normal. Whatever you do, don't cut the nails. It could cause injury or infection.

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The long nails are a sex characteristic of males and should be left alone.

How much is your turtle shedding? Turtles do shed skin as they grow, but not excessively, and not continuously. If you're seeing wisps of skin when he's in the water, this sounds normal.

To answer your first question regarding the nails, it is usually not recommended to cut your turtle's nails. I know there are guides, tutorials, and other articles regarding this but once again, it is not recommended. I don't see a purpose of cutting off a turtle's nails. Turtles use it to tear their food apart as well for mating. If you must cut your turtle's nails for a really good reason, I suggest going to a experienced herp vet who can handle this situation if anything goes wrong. From my self-experience, a turtle's nail doesn't grow that rapidly like human. It takes years for it to grow long. For your second question regarding shedding, it is perfectly normal for turtles to shed skin and scutes from their shell. When a turtle's skin is shedding, it is usually a sign of growth. However, if it's skin shedding is excessive (meaning a lot of skins coming off from all around their body for a certain amount of time), you should be alarmed that the water might be too warm. It means they are growing too fast and that ain't good.

If anything, it would be extremely painful for a RES to have his or her nails/claws cut. You can see there is a lot of flesh in there, plus you would be putting him at great risk for infection.

my girlfriends friends boyfriend has a 5 year old RES and his front nails are loooong...seriously they are easily an inch long, its crazy