Lack of Calcium, lack of humidity, or both?

jgonnuscio

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I took one of my two Russian tortoises in for a beak trimming and the vet said I needed to bring him back for an exam because he has a calcium deficiency as shown by ridges on the shell. I had just assumed they were supposed to be that way. :( It had not occurred to me that we might be negligent. We super love both tortoises and spend quite a bit of time talking to them and enjoying them.

The bet told me to feed him broccoli, shard, and kale which doesn't seem consistent with I am familiar with, so I have hesitations about trusting her. I searched the Internet and it looks like it may actually be a humidity issue. I don't soak my Russians. They do spend a good deal of time outside in the summer and often get watered along with the lawn. Each have a water dish (which neither of them enjoy using), so I feel like they have had good access to water in the summer, but probably not during much of the year, except with wet food they are fed. Should I start soaking, add calcium, or both? (This tortoise won't use a cuttlefish bone and turns up its nose at calcium powder, but it does like grape leaves which it will continue to get through October.)

I also have a question about the large yellow ring that has formed around the bottom of the shell. This has been in the last year and I am concerned that maybe we haven't been paying to close attention to varying his diet and that maybe it's a sign of malnourishment.

Noelle.jpg
 

TechnoCheese

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I'm no expert, but you should definitely be doing both calcium and soaks. Coat it's food in the calcium powder 2-3 times a week, and soak every day in warm water for20-30 minutes if it's young. But I would definitely suggest soaking it almost as often if it's an older tortoise but has never been soaked. I'm not sure about the yellow ring. But don't worry, you have definitely come to the right place to get information! This forum has saved so many tortoises with all of it's info :)
 

Tom

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  1. First, go into your user profile and tell us where you are.
  2. Get a new tortoise vet that knows what they are talking about. Those ridges are growth lines. The yellow band is your tortoise's most recent growth.
  3. You mentioned two of them. I hope they have separate enclosures. Tortoises should never be kept in pairs, and especially not russians.
  4. The substrate you are using is ok, but it should be kept damp. Not dry and dusty.
  5. I recommend soaking 2 or 3 times a week.
  6. With a good diet, you really don't need a lot of supplementation. A tiny pinch of calcium once or twice a week should do it.
  7. What else are you feeding besides grape leaves? Skip the text on this thread and just skip down to the food list for suggestions: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/
  8. What type of water dish are you using? Torts don't like anything with steep or tall sides, or slick bottoms. Terra cotta plant saucers sunk into the substrate work best for food and water.
Read these for more care info:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
 
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