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RES: scute care?

M

Manticore

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A little while ago, I noticed that my RES's scutes were peeling away from the edges, on the plastron and a little on the upper shell. She's about 2 years old, has a good appetite, continues to behave in a healthy manner. Also, I have a UV sterilizer on the tank, so I'm not as worried about fungal infections as I might be.

I asked for advice on another list and was told this might be the result of letting ammonia build up too high in the tank between changes, so I quickly did a change and have been trying to keep an eye on that. The problem doesn't seem to be getting any worse...but it's not getting any better, either.

What should I do about the scutes? They're about fingernail thickness. I don't want to do anything that would pull at them where they're still attached, but should I tril the loose edges like I would a hang-nail? Leave it alone?

I've also taken to putting some condetioner stuff on the shell every week or so, which seems to help with overall health, but the flaking scutes are still sticking out. Any advice?
 
It's not ammonia build up, but regular growth. As the turtle grows, the scutes are shed. Very normal process. Some turtles will shed once or twice a year. It may take a couple of weeks or longer for a complete shed. It does not hurt the turtle and if you couldn't resist and helpled the scutes, that is fine as well. :D

For some of my turtles, I keep the scutes and try to make a complete shell.



Cheers,
JJ;)
 
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