Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i think my turtle has soft shell. i press on the very back of his shell behind his tail and it flexes slightly when i did he his eyes got WIDE like he was in great pain. and i noticed all around the outside of his shell the scutes are flexable, im sure this isnt normal is it softshell????

Well if it is you shouldn't be messing with it. Of course it would hurt, I mean isn't it his bone... and his whole body is connect to the shell so don't press on it. Maybe be sure to get him to bask with a UVA/B bulb on so his shell gets hard. Pictures would be good for those people who are experts on this... but seriously don't mess with his shell and try to keep handling him at a minimum.

What color is the shell? Is there discoloration/paleness or white patches and stuff...

Is he a hatchling? Their shells don`t really harden until they`re around a year old. Some softness of the scutes above the tail is common with hatchings, but yours sounds like it`s more than that. Make sure he`s getting ample UVB light, either by basking under a proper UVB light or if it`s sunny and warm, take him outside for some natural sunlight (if it`s really hot make sure he has a shaded area to go to). Make sure he has enough calcium in his diet with a supplement like RepCal (not ReptoCal), cuttlebone in his tank and other calcium-rich foods in a balanced diet.

well he is a hatchling, approx. 6 months old, and i noticed around the outside of his scutes they are getting dark greyish and lifting a bit but was told that is normal shedding. where do i find cuttlebone and what are other calcium rich foods?

his diet right now consists of romaine lettuce always floating in tank i make sure to keep it stocked, i give him about 4-5 reptomin baby turtle sticks each morning and about 2-3 small dried brine shrimp. is this ok?

When you say the scutes are lifting, you mean just the very top layer, right? (That`s OK.)

Cuttlebone is the stuff people buy for birds. Take off the hard backing, break a few pieces off and let them float in the tank. Your turtle can munch on it at will. Some turtles don`t take to it immediately, but if your turtle does, it`s a great way for him to get calcium and other trace minerals. Does your turtle eat veggies? Calcium-rich ones include chicory, collards (raw), dandelion, duckweed (an aquarium plant), endive, grape leaves, kale, and turnip greens. I also occasionally give my turtle the soft bones from salmon (packed in water and I rinse them well beforehand and break them up a little); bones from sardines packed in water will work also (rinse well beforehand). Hope this helps.

BTW, I feed my turtle small amounts of dried shrimp, but not every day (as an occasional treat--the container itself says 2-3 times a week). You can, as I mentioned above, also use a powdered supplement like RepCal for added calcium. I moisten the pellets before hand, sprinkle the powder on them and hand-feed them to my turtle. (He gets more of the powder that way rather than it falling off into the water.)

How old is your turtle? Hatchlings often have a flexible
area at the back by their tails. If you have all the necessary
lighting and proper food soft shell should not be a problem.
Please re-evaluate your set-up and ask questions on the forum
if needed.

Linda