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one of my turtles has these dark blotches on its shell. they seem to be more pronounced in the water. is this normal or a symptom of something serious? it also seems to be about ready to shed soon and is not acting strangely.

Can you post a photo? Or maybe two - one with a dry shell and one with a wet shell. It's real hard to comment on shell conditions without seeing it.

it might just be the shell is devoloping

The shell is otherwise healthy? My RES has some dark markings on his carapace that are accentuated in the water, and this is normal. I'm thinking this is the case with your RES as well. A pic of the shell dry and the areas you're concerned about pointed out would be helpful just in case.

i don't have a digital camera nor do i have a camera phone. i will try to see if i can get one.

How different is it from the pictures of other people's RES?

well, it is not very different. the blotches are pretty uniform. no irregular patterns. it seems that the scutes are darker on the outer half. i am beginning to think it may be b/c its getting ready to shed. is that a possibility? i am trying to get a camera so you can see for youself.

Is it on the top shell (carapace) or bottom (plastron)? They do get blotchy patterns on their plastron. Shedding scutes often have a "golden" appearance, not a darker one. Try to provide a picture of the shell when it is dry.