Hi all,
New tort owner here.
I'm sorry if this question has been asked hundreds of times, however I could not find any suitable info via the search function in the forum or googling.
Background Info:
Introducing Tortilla.
I found this little Hermann at a local tortoise specialty shop here in Taiwan about 2 months ago. Overall he has a very healthy appetite, his eyes and nose are clear and he is very social and loves to be hand fed.
I have had him in an enclosure inside (as it has been very rainy for the past couple months) with a UV bulb and 10-15 minute daily baths. His diet is primarily clover, dandelion, weeds and grasses and a few other indigenous plants that were suggested along with a tortoise supplement. I take him out to graze for about an hour every other day and the rest of the time he eats food that has been hand picked (by me) while he is out pigging out.
I have recently moved him outside as its a bit sunnier.
Here's the question:
I have recently noticed a bit of growth, starting with the belly between scutes. Shortly after, maybe a couple weeks or the growth is now more apparent on the upper carapace between the plates. This growth appears to be healthy and doesn't appear to be too fast. The issue is at the same time I noticed the carapace growth, I also noticed the the small whitish circles all over his shell which looks like some kind of delimitation or peeling between the layers of the shell itself. This was not visible prior to the change in growth.
Is this normal shell growth or is this a symptom of dry shell rot? Or something else entirely? I have not been able to find a very clear explanation of shell growth or symptoms of shell rot which match what I'm seeing.
Thanks,
dj
New tort owner here.
I'm sorry if this question has been asked hundreds of times, however I could not find any suitable info via the search function in the forum or googling.
Background Info:
Introducing Tortilla.
I found this little Hermann at a local tortoise specialty shop here in Taiwan about 2 months ago. Overall he has a very healthy appetite, his eyes and nose are clear and he is very social and loves to be hand fed.
I have had him in an enclosure inside (as it has been very rainy for the past couple months) with a UV bulb and 10-15 minute daily baths. His diet is primarily clover, dandelion, weeds and grasses and a few other indigenous plants that were suggested along with a tortoise supplement. I take him out to graze for about an hour every other day and the rest of the time he eats food that has been hand picked (by me) while he is out pigging out.
I have recently moved him outside as its a bit sunnier.
Here's the question:
I have recently noticed a bit of growth, starting with the belly between scutes. Shortly after, maybe a couple weeks or the growth is now more apparent on the upper carapace between the plates. This growth appears to be healthy and doesn't appear to be too fast. The issue is at the same time I noticed the carapace growth, I also noticed the the small whitish circles all over his shell which looks like some kind of delimitation or peeling between the layers of the shell itself. This was not visible prior to the change in growth.
Is this normal shell growth or is this a symptom of dry shell rot? Or something else entirely? I have not been able to find a very clear explanation of shell growth or symptoms of shell rot which match what I'm seeing.
Thanks,
dj
Those are very normal. Quite a percentage of growing tortoises get these. They will go away with time. My little sulcatas have them, and they starting to fade after 5 monthes.
