Damaged shell on foundling

[LDRANCH]

Hi everyone,

Last week, I found a sulcata tortoise crossing a highway. Managed to rescue her from traffic and she is now living in my weedy backyard. The poor thing has obviously lived a hard life. Her shell is very pyramided and is broken on both front edges. The breaks look old and don't seem to bother her (see pictures). Should I worry about it or do anything in particular for the breaks?

Other than her shell, she is alert and eating well. My yard has an overgrown lawn and lots of weeds, so she's pretty happy munching on that. I have set her up with a dog-house and ceramic heater for the cool evenings. Daytime temps here in southern California have been right to her liking.

 

[wellington]

Old wounds, don't worry about them. I would however put up signs and call vets offices and animal rescues letting them know you found a sulcata tortoise. They are not native, so someone lost it most likely as they are great escape artist.

 

[LDRANCH]

Old wounds, don't worry about them. I would however put up signs and call vets offices and animal rescues letting them know you found a sulcata tortoise. They are not native, so someone lost it most likely as they are great escape artist.

Yes, I put out the word in the community where I found her.

 

[Tom]

Nothing to do for it now. Looks like it could be old dog damage. Dogs like to chew on tortoises.

On another note, dog houses don't work well and CHE's tend to burn the tops of their carapaces when used in this situation. Better to buy or build something more suited to a tortoise and use safer heating elements. The large doors, high ceiling, and lack of insulation all conspire to make dog houses unsuitable. Because it is too cold in there for all the above reasons, the tortoises tend to park themselves directly under the heat and it slow cooks the top of the carapace.

Here is an example of what I mean. Read further down the thread for even more info:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/open-topped-pyramided-scute.19691/

Here are a couple of examples of sulcata boxes that work very well in SoCal:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/my-best-night-box-design-yet.66867/
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/another-night-box-thread.88966/

Here are some diet suggestions:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

And what not to do:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/