Found and ad for this sulcata on craigs list, owner says he's 5yrs old and has discoloration on his shell, seems very small for 5yrs old and it looks like he has shell rot to me, can anyone confirm? I sent an email to the owner saying I'd adopt him.
Holy cow!!! he's seriously small for 5 years. It's hard to tell in the picture if that's shell rot or not. My eyes are old, it looks like algae if you want to know the truth. He looks very dehydrated, and I think that even if he does have all that stuff wrong with him, if there ever was a tortoise that needed rescuing it's him. Where is he? Did they say you could have him without any money? I sure would be glad to help you if I could. If it's shell rot some chlorhexadine and old fashioned sun would fix him right up.
I wouldn't hesitate to get this tortoise away from his current owner if its at all possible for you (if they're not asking too much money). Its pretty hard to tell from a picture, but if that back leg is not turned in, it looks like the foot is missing, in which case I would think the discoloration on the carapace would be from dog chewing. At any rate...shell rot or scarring, its easy enough to fix the problem and the tortoise can live a long and healthy life. GOOD ON YOU!!!
Hope you can give him a healthy and happy home! Have some money put aside for vet bills and setting him up correctly, even if they say he comes with everything you need. Best wishes.