# Algae on Turtle Shell



## mblissett (Aug 21, 2007)

Hey Guys,

I have recently (in the past 4 months) acquired myself a few Murray River Shortneck Turtles (6 in total)

1 of these guys I bought has algae already grown on the shell (from his previous owner).....

Is there anyway to remove this?

All the others have no algae apart from him....

Or will it not affect him.....

Matt


----------



## expansa1 (Aug 21, 2007)

Unless it's really long I'd leave it. The other turtles will eat the algae which is very good for them and the next time your turtle sheds it's scutes, it will fall off. It is definitely not harmful to them.

Cheers,

Craig


----------



## markars (Aug 21, 2007)

leave it on! i have done a fair bit of snorkeling for turtles and a hell of a lot of them have algae on their shells and they seem fine. most of my turtles that are kept out doors seem to grow algae and they all shed it off- they look funny when they start to shed and thay have a few bald areas where the scutes are brand new and the rest is hairy.


----------



## addy (Aug 21, 2007)

If you really want to remove it, my girl friend uses a soft bristle tooth brush to clean the turtles shell. However like the others said, it doesn't do any harm.


----------



## herptrader (Aug 21, 2007)

It bugs me that most (all) turtles sold through pet shops have their shells scrubbed. To me a good layer of algae suits them.


----------



## hornet (Aug 22, 2007)

i dont know if they are all scrubbed, isnt it just possible they havent had any algae growth as of yet? i know my turts havent.


----------



## cris (Aug 22, 2007)

herptrader said:


> It bugs me that most (all) turtles sold through pet shops have their shells scrubbed. To me a good layer of algae suits them.


Yeah its like hair to them, if it got to long the other turtles would probably graze on it anyway :lol:


----------



## mblissett (Aug 22, 2007)

Thanks for all your replies guys 

Matt


----------



## -Peter (Aug 22, 2007)

soft bristle brush, what the hell! tell her that the thin layer on the shell is actually living tissue. It doesnt need to be abraded just because of her sensitive aesthetic considerations.


----------

