Raising turtles will come with its challenges, just as raising any type of animal will, if you’re raising turtles, and their shells seem to be disappearing then you may start to worry.
This article looks into why your turtle is losing its shell.
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Why is my turtle losing his shell?
Turtle shells are very interesting parts of this animal’s body they are fused to the animal’s body and protect your little turtle from a variety of dangers.
So, if your reptile starts losing its shell then you’ll understandably be worried for your little pet. Here is why your pet turtle is losing its shell:
Scute shedding:
One reason why your pet may be losing its shell may be that your pet is shedding its scutes.
Scutes are the individual sections that your turtle’s shell is made out of. These don’t grow with the turtle so they need to be shed throughout your pet’s life.
The old top scutes will start to peel away to reveal new fresh scutes.
When a turtle is healthy the scutes will come off easily and without you needing to add force to remove them.
Your older turtle will shed more often than it did when it was younger because the shell will go through more wear and tear when the animal gets older.
What to do:
The shedding of scutes is quite a normal process and isn’t something to worry about, in fact, you should start to worry if your pet turtle does not shed its scutes from time to time.
There are a few things that can help out with the scute shedding like ensuring that your pet’s UVB bulbs are working properly. These need to be replaced every 6 months so if your pet’s bulb is old then replace it ASAP.
Replacing the bulb will help with the shedding of the scutes.
What you should not do is try to remove the scutes yourself or pull them off in any way.
Injury:
Another reason why it may seem as though your pet is losing its shell may be because your pet suffered an injury and its shell is broken.
A turtle shell is quite strong but it can break with enough force. Anything from a fall from a high height, bites from dogs, and collisions with cars can cause your pet’s shell to break
What to do:
If your pet’s shell is broken then you’d need to take your pet to a vet, or better yet to an exotic vet, for an examination and treatment.
Taking your pet to the vet is especially recommended because your turtle may need antibiotics if the uninjured shell becomes infected, these need to be prescribed by the vet.
Try your best to avoid manipulating the shell pieces. The shell is connected to the animal’s spine, you can think of it as bone. If you try to move these “bone” pieces then this can cause great pain in your pet.
If your pet is moving around too much then you can leave it in a small container until you can get it to the vet to keep it from moving around too much.
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, Turtle Shell Soft Around Edges, Deformed Turtle Shell Care, Deformed Turtle Shell, My Turtles Tail Got Bitten Off, Turtle Missing Part Of Shell,