Dry Shell? Flaking Scute?

[demo183]

My russian tortoises shell looks really dry and the 2 upper middle scutes look like they are gonna flake off. Its kind of hard to see because i have a crappy camera phone. But the 2 upper middle scutes look like theres a little space between the bottom of them and the carapace. Does this look normal? How can i fix it?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Phil:

That's the area where new growth appears. If you think it looks too dry, you can put some vaseline or olive oil on a Q-tip and paint the lines between the scutes to lubricate them.

 

[demo183]

thanks yvonne ill try that