Discoloration in your pet turtle may worry you, a change in your pet’s appearance means that something is happening with your pet, and you may be worried about what this something is.
This article looks into why your turtle’s shell is getting darker
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Why is my turtle shell getting darker?
Turtles change as they go through the different stages of their life and understanding why these animals change is a must if you want to be a keeper of turtles. One change that you may see in your pet turtle is the animal’s shell getting darker
Here is why your turtle’s shell may be getting darker:
Environment:
One reason why your turtle’s shell color may start to look darker is because of the substrate in the enclosure
The animal can see that the substrate in the enclosure is darker than its shell and this causes the animal to change its shell color in an effort to blend in with its environment. They do this so they are not easily found by predators.
What to do:
This is also normal behavior, not only can your pet’s shell change to become a darker color but the shell can also become a lighter color, or even green if the bottom of the enclosure is green.
This may be normal, however, if you see signs of illness or distress in your pet then have your turtle seen by a vet.
Old age:
Old age may also be a reason why your pet turtle’s shell is getting darker.
Old age changes the appearance of many animals, turtles included, and your older turtle’s shell may start to look darker than it did when it was younger, this is normal.
The degree of darkening from turtle to turtle will be different so don’t worry if one of your older turtles looks darker than your other older turtles.
What to do:
You don’t have to worry or do anything if your turtle’s shell starts changing and moves from being a bright green/yellow to dark with age, this is quite normal and should be expected from your turtles.
As long as the animal isn’t showing any signs of distress along with the color change then your pet should be fine.
Illness:
Another reason why your turtle’s shell may be getting darker may be because the animal is ill with shell rot, a fungal infection, or has mold on the shell.
What to do:
Figuring out what condition your pet turtle has may be quite time-consuming, so having your pet seen by a vet is a must.
Once examinations and testing are done your vet will be able to give you a diagnosis and treatment for your turtle’s condition.
When you get back home make sure that your environment is clean and appropriate for your turtle.
Overheating:
Another reason why your turtle’s shell may be darkening may be because the animal is overheating under its UV light.
In this case, the top part of your pet’s shell will start to develop black spots as the animal overheats because it is simply getting too hot.
What to do:
Move your pet turtle away from the overhead UV light and treat the animal for the burns, this will get rid of the spots and hopefully keep them away.
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 Turtle’s Shell Turning Blue?, Why Does My Turtle’s Shell Look Cracked?, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Breaking?, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Shiny?, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Turning Green?, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Squishy?, Why Is My Turtle’s Shell Dented?, Why Is My Turtles Shell Caving In?, Why Is My Baby Turtle Not Growing?
