My turtle is shedding its skin. Does it hurt them when they shed?

Thanks for reaching out about Tadd and including photos. He appears to be in a a shed where they loose the outer layer of keratin. Check and correct water quality for pH, ammonia, nitrites and nitrates. A review of the diet is important. Good luck.

The peeling scutes may be normal shedding. Do not attempt to remove them yourself. Maintain pristine water quality. You can use a soft bristled tooth brush and a diluted Betadine solution to gently scrub the shell or affected areas. Allow for a 1 hour dry dock (out of the water) after each cleaning. If the UVB bulb has been in use longer than 6 months, replace it. Make sure it is not blocked by fine mesh, glass or plexiglass. Provide a balanced diet including prey, fresh greens and vegetables and a commercial pelleted diet. Dust food and prey with both a multivitamin and a calcium supplement regularly.

The rubbing is done to aid in shedding scutes. The digging and pushing may also be attempts to aid shedding. Inspect the shell for soft spots, pitting or fungus. Confirm proper environmental conditions (water quality/temp, ambient/basking temps, dry dock, UVB lighting) as well as proper nutrition.

Shedding of the skin is normal in tortoises. If the skin is shedding in large pieces though, this could indicate a degree of dehydration. The basking spot for Coopy should range between 90 F and 100 F. The rest of the cage can have a gradient from about 68 F to 80 F.

Thanks for your question about Misty, and thanks for the photos - they are very helpful. It looks like the scutes (keratin covering on the shell ) are beginning to shed. This is a normal process in aquatic turtles, and they often look white as they are coming off. You can see if any of them are raised or loose - these you can remove. If they aren’t loose, please don’t manipulate them - they’ll come off on their own. It is difficult to evaluate for shell rot in these photos due to the shedding scutes, but please repost a question if you continue to have concerns after some of the scutes come off. I hope that helps, and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Yes, this looks very serious. I suggest you dry dock her for a bit and do daily soaks in dilute Betadine solution (not scrub). Dilute 1 part betadine with 10 parts water. You can look up YouTube videos on dry docking. You also need to review all of your husbandry to make sure you are doing everything 100% correct - water temperature, diet, lighting, etc. If she is not eating or is not responding to treatment at home you will need to get her to a vet. ( https://yarmouthvetcenter.com/dry-docking-turtles.pml ) ( http://www.reptilesmagazine.com/Red-Eared-Slider-Care-Sheet/ )

He looks great! Those spots are normal. You can see how consistent they are around his shell. Monitor him and water quality. Shell rot will appear as pitting, discoloration or very soft shell condition.