Saturday, April 24, 2010

My water/land small turtle has bumps on skin and the skin peels off. What is this? Is this supposed 2 happen?

Skin shedding:


A little peeling occasionally is fine. Turtles shed their skin like other reptiles, but more continuously. Mine usually shed more for a while, then less or not at all. As long as the shed sking is thin and tranlucent, and you don't see anything unusual on the skin, and the shedding is not excessive, don't worry. If the shedding is continuous, or the skin looks sore or red, or the shedding is very heavy, you may have to deal with a skin fungus. Have your turtle checked by a veterinarian. You may also soak the turtle in an idodine solution twice a day for 15 minutes and keep it warm and dry outside the water overnight for a while.

My water/land small turtle has bumps on skin and the skin peels off. What is this? Is this supposed 2 happen?
Yes, it is very normal. The skin will shed as the turtle grows. It usually takes about 3-4 weeks for a complete shed, but often you will see remnants. It's nothing to worry about.





Remember to keep the water clean or else, the poor water quality will make the shedding take longer and possibly cause infection or fungus (smelly and mushy). Flakey skin itself is quite normal growth process.
Reply:First and most important- identify the turtle properly and find out the right care!





For example, if it is a land turtle, like a box turtle and you are keeping it like a water turtle, that will do it easily!





Try the galleries and care sheets at the sites below for guidance.





Some turtles have bumpy skin, and most turtles shed to some extent so it might not be a big deal... but it really concerns me that you don't seem to know the species.


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