Having a healthy shell is one of the most important things for a turtle, these animals not only use their shells to protect themselves they also use their shells as their homes
If your pet’s shell is doing poorly then this means that the animal is unhealthy. This article looks into soft edges around your turtle’s shell.
Table of Contents
Turtle shell soft around edges:
A change in your turtle’s shell appearance means that your pet needs to be checked and its condition needs to be treated.
Here is why your turtle may have a soft edge around its shell:
The animal is young:
If your pet turtle is still young and you notice that the edges of its shell are softer than the rest of the shell don’t be worried, this is normal
Baby turtles have softer shells than adult turtles do and these soft shells will harden as the animal gets older.
In this case, the part of the shell closest to the tail will be the last to harden. May turtle shells will take months and even years after hatching to harden fully.
Note: While the shell of a baby turtle will be softer than that of an adult turtle, it should not be soft to the touch. The baby’s shell will be more flexible than an adult turtle’s shell but it won’t necessarily be “soft”.
If the shell is completely soft then the animal may be ill.
What to do:
This is normal and isn’t something to worry about. As long as your pet is eating as it should be, growing as it should be, and getting enough UVB light the animal should be fine.
Keep an eye on your pet as it grows to make sure that all is well.
Metabolic bone disease:
Metabolic bone disease is one disease that can cause your pet’s shell to become soft at the edges. The other name for this condition is soft shell syndrome.
This condition can either be caused by a poor diet or a lack of UVB exposure.
The turtle shell is basically a big bone, and just like human bones, these bones need calcium to maintain their strength.
If your pet has a lack of calcium in its diet, and its blood, then some calcium will be taken out of the shell and sent to the bloodstream.
The effect of this is that your pet’s shell may start to become weak and soft, and this may be what you’re seeing as soft edges on your pet turtle.
This condition takes quite a while to develop so your pet may suffer for a while before it develops signs of metabolic bone disease.
What to do:
This disease is very painful for the turtle as the animal’s muscles are attached to dying and weak bones.
You can help the animal out by putting it in a smaller enclosure with shallow water, the shallow water will be easier to enter and exit.
Giving your pet calcium supplements will also help to get rid of this condition in your pet.
You can alternatively give your pet a cuttlebone as a way of getting more calcium into the animal’s body, or, your vet may inject calcium directly into your pet’s body.
If you enjoyed this article then you may also be interested in other turtle/tortoise related articles. Here are some articles that you may be interested in: Why Is My Turtles Skin Red On The Sides?, Dents In Turtle Shell, Turtle Bleeding From Mouth, Deformed Turtle Shell Care, Deformed Turtle Shell, My Turtles Tail Got Bitten Off, Turtle Missing Part Of Shell, Why Is My Turtle Losing His Shell?