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My pet turtle's shell is soft. Why is this happening and what to do?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

my chinese turtle has soft shell, why?

1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Angel Alvarado, LVT

Licensed Veterinary Technician

Published on May 17th, 2018

Depending on the exact species of turtle, this may be normal or not. There are soft shelled turtle species that are kept as pets. If Fred is not a soft shelled species, then he may be in some serious trouble. A soft shell may be indicative of calcium deficiency, nutritional deficiency, metabolic bone disease (MBD) or a combination of the three. Ideally, he should be examined by your veterinarian or a vet experienced in treating turtles. This should be done to positively identify species and to diagnose and treat the underlying cause of the soft shell if necessary. A turtle requires clean water, a heat source, UVB lighting, vitamin and mineral supplementation and a biologically appropriate diet. Missing one or more of these will negatively impact his overall health.

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