Turtle Not Shedding?

Question

When I first put my turtle in its new tank about 6 months ago it shed like crazy. I thought it was because I was feeding too much protein (reptomin sticks and krill) so I switched to veggies and occasionally fruit. I will feed like 3 sticks of reptomin like monday and friday I will give a piece of krill. HE hasn't shed since then. Every once in a while I will shed a little piece but isn't shedding scutes either. Is something wrong? He is in a 20 gallon tank with a basking dock, plant light for lamp (really strong bulb), good filter. Any help? Thanks!

Answer 1

He is not growing maybe due to the tank being to small and are you feeding fish? Just like you and I they need calcium from the fish bones to grow and protein they get from the fish meat.The bigger the environment the bigger the healthier the turtle.

Did you know that they need to bask under a reptile light UVA/UVB for 8 to 10 hrs a day for the vitamin D that they need to grow. So that means getting a turtle dock also.

Leave the heater on 75 to 78 degrees always.

Their water needs to be clean otherwise they get sick easily from dirty water cause they p**p allot.

Total Body length: 5-8" average, up to 12 inches max. Life span: 15-25+ years

Males have the longer front nails and are used in mating. And are considered mature at about 5 yrs old. You can’t start sexing till about  3” across.

You need a good filter system! Gravel larger than they can swallow.

You need to feed them feeder guppies, goldfish or minnows for protein and calcium daily drop 20 or so in the tanks and watch them disappear in a few days!

This way when they swim for their dinner they get exercise also!

They sleep at the bottom of rivers, streams. lakes or ponds or your tank to avoid predators like coyotes,  foxes, owls, hawks, possums, raccoons and even some wide mouth bass.

TOSS in a bird cuttle bone in the water for calcium. it will dissolve real slow and if they eat it that’s fine!!

They can have garden worms, meal worms, crickets, flies, crayfish small frogs, dragon flies and  anything that moves!

They need leafy greens Romaine, Butter lettuce. (Iceberg and cabbage are bad for them, any other leafy greens will do) for vitamin A that they need at least 3 to 4 times a week.

You probably already know that they get sick easily, shell rot, respiratory sickness, lopsided swimming, coughing, blowing bubbles from their nose, Swollen cloudy eyes means lacking in Vitamin A. Which we all need for good eyes. Google ‘vegetables with Vitamin A.

I wish you luck.

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