I've have an adult male RES for about 5 months now. His skin seems to be peeling all the time. Sometimes more than others, but you can always see some loose skin on him. If it's on his front legs, he picks at it. How often should their skin shed? And how long should it last? Is there something I should/shouldn't be doing? He eats well and basks daily. Other than his skin, he seems very happy. Sorry for the bad picture, I just wanted to post his setup.
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Skin shedding all the time???
heartsx2
Jul 11, 2004 10:52 AM
Replies (4)
dsgngrl
Jul 11, 2004 10:59 AM
You are probably overfeeding him, that is why he is always shedding. Cut back on his food, he only needs protein every few days, but you can offer greens daily. Also, your water temp might be too high, make sure it is in the mid 70's.
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heartsx2
Jul 11, 2004 11:12 AM
Thank you. I'm not sure I can do much about the water temp. I turn the air on if it hits 80 in the house. Right now it's 79 in the house and the water temp is 84. In the winter, the water temp remained around 78. I can definitely cut back on the feeding though. I've been feeding him reptomin every day and krill once a week. I'll start feeding him the reptomin every other day. Are frozen mixed veggies okay? Like beans and carrots? I already feed this to my Amazon parrot so it's always in stock. Thanks again!
Linda G
Jul 11, 2004 11:48 AM
this enclosure is small enough that a heater is not necessary.
The basking light alone will keep the water temp warmer during
the day and allow the water to cool at night.
My turtles prefer water temps around 72-74. I think that
along with possible overfeeding, the temp of your water is
causing this. 84 degrees is too warm consistantly for a turtle
of this age.
Remember that it is important to get as close as possible to
their natural environment. No where is the water this temp
consistantly. I am willing to bet your turtle is not basking
as much as the water temp is close to the 85 degrees hot spot.
With this set-up, there is little possibility for
thermoregulation.
Oops, rambling on
Linda
heartsx2
Jul 11, 2004 12:05 PM
Hmmm, well... He loves to bask. Every day for several hours. You can tell he loves it, as he sleeps and stretches all out. The heater is set much lower so it will only kick on if the water temp drops too low.
I would bet most people keep their house temps somewhere comfortably in the 70's. With the heat lamp naturally heating up the water, how could I cool it down?
