Dry Shell? Fungus? Shell Rot?

Arshi

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Hi everyone, recently I’ve noticed that my Redfoot Cherryhead’s shell is looking very dry, almost grey, and it’s on his carapace and plastron. Less on his plastron though. What could it be?

For a while his humidity was low at 70-75% but recently I have reconstructed his enclosure and now it’s usually at 80%. He’s 6/7 months old

I added as many photos as I can. Let me know if you think you know what it is and possibly how I can fix it. Thank you so much
 

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KarenSoCal

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It follows his growth lines...I think it's new keratin growing. Actually I hope that's what it is because my almost 3 year old star tortoise has some of that as well.

You want that to stay supple and flexible while it grows...I use coconut oil on my tort's shell weekly.
 

Kothy

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I also add coconut oil to my Cherry head weekly, it really helps. It also keeps some of the tiny bugs away.
 

Arshi

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It follows his growth lines...I think it's new keratin growing. Actually I hope that's what it is because my almost 3 year old star tortoise has some of that as well.

You want that to stay supple and flexible while it grows...I use coconut oil on my tort's shell weekly.
Thank you :) should I put the coconut oil on the plastron too? And how long do you leave it on for? For example, do you just put it on then let him back into the enclosure or do you leave it on for a certain time then wipe it off before putting him back?
 

Arshi

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Location (City and/or State)
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I also add coconut oil to my Cherry head weekly, it really helps. It also keeps some of the tiny bugs away.
Thanks :) I have the same question for you too. Do you apply the oil on the plastron as well? And how long do you keep it on? For example: do you put it on then let the tortoise back into its enclosure or do you leave it on for a certain time then wipe it off before putting him back?
 

Kothy

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I use a paper towel and gently rub it in on the top shell and then the bottom. then I take another paper towel and wipe off anything left. I then give then a goof soak
 

Arshi

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Location (City and/or State)
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I use a paper towel and gently rub it in on the top shell and then the bottom. then I take another paper towel and wipe off anything left. I then give then a goof soak
thank you! I will start doing this once a week too:)
 

KarenSoCal

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I put it on the carapace only, partly because he is extremely slippery with the oil on him. I leave it on for about 10 min, then give him a good rubbing with a terry cloth towel. He really enjoys the rubbing!
 

Arshi

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Location (City and/or State)
Canada
I put it on the carapace only, partly because he is extremely slippery with the oil on him. I leave it on for about 10 min, then give him a good rubbing with a terry cloth towel. He really enjoys the rubbing!
Thank you! I will be trying this out and thanks for that slippery warning
 
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