Head lump

[Booherms<3]

My Herman's Boo has developed a lump on her head. I noticed it a month or so ago and have been bathing it and brushing it with a soft brush in case it was just old scales stuck. It seems to have grown recently, so she is going to the vet tomorrow. I am wondering if anyone else had had this happen with their tortoise? I am just really stressed in case it's very serious. I would rather be prepared if it is bad news.

 

[Yvonne G]

I don't see the lump you're talking about, but the beak is quite overgrown, and the skin seems pretty dry.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

I don't see the lump you're talking about, but the beak is quite overgrown, and the skin seems pretty dry.

It is on top of the eyes.

 

[Booherms<3]

I don't see the lump you're talking about, but the beak is quite overgrown, and the skin seems pretty dry.

Thank you for your reply. She has cuttlefish in her enclosure but doesn't use it,. She is fed on slate and has a lot of large stones. Her humidity is at 99% accourding to the probe. She spends most of her time under her lamp which is 11 inches from her shell. Is there something else that you can recommend please.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you for your reply. She has cuttlefish in her enclosure but doesn't use it,. She is fed on slate and has a lot of large stones. Her humidity is at 99% accourding to the probe. She spends most of her time under her lamp which is 11 inches from her shell. Is there something else that you can recommend please.

What are her temperatures like? Ie the basking temperature directly under the bulb? Middle and cooler side? Night temp? Excessive time under the bulb could be an indication she’s trying to constantly warm up.

This is definitely unusual bless her, what kind of lighting are you using? Ie the basking bulb and uvb type? Don’t suppose you have a photo of your set up?

 

[Booherms<3]

What are her temperatures like? Ie the basking temperature directly under the bulb? Middle and cooler side? Night temp? Excessive time under the bulb could be an indication she’s trying to constantly warm up.

This is definitely unusual bless her, what kind of lighting are you using? Ie the basking bulb and uvb type? Don’t suppose you have a photo of your set up?

She has a Mercury vapour 3 in 1 her temp is 31 degrees when taken with uv thermometer under the lamp. She has cool areas and is indoors.
She is at the vet now and I'm waiting for a call. They had a quick look under the lump and found it goes into her nasal cavity so they are cleaning it out and doing an xray. I am so worried about her. I have had 2 dogs die from cancer and have a cat in renal failure. I have **** luck with pets. If it is cancer then although she is just a baby I will have to have her pts. I am not letting her suffer just because I want her around.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

She has a Mercury vapour 3 in 1 her temp is 31 degrees when taken with uv thermometer under the lamp. She has cool areas and is indoors.
She is at the vet now and I'm waiting for a call. They had a quick look under the lump and found it goes into her nasal cavity so they are cleaning it out and doing an xray. I am so worried about her. I have had 2 dogs die from cancer and have a cat in renal failure. I have **** luck with pets. If it is cancer then although she is just a baby I will have to have her pts. I am not letting her suffer just because I want her around.

Gosh I’m so so sorry to hear that! I’ve had my fair share of furry companions that have crossed the rainbow bridge, it destroyed me each time so I completely sympathise

It sounds like to me she’s got something underlying going on that hasn’t been in your control, some sort of infection perhaps, I’m crossing all my fingers and toes for a positive outcome for you!

Now I don’t think what I’m about to address has in any way contributed to the current issue, so please don’t beat yourself up when you read this! But lighting could ideally do with fixing, Mbv bulbs really aren’t the safest or most efficient option for a tortoise, they can actually contribute towards pyramiding.

You want your basking temperature to be reaching 95f(35c) directly underneath, your middle zone around 80-85 and the cooler end 75f during the day, 70 is a good night temp.
To achieve this you want an incandescent reptile floodlight, pro rep and Arcadia brand do them, you need the right watt and height to create that desired temperature underneath, most folks go with 75w some go 100w, depends on the set up really.

For uvb you want a good quality t5 tube fluorescent light, the brands to go for are ‘Arcadia prot5 kit 12%’ which comes with the reflective fitting, or, ‘zoo med reptisun 10.0 t5’ the hood needs buying separately, I personally recommend the Arcadia.
With the uv timing, every other source of information(including vets) will tell you 12hours of uv. This is essentially an old fashioned rule that has stuck with a lot of keepers, it stems from the presumption that once the basking light or ambient lighting is on, ie the ‘sun’, that uv must coexist the same amount of hours. Fact is, uv rays only peak for a few hours a day, anyone with a uv meter will confirm this. No tortoise is blasted with 12 hours of uv in the wild, therefore it’s not necessary in captivity.
The right uv bulbs are much more expensive to replace once their uv strength diminishes, so it’s definitely best having it on a 4 hour timer that provides them with all the uv they need, saving your bulb life.
Then some cheaper led lighting for your ambient 12 hour light cycle as well as the basking light on the same 12hrs, your ceramics will run 24/7 on a thermostat, hopefully this makes more sense once you have a chance to read the links

I want to preface by saying 9/10 vets really don’t know how to appropriately house tortoises for optimal long term health, they’re all also following a lot of the same old outdated misinformation out there, I’m sure they’ll be able to treat your little one for infection, but don’t let them give any injections without appropriate tests. I’m saying all this in case they try and sway you on any of the housing info I’m about to pass on, again many vets are very outdated on tortoises, this place is a hive mind of the most up to date stuff with dedicated members that have been at this decades(I’m not one that’s been at it that long, but there’s a lot on here), I promise you won’t be done wrong.

