my turtles when growing will shed skin, it is white in colour and it floats around off of them when they are swimming around. I don't think they should shed all the time though, but mine tend to shed skin when they are growing through a growth period...it seems to happen just before they start shedding the scutes on their shell. Leroy is really small right now and likely will not begin shedding shell for a while. When I got Lucy she was about twice Leroy's size. She didn't start shedding shell until the following year, she grew bigger but the shed didn't start shedding until she got older.
So it could be that he is shedding skin...this means he is growing
Yesterday when I was out at one of my work sites which is just north of Rafferty Dam here, I started driving down the grid road and seen a painted turtle in the middle of the road. I lined up the truck so the wheels were on either side I didn't have much time to react...I thought I had run him over but I didn't So I went back to grab him off the road and to take him over to the water body that I was working around. He was a fair size. His shell length about 7 inches. He wasn't heavy at all though...not like my smaller turtles but turtles here probably came out of hibernation only a month or so ago so he probably really needs a good meal or two! Anyway he really tried to run when I picked him up and I had to drive with him on my lap for a little to get him where I wanted to put him. He had really nice colouring but I noticed he had a sore on the back of his neck...maybe something tried to eat him. Anyway I got him to safety in the water and he kinda hung around for a little keeping an eye on me.
One thing I did notice though was that his shell was shaped nicer than my turtles. Lucy...my youngest turtle has a bit of pyramiding in her shell and I think this is because she grew too fast...I overfed my turtles in the first couple of years I had them. She is okay and very active but her shell is not completely smooth like the wild one I found yesterday.
SO how is Leroy doing now? It will be fun to watch him grow into an adult turtle.
Danielle
So it could be that he is shedding skin...this means he is growing
Yesterday when I was out at one of my work sites which is just north of Rafferty Dam here, I started driving down the grid road and seen a painted turtle in the middle of the road. I lined up the truck so the wheels were on either side I didn't have much time to react...I thought I had run him over but I didn't
One thing I did notice though was that his shell was shaped nicer than my turtles. Lucy...my youngest turtle has a bit of pyramiding in her shell and I think this is because she grew too fast...I overfed my turtles in the first couple of years I had them. She is okay and very active but her shell is not completely smooth like the wild one I found yesterday.
SO how is Leroy doing now? It will be fun to watch him grow into an adult turtle.
Danielle