map turtle

[teresa2005rabbit]

hi, do turtles shed their skin, only my turtle seems to have loose skin hanging off legs and head, hes only a younster , hes about 2/3 inches shell, i only ask as have never noticed my other map doing this. Thanks

[turtlegirl]

I have 4 maps and none sheds skin as you described. Neither do my sliders. You should contact Wayne for advice

[jacquisunderland]

Hiya.. please let us know what Wayne says as my sliders seem to do this occasionally yet tehy seem fine.. I just thought this is a natural process as with humans x

[wayne020668]

hi fellow turtle lovers... yes this is indeed normal and should never be pulled off, some turtles will grow this new skin and lose the old one in big clumps making it easy to see when it starts to shed it while others will lose it in tiny small pieces making it hard to see sometimes... this is perfectly o.k

regards Wayne..

[jacquisunderland]

Thanks Wayne ... x

[teresa2005rabbit]

thanks wayne.. xx

[pelusios]

If your turtle is shedding excessively, you need to check the water temperature and also your feeding regime. Overfeeding high protein food and water temps that are too high will cause excess shedding and should be addressed.

[jacquisunderland]

They're not shedding its just a little bit skin now and again and they are doing great. They have a very varied diet and the temps just right as advised by Wayne and reiterated by my vet. x

[neilb]

To back up what pelusios has said, shedding skin should never be visable unless there is a problem with either diet, temperature, or a skin fungus. For a map turtle at that size, you should be keeping them around 22-24C at most, with feeding two or three times a week. They are a riverine species, so they are used to a higher protein diet, but have to work to catch their food. Rivers obviously also stay cooler, hence the lower temps, and by next year you'll be fine with a temp of a couple degrees lower providing the basking area is a nice 30C ish.