Urgent Care :: My turtle's shell

[LaurL55]

Hi. I have had Seymour for over a year now and am concerned about his shell. I think he is probably just shedding his schutes and maybe I am feeding him too much- maybe some pyramiding is happening- but I'm not sure because I haven't seen any pictures that show what pyramiding looks like. At the top of his shell- his schutes stick out a bit.

Also- there seems to be a bit of an indent between his schutes on his back and I am not sure if this is normal.

I feed him 2 pellets a day and sometimes a couple of little dried shrimp. He basks all the time and seems very happy.

I also think it's time to move to a bigger tank- I have a 10 gallon now.

While he likes his platform, it seems to be collecting some dark green algae and I noticed a little under his arms and between some of his scutes.

Any advice about his shell or tank or anything would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks, Laurie


http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac24 ... llback.jpg[/IMG]
IMG]http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac243/LaurL55/shellbottom.jpg[/IMG]
IMG]http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac243/LaurL55/tank.jpg[/IMG][/img]

[LaurL55]

[img][img]http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac243/LaurL55/shellbottom.jpg[/img][/img]

I think he's a girl too...???








The tank has a filter and a heater. The water is 78 degrees and the basking platform is between 80-95 degress.

[SINI5T3R]

are those little blue things his basking platform? can he get on those?

[LaurL55]

Yes- it's actually a sticky like material. It helps him to get onto it. He really likes it too.

[JonandAshly4]

I think he needs more water in his tank. And I am not sure 2 pellets is enough. They say to match the size of their head.

[ami]

im not sure if that is pyramiding or not .. jojo who's around the same age as your turtle was beginning to develop pyramiding. when i took him to the vet for other reasons my vet pointed it out. he suggested adding in more rocks so that hsi shell rubbing against the rocks can help scrap scutes off. so if you are concerned maybe you should do that
try giving him more veggies in his diet. as a treat i sometimes give blueberries.

[LaurL55]

Do you think his shell looks normal though. Should I be worried?

[steve]

It looks like he grew a little bit too fast, but should smooth out over time.

[LaurL55]

I added more water and tried feeding him a grape today. He loved it. Going to buy red lettuce tomorrow.

Thank you.

[LaurL55]

Fed him red leaf lettuce and a blueberry today. He was in heaven. Very active after he ate too. He really likes the higher water level too. Thanks everyone.

[worldpeace]

It's good that he's taking a liking in fruits and vegetables but make sure you don't go overboard and feed them too much. Everything is good in moderation.

[jwinters]

Enough pellets that make up around the size of his head, less shrimp (it's a treat, so it shouldn't be given every day). RES are avid swimmers, so the more swimming room the better. If yours is a baby then just add the water level slowly so he builds up the muscle to be able to swim in deeper water.

[marisa]

Given what appears to be your RES's size, with that tail, isn't "he" a she???

[worldpeace]

It does look like you have a female, not a male.

[LaurL55]

I had a feeling he was a she...is it wrong to still call her seymour?