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Post by Chez on Nov 30, 2004 11:39:02 GMT -5
So the RES that I adopted started shedding pieces of his carapace (and a little plastron, but not much) ever since he was put into heated water and under UVB. This was three weeks ago and to this day, he is still shedding huge thins, sizes ranging from a dime to a half-dollar. It clogs the filter! I come home and all these thins are sticking to the intake and the water flow is pretty much cut off! I'm not really complaining, bc the new shell is so colorful and vibrant, I just don't want him to hurt hisself. Anyone have any insights, like when he's going to be done shedding? And anything I can do to help (I've been using VitaShell)
Thanks!
[glow=blue,2,300]:Chez[/glow]
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Post by csurfleet on Dec 1, 2004 2:15:18 GMT -5
If you want to help him shed a little faster you can increase the heat of the basking area to about 42-43, then when he is our and fairly dry grab him and use a damp cotton-bud(do you crazy americans call them q-tips?) to gently clean away beween the scutes, don't rub too hard! This will loosen them so they will come off faster, and sometimes in a couple of layers at once.
DON'T try to get them to come off when you are treating him!
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Post by ultimus_j on Dec 9, 2004 23:34:10 GMT -5
What kind of filter do you use? If it's a cannister you can wrap a piece of nylons around the intake tube to prevent clogging.
So long the scutes being shed are semi-transparent, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Best to let nature takes its course and allow them to come off naturally.
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Post by Chez on Dec 10, 2004 0:33:11 GMT -5
He's in a 29g with an AQ300.. yes, way to small and underpowered but it's all I have for now. I couldn't let the little (6") guy be released into a pond somewhere, especially considering the amount of bacteria that he most likely has. The scutes are semi-transparent, and its starting to slow down. He must've shed a whole two or three layers from head to toe!  [glow=blue,2,300]:Chez[/glow] |
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Post by Jinx on Dec 10, 2004 13:24:31 GMT -5
When i first got my little sweetie Dipstick, he was sick and not wanting to live, downright suicidal in my opinion, but after 6-8 months of maybe a pellet or two a week, no basking, no growth and mostly sleeping underwater, i noticed more activity and curiosity from him. Within a month of that he must hve shed for 2-3 months straight and when he was all done, he was larger and brighter and healthier.
I saw it as his body playing catchup after concentrating on sickness ... make sense?
Although I have heard to warm water and to much food will cause excess shedding too.
Just my thoughts
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Post by Chez on Dec 11, 2004 0:03:23 GMT -5
His previous owner didn't heat the water, so when I got him, I set it to 74 so he wasn't shocked, and I've gradually increased it to 80. I think you did make sense about the catching up bit; I think (and hope) this is what he's doing.
[glow=blue,2,300]:Chez[/glow]
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Post by ultimus_j on Dec 11, 2004 10:57:44 GMT -5
when I got him, I set it to 74 so he wasn't shocked, and I've gradually increased it to 80. [glow=blue,2,300]:Chez[/glow] IMO 80 is a bit too warm for a 6" turtle. Both of my guys (now 2 yrs old) are in a tank with water temperature in the low 70s. And yes Jinx you are correct, water too warm and too much food can cause excessive shedding. |
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Post by Chez on Dec 11, 2004 17:23:29 GMT -5
Hmm. I think it's ok, RES are supposed to be in 78-80. It's also 80 because I wanted to jumpstart his immune system. Years at whatever it was without a heater (probably 60ish) is not good at all for his health.
And this range (60s to 72) is known as the Turtle Death Zone, because at this temperature, RES and many other turtles cannot enter hibernation bc the waters not cold enough, and cannot eat or digest their food properly because the water isn't warm enough, and this will slowly kill a turtle. I learned this from a book by Phillip De Josie(sp), about RES years back.
Jinx is right (for the last time dammit lol), and there's no doubt that he's shedding because of the warm water, but it's mostly because this is his first time under UVB.
This is interesting. What do the rest of you have your temp set to?
[glow=blue,2,300]:Chez[/glow]
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Post by Jinx on Dec 11, 2004 19:11:35 GMT -5
For me it depends or varies.
Benedict, my oldest guy, I keep his water cooler 68 -74, It is cooler at night and warms up throughout the day.
Dipstick was sickly when I got him and he was in warmer waters to begin with, so his temps are closer to 74-78. The basking area for both tanks is in the lower 80's.
I only ever used a heater once, when the air conditioning that was used in the summer , in the house i lived in kept the tanks perpetually cooler (64-66).
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