Water Turtles Shed Their Scutes As Part Of Their Normal Growth, But It'S Important To Know What To Do If They Do It Wrong

A turtle's scutes are the plate-like, hard scales on its shell. They protect the bones and epithelium of the shell underneath. In most tortoises, the scutes stay on the shell for life. It's normal for water turtle's to lose their scutes. Healthy shed occurs as part of a water turtle turtle's normal growth. Other reasons for shell problems include bacteria, parasites, algae, environmental issues, and poor nutrition. It is important to be able to distinguish healthy shed from problems that could endanger your pet's health or life. Shed scutes should not be very thick and almost translucent. Scutes should be intact and whole. If they don't, it could be a sign of disease. Be aware that sharp rocks can damage your turtle's sputes. Turtles can suffer from dysecdysis if they are in an environment that is too hot, too cold or too low of environmental temperature. Overfeeding can lead to too-rapid growth or other health issues. In some cases, small changes to your pet turtle enclosure can solve the problem. To avoid problems, maintain an appropriate environment for your turtle and check in with a veterinary as soon as health issues arose. . . .