Feeding and Nutrition :: Scute schedding in coralation to diet

[Sarah89]

Someone had posted a pic of there turtle whos scutes hadn't been shedding. I have never noticed my turtle shedding substantially, although he does bask and has a varied diet. I was wondering if there was something I could add to his diet? I know someone had responded to the post mention, and they said apple skins, blue berries and tomato could help. My concern is those are on the "feed rarely" list on the nutrition section on the main page.

I've filled this out just for some help, and I will most definitley take a pic as soon as my bf gets home from work.

How big is your turtle? Roughly 2.5 inches
How long have you had it? 8 Months, he still had his egg tooth when I got him

What is the water temperature? 77 - 78 degrees
Did you use a thermometer? Yess.
Are you using a water heater? Yes
How much water is in there? It's a 20 gallon long tank, filled 3/4s of the way up (Upgrading the end of August)
Are you using a water conditioner? No
Are you using any filtration? Yes, but it is only an internal filter that is rated up to 40 gallons. (Again, upgrading in August (: so excited!!)

What is the basking temperature? 86 - 90 degrees, but I am not FOR CERTAIN because I do not have a temp gun, all i have is a dial thermometer which is on the glass of his basking spot.
Is there a basking light? Yes
Is there a basking platform that is easy to climb on? Yes
What kind is it or what is it made out of? It's a medium turtle dock by ZooMed
Is there a UVB light? Yes

What have you been trying to feed it? Every day he gets four pellets (reptimin ministicks), which is just slightly less than the size of his hallow head. Every other day he gets Escarole/Chicory/Endive and/or Bok Choy. I just found out today though that Bok Choy isn't necessarily good for him.
When was the last time your turtle ate? Today, he eats every day.

How big is the tank/pond/enclosure?
Is the tank near a window? No
Is the tank in a room with a lot of activity? Moderate activity

Have you read the Basic Care section? Yes
Have you searched the forums for similar situations? Yes

Is there any other unusual activity/symptoms? No, not at all.


I just have never noticed him shed his scutes. I have seen his middle part of the shell shed. He also has that gray/black ring that is from growing a tad bit to fast. He has the slightest bit of pyramiding but the second it was noticed we stopped letting people give him extra treats. They were the mini-krill which is very high in protein, about 3 times as high as his ministicks.

BASICALLY, I would just like to know if I should start giving him the apple, tomato, blueberries etc. and how often? and to be honest, I do not even know if he has in fact never shed his scutes. I'm sure posting a pic would be a big help, and i will do so as soon as my boyfriend gets home so he can help me ( i dont like handling my turt alone,i have tile floors and i'm afraid i'd drop him ):! )

ANY HELP WOULD BE GREAT. (: Thank you

[TheComputerGremlin]

If he's only 2.5", I don't think he's at that time for a scute shed yet. I think most turtles have their first shed between 3-5". My turtle is almost 4" and he's not shed a scute yet. I'm not worried, he's starting to get air bubbles under the scutes, so it should happen eventually.

As for the foods, giving him 2-4 blueberries once a week shouldn't hurt him. Esp. since you didn't list carrots yet, none of the other foods he's getting would be high in sugar. Just if you give him blueberries, I wouldn't give him anything else with sugar, so no sweet potatoes, carrots, apples, mangos, tomatoes, squash, etc.

Since I haven't gone through my first scute shed yet, I can only tell you what others have described. You should literally find whole scutes laying at the bottom of the tank. He shouldn't be able to eat them, so you will need to pull them out.

[Sarah89]

Thanks! I totally spaced on carrots, which I actually don't give him too often at all, I think he has grown out of his carrots stage lol. I always have blueberries on hand, for my Uromastyx, so that would work out great. Thanks again for your quick response! (:

[marisa]

Your turtle isn't likely to be shedding his scutes at that size (and if he's healthy, he's a good size for his age ). The foods you mentioned should be incorporated into his overall diet; if you do, you shouldn't have to worry about him getting them too often (and for me, "rarely" with some of those foods, depending on exactly what is meant by rarely, is a bit strict). It also depends on how much you're giving---a small amount can be given more often than a larger one.

One of my Eastern painteds is literally dripping scutes; if I let him slip through my hands into the water, he leaves a few scutes in them. He does get a few blueberries, pieces of sweet potato/yams and tomatoes just about weekly now that some of the foods are in season, but I don't give a lot at once. And they're part of his overall diet.

[imderanged]

My turtle is exactly 2.5 inches and he is JUST now going through his first shed.