Reptile & Amphibian Forums

My turtle has some algea on his shell. Is that normal? i tried gently brush it off but wouldn't come off. Then my Boyfriend brush is off with more force and it came off. I'm afraid it might hurt him to brush hard? Any suggestions.

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I wouldn't worry about it too much. Just make sure it is not a fungus. But it looks to me your turtle has regular ol' algae on its shell. Now, there are products on the market that discourages algae growth but I have found that a good scrub does the trick (my turtle doesn't mind a bit either). So I don't think brushing your turtle will hurt it, just as long as it is not excessive. Hope this helps a bit!
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1 Dog ~Charmin~
1 RES ~Loquat~

>>My turtle has some algea on his shell. Is that normal? i tried gently brush it off but wouldn't come off. Then my Boyfriend brush is off with more force and it came off. I'm afraid it might hurt him to brush hard? Any suggestions.
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I like to run my turtle until the water faucet in the sink and rub his shell. I do this every couple of weeks. He likes the flowing water

The algae won't hurt your turtle any, but you can try a soft toothbrush on it if you don't like how it looks.
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Hello:
Try cutting back on the intensity of the light and the duration it is on and that should take care of the problem.
Have a Great Day!!!

Thanks everyone for your replies they are very helpful.

My turtle has the same problem. Whenever I clean his tank (once a week or once every other week depending on how dirty he gets it), i put him in the sink and gentle rub his shell with a washcloth. He doesnt like it, or maybe he thinks its a game because he bites at the washcloth.