Concerning Turtle Shell

[neverquestionkate]

Hello everyone,

I have noticed that my turtle's shell has recently (in the last month or so) become more and more discolored with pieces flaking off. Please see the attached photos. He also seems to be shedding excessively and does not look to be in the best mood/health as he has become less active and hardly eats. I'm not sure if this may be shell rot or some kind of infection. I used a round of turtle fix but I did not notice much, if any, improvement. I'm becoming really concerned, so any guidance on what this may be and what I can use to help my buddy out would be very much appreciated!

Thank you!

 

[Yvonne G]

This is normal for water turtles. They shed the top layer of keratin as they grow.

 

[neverquestionkate]

This is normal for water turtles. They shed the top layer of keratin as they grow.

Thank you for your response! He is over 20 years old and this has never happened before, so I am worried that it's not just normal shedding, especially because his behavior is affected as well.