Hopefully this housing thread will be helpful to look over, it covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything and a really handy diet link to check out! If ever going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! But I’ll add some more closed chamber options in the second link

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes different closed chamber options, some do tend to work better than others, they only need it closed as babies

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one here is really good to go over and keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs(expands on the Mbv bulbs), substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

I’m sorry it’s a lot to go over! I’m not saying go around rushing to get everything when things are currently so fraught with her, I’m just hoping they can come in handy once things have settled down a bit and she’s cleared to come homeplease feel free to ask any questions in the meantime, we’re all here to help

 

[Booherms<3]

Thank you for your reply. I haven't read all of your post but I am sure that it will help someone.

The vet showed me the xray. She had bone loss due to infection. Apparently she would have had the infection for a quite a while before it became a lump. She didn't have any accident that I was aware of the vet said that it only takes a tiny poke under a scale. They took a good look and if I had bought her home she would have had a huge hole on her face and no bone under. It would have needed daily injections and cleaning and dressing as well as pain relief. (I am a healthcrare assistant at a hospital so not bothered by anything like that). It would take upto a year maybe longer to to close up and may not be a good out come anyway. She would have to be kept on paper so no bedding to rest on or dig down in. That along with weekly vet checks. There was a chance that she would have lost her sense of smell and not feed, that would mean a feeding tube. I was willing to do whatever it took if I was sure she would make it and have a happy life. But to go though all that and have the chance that it wouldn't work or could come back was too much of a risk. I am heartbroken.

 

[zolasmum]

Thank you for your reply. I haven't read all of your post but I am sure that it will help someone.

The vet showed me the xray. She had bone loss due to infection. Apparently she would have had the infection for a quite a while before it became a lump. She didn't have any accident that I was aware of the vet said that it only takes a tiny poke under a scale. They took a good look and if I had bought her home she would have had a huge hole on her face and no bone under. It would have needed daily injections and cleaning and dressing as well as pain relief. (I am a healthcrare assistant at a hospital so not bothered by anything like that). It would take upto a year maybe longer to to close up and may not be a good out come anyway. She would have to be kept on paper so no bedding to rest on or dig down in. That along with weekly vet checks. There was a chance that she would have lost her sense of smell and not feed, that would mean a feeding tube. I was willing to do whatever it took if I was sure she would make it and have a happy life. But to go though all that and have the chance that it wouldn't work or could come back was too much of a risk. I am heartbroken.

I'm so very sorry, but I'm sure you have made the right choice for her.
Very best wishes from Angie

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you for your reply. I haven't read all of your post but I am sure that it will help someone.

The vet showed me the xray. She had bone loss due to infection. Apparently she would have had the infection for a quite a while before it became a lump. She didn't have any accident that I was aware of the vet said that it only takes a tiny poke under a scale. They took a good look and if I had bought her home she would have had a huge hole on her face and no bone under. It would have needed daily injections and cleaning and dressing as well as pain relief. (I am a healthcrare assistant at a hospital so not bothered by anything like that). It would take upto a year maybe longer to to close up and may not be a good out come anyway. She would have to be kept on paper so no bedding to rest on or dig down in. That along with weekly vet checks. There was a chance that she would have lost her sense of smell and not feed, that would mean a feeding tube. I was willing to do whatever it took if I was sure she would make it and have a happy life. But to go though all that and have the chance that it wouldn't work or could come back was too much of a risk. I am heartbroken.

Im so so sorry for your loss! You’re in my thoughts! She knows no pain over the rainbow

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

So sorry for your loss

 

[Yvonne G]

Aw geez, that's too bad. I'm so sorry.

 

[TammyJ]

I am sorry she had to leave. You did the right thing!

 

[Booherms<3]

Thank you everyone for your kindness. I am so lost without my little ray of sunshine she was the first little soul I saw in the morning and last one at night. She would come to see me and get a little hug. I miss her every minute.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Thank you everyone for your kindness. I am so lost without my little ray of sunshine she was the first little soul I saw in the morning and last one at night. She would come to see me and get a little hug. I miss her every minute.

Bless your heart, it’s so heartbreaking to loose a pet, I sure hope it’s not put you off tortoise keeping altogether, I’m sure this little one would love you to try again one day in her honour, we’d all happily help advise you getting a baby set up up and runningthought of course completely understandable that not being on your radar right now, just wanted you to know we’ll always be here

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Thank you everyone for your kindness. I am so lost without my little ray of sunshine she was the first little soul I saw in the morning and last one at night. She would come to see me and get a little hug. I miss her every minute.

It must be especially hard as everything happened so fast.

 

[Booherms<3]

It must be especially hard as everything happened so fast.

Yes it was all so quick. I expected to have her back home with meds, or to be told it was nothing to worry about. I still can't get my head around it all. I am going to keep her outside space as a memorial garden. All of the area was designed for her.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Yes it was all so quick. I expected to have her back home with meds, or to be told it was nothing to worry about. I still can't get my head around it all. I am going to keep her outside space as a memorial garden. All of the area was designed for her.

I can't imagine taking my tortoise Edward to a vet for a problem that really seems minor just to be told that he has to be put down

 

[Booherms<3]

I can't imagine taking my tortoise Edward to a vet for a problem that really seems minor just to be told that he has to be put down

I really hope that you never need to.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Yes it was all so quick. I expected to have her back home with meds, or to be told it was nothing to worry about. I still can't get my head around it all. I am going to keep her outside space as a memorial garden. All of the area was designed for her.

That’s a beautiful thing to do