Help/advice needed

[Vicky84]

Hi everyone,

I'm in need for some help. About my baby Dina: a friend bought her a few years ago, it was supposed to be a gift for her 6 year old son. Well, long story short - the kid wasn't that interested in taking care of the turtle, so my friend finally got bored too. That's how Dina ended up in my place ~1 month ago looking like this (see pics below). I'm not an expert but I can see that there's something wrong with Dina's shell. I bought her a heat rock, heat lamp, UVB lamp. We take baths once a week and I oil her shell with a liquid vitamin D3 after. Additionally, she gets Nekton MSA vitamins with her food.
Any thoughts what could be wrong with her shell and how can I help my baby? Please.

Thanks!
Vicky

 

[Tom]

Welcome to the forum Vicky! Here's my opinion:

1. Shell looks okay, except for the oil all over it. Skip the oils.
2. Chuck the hot rock. Those are dangerous for any reptile. The only reason they are still sold is because people with good intentions keep buying them.
3. When you say "bath", you mean a plain, old shallow, warm water, soak for 10-15 minutes, right? No soap and water in other words, right? Just being extra careful here.
4. I'm not familiar with Nekton products so I won't comment on that, a good general routine is once a week supplementation with a reptile vitamin supplement and twice a week with a calcium supplement. Use a calcium supplement WITH D3, if you don't get Dina out in the sun very much.
5. Get Dina out in the sun very much. As much as you can. I recommend building a safe outdoor enclosure for her. Make sure there is some shade at all times and predators, both wild and domestic can't get to her in your absence.
6. If you bought a flourescent UV bulb and a separate heat lamp, you could kill two birds with one stone, by buying a mercury vapor type bulb and returning those other ones. The MVB give you much better UV AND heat all in one bulb. I just put one over one end of the enclosure, on a 12 hour timer, and that's it. If you live in an area where Dina can get regular sunshine year round, then you can skip all the expensive reptile product and just use a regular incandescent spot or flood bulb from the hardware store.
7. Tell us your temps. Cool side. Warm side. Basking Spot. Night temps.

We'd love to see pics of your set-up. Sometimes our astute members catch things in photos that can be over-looked in text.

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Vicky:

I moved your thread to the Russian section hoping you will get more Russian responses.

The only thing I see about your tortoise's shell is the fact that the new growth seems awfully pale. Usually the new growth on a Russian is yellow and yours is more white. The tortoise is growing very smoothly and looks great. All that clear area is new growth, and nothing to worry about. Maybe the tortoise should be getting some sunshine to make him a more natural color. Did you post a thread where you tell us how you keep the tortoise?

Congrats to you for taking in this tortoise when he wasn't wanted by your friend's family! This was a wonderful thing for you to do.

---

OMG!! I just noticed that this is your first post. In that case, let me...

you to the forum!!!

We're so happy you've found us and we'll offer you any and all the help you need!!

 

[chadk]

Russians are very hardy and fun little guys to raise. Here is a great site. Read it well.
http://russiantortoise.org/care_sheet.htm

Focus on the substrate. Joe (site owner of the link) likes a little play sand mixed with eco-earth\coconut fiber. But I prefer the eco-earth mixed with organic soil (none of the little white rock things mixed in though). You want something easy to keep moist and diggable.

Joe also has a great list of edible plants you should become familiar with. And he does not reccomend vitamins, calc powders, etc. Just a good source of UVB, and a good healthy diet. Then toss in cuttlebone for when the tort feels the need for extra calcium beyond what the good diet provides.

Oh, and this is a GREAT tutorial on substrate and hides that you should look at. He has it set up for a baby sulcata tort, but it is identical to what you should try to do for your russian.
http://tortoiseforum.org/thread-13370.html

 

[spikethebest]

Welcome to the forum!