Nails, shell, and beak alarming!

[Dom]

Hello there! I have been contemplating becoming a first time tortoise owner, and a friend of mine who heard about this suggested I adopt a tortoise belonging to a friend of hers - and that I could probably get the tortoise, the tank, and bulbs free.

Obviously intrigued, I went over and visited the little girl tortoise. I do not know if it is obvious in the photos, but what I saw alarmed me somewhat. I was told that she was a Russian Tortoise, but the coloration seemed very wrong compared to what I had seen before in photos and the pet shop. The nails were very long, the beak seems very long, and the shell seems to consist mostly of the yellow (tissue? carapace?) that is supposed to be thin bands between the shell...segments?

I just want to know what I can do for this tortoise to nurse it back to health... or to learn whether this is too much to take on for a first time tortoise owner without a ton of money. Can I adopt this tortoise and get her healthy without beggaring myself with vet visits?

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Yep. A Russian. Raised in a horrible aquarium under the wrong lighting and with no way to keep the beak and nails trimmed.
Time for a rescue.
Let them keep the tank and the bulbs!
A healthy tortoise does not need a vet visit and setting this poor tortoise up correctly will come down to a matter of space.

 

[Dom]

Alright, what can I do for this poor girl? I have been researching furiously and I think the shell condition is called pyramiding? Seems like an advanced case. Do you think this is due to lighting, or diet? She has been fed on a mix of romaine lettuce and pellets.

 

[Yvonne G]

No,not pyramiding. Just extremely fast, new growth. There's nothing wrong with it. And she's not unhealthy. I would just get the claws and beak trimmed then set this tortoise up outside, where it belongs. If the weather is too cold, then make a safe outside pen and set her up temporarily indoors until the weather turns warmer.

 

[teresaf]

If you're getting her for free you've already saved money. One vet visit to address the beak and nails is all it will take. Pyramiding isn't terrible. Terrible cases can hurt tort but she's good. Are you sure it's a girl? When you get her take pictures of plastron(belly) and tail. We'll confirm. People here sometimes use old dressers laid on back with drawers removed for habitat. Line with thick plastic.

 

[Dom]

Im just starting out on my own so a bit low on furniture, old or otherwise. Would a big plastic tub from Walmart do in a pinch? I have seen ones that are 2x the size of tort's current tank. Also I live in an apartment, so cant house her outside. I do however have a balcony I could use when the weather warms some.