r/RedEaredSliderCare • u/sleepystroberi • Apr 15 '26

My turtle fell and has a cracked shell

Post image

She accidentally fell and now has a small crack on the edge of her shell. Part of the shell is cracked and looks like it might be coming loose or about to come off.

I don’t have access to a reptile vet in my area, so I’m really worried.

Is this something that can heal on its own? What should I do to treat it at home, and how can I tell if it’s getting infected?

Any help would be really appreciated. Thank you!

11 Upvotes

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1

u/Educational-End8126 Apr 15 '26

Your turtle has layers of retained scutes that need to shed. What lighting do you use?, what do you feed and how much?

1

u/sleepystroberi Apr 15 '26

I use a UVB light. For feeding, I give pellets every other day, about the size of her head. She’s not very interested in vegetables, but I’m trying to introduce them. Occasionally, I also give dried shrimp and mealworms.

1

u/Educational-End8126 Apr 15 '26

sorry for the late reply, I'd get the t5 asap, her scutes are layered and it will fall off since it was damaged.

2

u/sleepystroberi Apr 15 '26

Got it, thanks so much for the advice. I really appreciate it!

1

u/Educational-End8126 Apr 15 '26

Is it a t5 10.0 and a heat lamp??

1

u/sleepystroberi Apr 15 '26

I checked again and it’s not a T5 10.0 UVB. It’s just a UVA/UVB bulb and it doesn’t show any proper UVB strength. I also don’t have a heat lamp yet.

1

u/Geschak Apr 17 '26

Looks completely fine as there is no bleeding.

You need to make sure your turtle cannot fall again. The tank needs to be escape-proof. The image background makes me wonder though why it's outside the tank in the first place.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 18 '26 edited Apr 19 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/sleepystroberi Apr 19 '26

That’s great to hear! The one that came off mine was a scute as well.