Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I've heard of the shell turning white with shell rot, but a week after i got my turtles, a small, black blotch began to form on the shell of one of them. later,
it seemed as if the black began to spread to the rest of it's shell, but confining itself somewhat to in the lines of the pattern of it's shell. the other turtle has developed the same thing. i tried to lightly scrape it off with my fingernail, thinking it might be algea, but it didn't budge. it doesn't appear to be on the surface. do res's bright, green color as babies change as they grow? if so, that quickly? or is this not natural?

I'm no turtle expert, but I think the black lines that appear around the scutes are a sign of shell growth. My two turtles have the same thing and I have read several posts here about that.

I second that. It's definitely a sign of growth. Over time the dark bands will widen and turn green and you'll see rings on scutes.

that's a relief- THANX!