Blackening skin on western ornate box turtle

zach1990

New Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2019
Messages
1
Location (City and/or State)
colorado
Hello everyone!

I recently rescued a box turtle from a neglectful owner. The turtle's skin was dry and flaky, but her overall health seems great. She's feisty, has a hard strong shell (despite the chips broken), no respiratory problems or swollen eyes, etc... I set her up with a uvb/uva light (maintaining proper heat and cool spots), and I have noticed her skin is starting to peel off. The skin underneath is soft and blackish. Originally, her skin was a neutral brown coloring. Primarily in the neck, I've noticed the skin becoming very dark.

I thought she may have bruised her neck, but it doesn't seem to bother her. She still fully extends it and can flip herself back over fine with it.

Is this common? Is she finally getting the nutrients and lighting she needs and developing healthy skin? Or is there another underlying problem that I am unaware of.

Any help or recommendations is much appreciated.

Thanks in advance!
-Zach

Screen Shot 2019-06-05 at 12.51.04 PM.png
 

PJay

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 20, 2016
Messages
1,167
Location (City and/or State)
Virginia
Looks good. I adopted a western ornate box turtle (Terrapene ornata luteola) a few months ago who had the same problem with dead peeling skin and it looked very similar. You may also notice as the leg skin comes off that some of those bumps will come off too. Soak this turtle often and keep the humidity in the enclosure as high as possible to assist with skin shedding.
 

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