Re: Terrapins in Freshwater (Red Ear Slider and Te…

Chun- Thanks for bringing up the point that shell pitting could come from other sources besides the salinity of the water. I’m sure that other sources such as improper diet, parasites, etc., could also cause problems with a terrapin’s shell. I don’t know of any studies off hand that mention terrapin health at different salinities, but I’ll run a literature search when I get a chance. Unfortunately, there isn’t much literature out there about DBTs and the literature that is available is limited to a few topics. The only thing that I can comment on from my knowledge is your suggestion that a calcium deficiency could cause the pitting. From what I know, a calcium deficiency would not really cause problems with the scutes but instead with the bone underneath. This would cause the shell to feel soft but it would be because the bone underlying the scutes was deficient or missing. Hope this helps and I’ll work on finding some more information in the literature. -Christina