Hi, this is the first time I am posting...
Basically I want to know your opinion on if my turtle is about to shed, or if there is another problem..

This is how my Turtles shell used to look:





And this is how it looks now:







Id appreciate anyone's help

I am not a turtle expert (or novice really) but I know everyone is going to ask about your tank set up, temps, diet, etc.

__________________

"If you're not falling, you're not trying." - Sonni Trotter

~*~Lacey~*~

My Photos

are those spots soft and mooshy or are they flaky? Do you have a UVB light in there for him?

__________________




I have sucker tattood on my forehead

yes, what is his tank size, setup, lighting, temps and what is he eating.

__________________
My name is Liz
Do what's best for the animal, not what's best for you.

No, the spots are not mushy...it just seems dry..the tank size is about 30 gallons, he has a basking area with a UVB light and has a working filter. The temp is around 78 degrees and I do have a water heater. With the food, my baby eats mostly pellets, sometimes baby shrimp or krill, but he dosnt really like anything else, ive tried introducing veggies or fruit, but just wont eat them..

My only guess is mineral deposits from hard water. I did some searching on-line and that's all I could come up with, but it's not certain. Anyone else know? I've see this on a few other turtles before so I'm curious.

How old is she? (I think it's a she, actually). Young turtles eat less plant matter than adults. You can try adding collard greens or banana and see if she goes for it, maybe at the same time you add other food.

But that said, from what I can gather it kind of looks like your turtle is about to shed. The scutes get a little cloudier, kind of like a gecko's skin just before it molts. They'll start peeling eventually, and underneath will be shinier, cleaner scutes.

However, dry patches on the belly are not normal, and that could be something more serious, likely tied in with the water or nutrition. I don't want to get you too paranoid though, from the photos it does look like shedding. Each scute will come off individually, so you shouldn't expect the shed to be patchy.

__________________
+5 bonus points to whoever finds me a job!

"Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines." - John Benfield

How much are you feeding the little guy? If you over feed your turt the shell will pyrmid and gets rough feeling and looking. He seems to be fine for what I can see...just looks like his scutes are about to shed. Do not attempt to peel it off or you can cause damage. I have 5 turtles and I have learnned alot about them. 1 Red eared slider(which is yours), 2 Mississippi Maps, and 2 Diamondback Terrepins. My Red eared slider's shell looks a bit like yours because I was over feeding him and sad part is I am still over feeding him! He is so cute I can't help it...when I am around he will swim over and beg for food. How old is your little guy? And how big is he? I am no expert...so the best thing to do is take it to the vet. I have never seem shell rot...so if yours have it...I wouldn't know what it looks like. As for the bottom...it looks like hard water. Do you condition your water? I know I don't because the water here ain't too bad. Also make sure your set up has nothing that can be scraping the bottom of the turts shell. Good luck...