SteveSweeney
New Member
Hello all,
New to the forum so I'll give some background. We have a 2 year old Sulcata named Tuck. We got him (though I'm suspecting he's a she) when he was about 3 inches long and he's been growing well and overall seems pretty healthy. Tuck's being kept in a glass tank turned on it's side with a section set up as a hide and he is able to go in and out. Most days he goes from his enclosure straight outside since the door is usually open and grazes on the grass and weeds in the yard. We're in California on the central coast where it's usually fairly warm, though it can be quite cool at night. The enclosure has a heat mat underneath the glass for warmth (warm but not hot to the touch). In addition to the grass and weeds he eats when outside we give him dandelions, kale and prickly pear cactus pads. We also give him a soak in warm water every couple of days.
Now, to the reasons for this post:
1. Recently noticed a soft and dark spot on the plastron that just doesn't look right. See pictures below and let me know what you think.
2. His shell has been really well shaped so far with no pyramiding but recently noticed one section on the right rear where it's gone from convex to concave shape. Like it's sunken in a bit. Not sure if it's visible in the photo. The shell is hard. We've recently started adding some calcium supplement to his food and are looking into mineral supplements as well. This doesn't seem normal. We want to make sure we're giving him everything he needs so welcome any input from the forum.
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Steve
New to the forum so I'll give some background. We have a 2 year old Sulcata named Tuck. We got him (though I'm suspecting he's a she) when he was about 3 inches long and he's been growing well and overall seems pretty healthy. Tuck's being kept in a glass tank turned on it's side with a section set up as a hide and he is able to go in and out. Most days he goes from his enclosure straight outside since the door is usually open and grazes on the grass and weeds in the yard. We're in California on the central coast where it's usually fairly warm, though it can be quite cool at night. The enclosure has a heat mat underneath the glass for warmth (warm but not hot to the touch). In addition to the grass and weeds he eats when outside we give him dandelions, kale and prickly pear cactus pads. We also give him a soak in warm water every couple of days.
Now, to the reasons for this post:
1. Recently noticed a soft and dark spot on the plastron that just doesn't look right. See pictures below and let me know what you think.
2. His shell has been really well shaped so far with no pyramiding but recently noticed one section on the right rear where it's gone from convex to concave shape. Like it's sunken in a bit. Not sure if it's visible in the photo. The shell is hard. We've recently started adding some calcium supplement to his food and are looking into mineral supplements as well. This doesn't seem normal. We want to make sure we're giving him everything he needs so welcome any input from the forum.
Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Steve