1. Why do turtles molt
tortoises molt The shell is a normal phenomenon. When a turtle grows to a certain extent, its original carapace is no longer enough to accommodate its growing and growing volume, so it needs to take off the old nail pieces to reveal the larger and newer ones that have grown inside. A turtle molting indicates that the turtle has grown up. The Brazilian turtle is the most apparent phenomenon; it changes its shell almost yearly. The turtle shell is dropped piece by piece, not all at once, so it takes a long time for them to change their shells. During tortoise shelling, you must not pick the shell that the turtle will fall off with your hands; otherwise, it will easily cause damage to the turtle and cause the turtle to be injured and bleed. Be sure to let the turtle shell fall off naturally.
The length of time for tortoises to change their shells varies. Some turtles take a long time to change their shells, which may be as long as 1 to 3 months, while others are relatively short and may be completed in a few days. . During the tortoise shelling period, the owner should pay attention to keep the water clean and ensure the right amount of sunshine. At the same time, the food fed to the tortoise should be clean and hygienic. Feed them more food, such as small fish, shrimp, or fresh lean meat, to supplement nutrition, which can help the tortoise complete the shelling more quickly and let the turtles grow out later. The shell is more rigid.
In addition, the time of turtle shelling is not fixed. Some turtles change their shells once a month, and some may change their shells once a year. When the tortoise changes its shell, the carapace edges that it is about to fall off will gradually turn white, the growth lines will explode, and only the carapace will fall off layer by layer. During this period, turtles tend to become inactive and have a low appetite.
Second, the difference between turtle molting and rotten armor.
Turtle There is still a big difference between molting and rotten shells. Still, it is easy to confuse the two situations because of the inexperience of raising novices and lack of understanding of tortoise molting. The tortoise sheds its carapace, and the receded carapace is usually intact and does not stink; when the tortoise rots its carapace, it can usually be seen that its carapace has been cracked, and part of it can peel off. Press it with your fingers, and its carapace will crack. Water will come out of the open place, and even rotten meat will be squeezed out, emitting a bad smell. Tortoise rotten nails need to be dealt with in time. Usually, it is necessary to dry-raise the turtle with rotten nails and insist on giving it medicine until the sick turtle recovers.
Third, the critical points of attention for turtle molting.
1. Let the Natural tortoiseshell shedding: When the tortoise changes its shell, it is necessary to let its carapace fall off naturally, and it must not be forcibly removed. Otherwise, it will easily cause damage to the turtle and even cause bacterial infection, which will cause the turtle to suffer from nail rot disease. The natural shedding of tortoise carapace will not have these problems.
2. Appropriate nutritional supplements: During the tortoise shelling period, the owner needs to give the tortoise some nutrients, especially calcium. If it is not hard enough, it may even suffer from soft nail disease, which is highly detrimental to the turtle’s health. At the same time, we should also pay attention to properly basking the turtle’s back to promote the synthesis of vitamin D3 in its body, which is conducive to promoting calcium absorption.
3. Keep the breeding environment clean: Turtles generally take a long time to change their shells. Care should be taken to avoid the shell fragments that fall off from polluting the water quality. Therefore, cleaning the pool more frequently and removing the shells that fall off in time is necessary. , to prevent water pollution and affect the healthy growth of turtles.
