Abnormal signs of growth?

[denkii]

Hi all!

Here are some pictures of my tortoise and his/her enclosure:

As you can see, the white space between the scutes almost seems abnormal from other pictures I've seen on the net and that there are some signs of pyramiding as well. I'd just like to ask you guys for some help to get a healthy shell back on my tort. We noticed he usually likes hiding under the flower pot and doesn't seem to move around too much. Could that be the problem?

In terms of food, we usually sprinkle some calcium on endive, kale, clovers, mustard greens, and radicchio. We also bathe him every week or so.

Thanks for your help!

 

[lismar79]

Looks like you need more room & humidity for sure. Its hard if not impssible to get humidity levels high enough with an open top enclosure. You might want to search on here- pyramiding & enclosed chambers & read the topics that come up. I don't know much about your specific kind of tort but you could aso use more varity in your diet. each species has its own sub catagory on here. Seems like that is where you need to go to get what you lil one needs.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, and welcome to the Forum!

Some leopards show a lot of black on the new growth, and some, like yours, show more white new growth. The space between the scutes is new growth and the color of it is just fine.

The way to stop the pyramiding is to provide a more humid/moist environment. Try covering the habitat with cooking foil - up over the light and everything. This will hold the moist, warm air in and keep the dry, cool air in the house out. Pour water over the substrate then mix it up with your hand. But be sure to keep the temp up over 80F because if you allow the baby to get cool while he's in a moist environment, he'll get sick.

From looking at your picture, I think the light is too far away and the angle of it should be straight down. Try to hang it above the habitat instead of off to the side.

Baby tortoises should be soaked in warm water for about 15 minutes daily, not weekly.