My macleay river turtles shell has some concerning marks on just wondering if anybody knew what they are the turtle is only 5 month's old eats everyday has UVB and heat and dose not smell
as always I’ll mention the turtle master @Flaviemys purvisi as he is very knowledgeable with turtles.
I’ve kept Macleay river turtles for more than 8 years now, and i’m not too sure if that is concerning.
Make sure your salinity level is correct. Macleay river turtles require slightly brackish conditions.
Also is that gravel as substrate? If it is change it over to river sand with calgrit. Gravel can cause a handful of problems.
Hello mate. I can see the area you're concerned about. Your turtle has a little dysecdysis (unshed scutes) going on, this is quite common in captive turtles because they don't have near as much access to natural sunlight as their wild counterparts. Also, Macleays have a very specialised diet which is very low in protein and high in aquatic plant material, it is why they've evolved so small unlike almost every other Emydura sp. If you can provide some photos of your setup, I can help you make some changes... turtles kept indoors need access to a good basking platform with a good amount of heat and quality artificial UVB lighting. They also need to be taken outdoors 3-5 times a week for exposure to natural sunlight. Their aquarium cannot be covered by glass lids or a hood either
Here's one of my adult female Macleays out catching some sun.
