Shell is white in some places?

Why is his shell turning white in some places? Help!!

Grow marks! Perfectly healthy

I don't see what you're seeing. Where is it white?

I don't see it in the pic, but new growth comes in white. Is it showing in the lines between the scutes (squarish part=scute)

wellington said:

I don't see it in the pic, but new growth comes in white. Is it showing in the lines between the scutes (squarish part=scute)

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Not showing in the lines, but the scutes themselves.

boris'mommy said:

Grow marks! Perfectly healthy

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Yay!

Okay, from the little bit I can see when I make the pic bigger, it is between the scutes and it is new growth. Nothing to worry about.

wellington said:

Okay, from the little bit I can see when I make the pic bigger, it is between the scutes and it is new growth. Nothing to worry about.

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Ohhh okay, well thanks! Here's a better pic:

Okay, now I see what you are talking about. Like the yellowish color is fading out to white. Maybe he is rubbing it on something? Maybe @Tom can help. I don't think it is anything to worry about though.

wellington said:

Okay, now I see what you are talking about. Like the yellowish color is fading out to white. Maybe he is rubbing it on something? Maybe @Tom can help. I don't think it is anything to worry about though.

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Yes!!! Alright, thanks so much!

I've never seen that happen. Is this tortoise getting sunshine? What are you feeding? How was this baby started in its first few days and weeks before you got it.

I'm not saying that this is what's going on, but the only similar thing I can relate to is when the dry started one's plastrons get translucent and then bruised looking. What does the plastron look like?

Tom said:

I've never seen that happen. Is this tortoise getting sunshine? What are you feeding? How was this baby started in its first few days and weeks before you got it.

I'm not saying that this is what's going on, but the only similar thing I can relate to is when the dry started one's plastrons get translucent and then bruised looking. What does the plastron look like?

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He is getting sunshine and has a heat lamp. I feed him spring mix and st. Augustine grass. And he seemed to be alright before I got him, but his enclosure had no water in it and was very tiny and he shared it with 4 others like himself. And here is his plastron.

What was the substrate where you got him? Pet store? How often did they soak the babies? Do you know how often the breeder soaked the babies and whether a brooder box was used?


I don't know what would cause this, but my recommendation remains the same. Just give him the best care and diet you can and hope for the best.

Tom said:

What was the substrate where you got him? Pet store? How often did they soak the babies? Do you know how often the breeder soaked the babies and whether a brooder box was used?


I don't know what would cause this, but my recommendation remains the same. Just give him the best care and diet you can and hope for the best.

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I don't remember the substrate... But I know they were seldom soaked; probably never. And I don't know, the people who work there don't seem to know anything about the poor little tortoises... Their shells were squishy and they were always sleeping. And okay, thank you!!!

Macy Fidler said:

I don't remember the substrate... But I know they were seldom soaked; probably never. And I don't know, the people who work there don't seem to know anything about the poor little tortoises... Their shells were squishy and they were always sleeping. And okay, thank you!!!

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Well none of that sounds promising...

Have you read this?
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/hatchling-failure-syndrome.23493/

Given what you've told me, this is one possibility of what might be going on.

That sounds VERY adjusting to the sulcata's previous home. He was also kept in a cage with a baby leopard, who felt so squishy he may as well fall apart. I knew something was wrong, and I questioned everyone there about it, and they wouldn't tell me anything about how they were taking care of them. I told them that little baby needed to see a specialist, but I doubt they ever called one. It sickens me. What should I do at this point?

I wish I would've known this before, but seeing all of those suffering tortoises, and being a tortoise lover; I felt like I could save one. Now I know it doesn't work like that.

Macy Fidler said:

That sounds VERY adjusting to the sulcata's previous home. He was also kept in a cage with a baby leopard, who felt so squishy he may as well fall apart. I knew something was wrong, and I questioned everyone there about it, and they wouldn't tell me anything about how they were taking care of them. I told them that little baby needed to see a specialist, but I doubt they ever called one. It sickens me. What should I do at this point?

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Give him the best care and diet you can and hope for the best. If this is what's going on, no amount of money spent with the best tortoise vet in the world will save him. Some of them make it, and some of them don't. Just give it your best try.

Macy, why did you buy one from a place like the one you describe? Everything you've said about them has been a very bad sign. Any one of the things you mentioned would have been a deal breaker for me. I'm just curious. Did you feel like you were rescuing the poor baby?

Tom said:

Give him the best care and diet you can and hope for the best. If this is what's going on, no amount of money spent with the best tortoise vet in the world will save him. Some of them make it, and some of them don't. Just give it your best try.

Macy, why did you buy one from a place like the one you describe? Everything you've said about them has been a very bad sign. Any one of the things you mentioned would have been a deal breaker for me. I'm just curious. Did you feel like you were rescuing the poor baby?

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Honestly I had been wanting a sulcata, I love tortoises and had been doing some research. They sold their only sulcata before I could get there, and so I was about to settle for the leopard and then I saw the shell and the habitat he was in and figured I'd wait until they got more sulcatas in. Well, a couple weeks later they call me and said they had four new baby sulcatas. At the time, I didn't have the setup or the money for the tortoise, so I waited 3 weeks to go get one. Meanwhile; I went up there nearly every day to see them and to watch them. I couldn't wait. No other pet store carried these sulcatas, and I was just ready. But I could tell something was wrong. They all slept every time I was up there...
And I really love animals, and I guess I treated it as if it was like saving a dog or cat because most of the time you can just nurture them and they survive. So yes, I thought I was saving him... And I chose the most active one/least squishy they had.