Watching your turtle bite any part of its body, its shell included, is quite a worrisome sight and it’s confusing too. While the animal may seem as though it is harming itself this isn’t always the case
This article looks into why your turtle is biting its shell.
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Why is my turtle biting his shell?
Turtles engage in a variety of activities to maintain their shell, so a turtle biting its shell may seem counterproductive and you may think that it means that there is an underlying issue with your pet
Here are reasons why your pet may be doing this:
Picking dead scutes:
As the turtle grows and ages its body changes, one change that a turtle’s body will go through is the scutes falling off.
Healthy shedding happens when new, fresh, and bigger scutes grow under the older smaller scutes, this allows the turtle’s shell to grow bigger.
The smaller scutes will slowly fall off of the shell and what will be left are the new scutes on the shell.
A turtle knows when its scutes are about to fall off so the animal may sometimes bite off some of the dead scutes if the dead scutes are irritating the animal
What to do:
This is normal, you can leave the turtle to bite off the scutes at its discretion. The reptile knows how much to bite off and when to stop. I wouldn’t worry unless the animal is giving itself sores or shell damage.
Maintaining the appropriate environment for your turtle while this is happening, and checking in with a vet, as a precaution, is advisable if you’re worried.
You can help the scutes fall off easier by gently brushing the shell weekly with a soft toothbrush and some plain room-temperature water. This should also help with the itchiness that the animal feels.
Keep an eye on this process to make sure that the new scutes come out looking normal and healthy
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 Are My Turtle’s Eyes Cloudy?, Why Are My Turtle’s Eyes White?, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Turning Brown?, Why Is My Turtle Shell Chipping, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Coming Off?, My Baby Turtle Won’t Eat, Why Is My Turtle Shell Turning Black?, Why Is My Turtles Skin Dry, Is My Turtle’s Shell Healthy?