Help me help Spear!

[Nameidea44]

First of all, I'm sorry if this was posted to the wrong thread or something similar. I was snooping around Reddit and saw this would be a good place to post, I'm very new to this whole forum thing so I'm sorry if I do something wrong. (Also I apologize for any spelling errors, English isn't my native language!)

---
Um, hello! Call me M I guess! Do to circumstance I don't want to get into here, I have inherited (is that the right word? "Given" is better maybe) my grandmother's tortoise (I prefer geckos, but I'm the reptile fan of my family, so I was the one to get her). Her name is Spears and she's in (from what I can tell) pretty rough condition.
I was hopping to rehome her, but that doesn't seem to be an option. I don't know anyone experienced who'd take her, the zoo won't take her and "reptile rescues" aren't really a thing where I'm from

She has an exotic vet scheduled on the 22. of May (she'll also get her beak cut), but I wanted to come on here and ask for anything I could do for her in the meantime.

Please understand I'm trying my best to do right by her, I want her life to improve

GENERAL INFO:

• She's a Horsefield/Russian tortoise
• I think she's roughly 20 years old? (give or take a few years, not sure)
• She has a open top, wood tortoise table (200cm, 50cm, 50cm, which I know isn't great, but it's bigger then what she had before and as big as we can get it)
• She has a UVA/heat "Reptil Nova, STRONG, UVA, 75W" mercury bulb (which apparently aren't good? I'll change it to a separate heat/uvb lamp)
• I soak her for 15min twice a week (have been doing it more lately since she seems dehydrated?)
• Her hot side is about 32C, cold is about 22C (which doesn't get any lower at night)
• Humidity shifts between 40-30
• Her substrate is Repti Planet coco-soil
• She has a glazed terracotta saucer for her water bowl
• We're located in Latvia (if that matters)

I've been using the tortoise table to see what she can eat, so far her diet consists of: Dandelion, ground elder, chickweed, clover, lilac, radish tops, and sometimes basil and jade plant, cucumber to help with hidration and I sprinkle Trixie calcium over her food every 2-3 days (she used to have a cuttle bone, but I've NEVER seen it have a bite out of it)
I know before she usually just ate carrot/lettuce/dandelions for most of her life.

QUESTIONS

• My main concern right now is this...abcess(?) on her neck. It doesn't seem to bother her but it's gotten bigger and is something we'll bring up to the vet. Is this something that I should worry about? (Like, can it get worse before the vet?)
• And her pyramiding, is it reversible? And is it extreme enough to cause her discomfort?
• She seems to be "dragging" her hind legs a bit, which I read can be because of MBD, she sort of..half-walks if that makes sense?
• Are her leg scutes supposed to be peeling like this? I know before her peeling skin was cut off (which I KNOW your not supposed to do...but no one ever listened to me, since "it's her tortoise and she knows better") I've read it can be from dehydration so I've been upping her soaks, cucumber and been trying to keep her enclosure moist with a spray bottle. Will they grow back? (they seem to be)
• How wet should her substrate be? She doesn't seem to like to dig, so I took some out on the warm side to keep it from drying out/getting in her food.
• WHAT CAN I DO/BUY TO MAKE HER LIFE BETTER?

WHAT I'M WORKING ON

• I've been saving up for a "Arcadia Pro T5 12% UVB 24W" tube light and regular, non mercury heat bulb
• Lazer heat gun for temp (we're currently using a house hidro/thermo-meter)
• Setting up an outside enclosure for her in the summer? (We live in a flat, but we'd be able to get her a size appropriate outdoor enclosure for 3month out of the year at out summer home)

PICTURES
Here are some pictures of her and her enclosure:

https://imgur.com/a/v7Wn4rU

,

https://imgur.com/a/AmRvPgR

,

https://imgur.com/a/52WU46R

,

https://imgur.com/a/ti9Q5aX

,

https://imgur.com/a/30F7DgJ

(from Imgur, the images wouldn't show up her for some reason)

HUGE THANK YOU TO ANYONE WHO READ THROUGH THIS! ANY ADVICE/INFO IS APPRECIATED!!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Welcome to the forum!

I will tag @Yvonne G @zovick and @Markw84 to take look of the abscess. It might need to be drained and antibiotics might be needed so it is good you have an appointment booked.

 

[Nameidea44]

Welcome to the forum!

I will tag @Yvonne G @zovick and @Markw84 to take look of the abscess. It might need to be drained and antibiotics might be needed so it is good you have an appointment booked.

Thank you! I hope it's just an abscess and not a tumor of some kind

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Thank you! I hope it's just an abscess and not a tumor of some kind

Do you know any history? How long has it been there? Has it grown? Any previous injuries?

 

[Nameidea44]

Do you know any history? How long has it been there? Has it grown? Any previous injuries?

I'm not sure about injuries, but I do know it has grown since we noticed it in last years...I wanna say December? It used to be a lot smaller, but has grown significantly (it's seems to be growing slightly even since I've had her)

 

[zovick]

I'm not sure about injuries, but I do know it has grown since we noticed it in last years...I wanna say December? It used to be a lot smaller, but has grown significantly (it's seems to be growing slightly even since I've had her)

That tumor/abscess needs to be removed or drained by a good vet. It needs surgical intervention and is not going to go away by itself.

Pyramiding is not reversible, but you can keep it from getting worse by providing proper care and lighting going forward.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

First of all, I'm sorry if this was posted to the wrong thread or something similar. I was snooping around Reddit and saw this would be a good place to post, I'm very new to this whole forum thing so I'm sorry if I do something wrong. (Also I apologize for any spelling errors, English isn't my native language!)

---
Um, hello! Call me M I guess! Do to circumstance I don't want to get into here, I have inherited (is that the right word? "Given" is better maybe) my grandmother's tortoise (I prefer geckos, but I'm the reptile fan of my family, so I was the one to get her). Her name is Spears and she's in (from what I can tell) pretty rough condition.
I was hopping to rehome her, but that doesn't seem to be an option. I don't know anyone experienced who'd take her, the zoo won't take her and "reptile rescues" aren't really a thing where I'm from

She has an exotic vet scheduled on the 22. of May (she'll also get her beak cut), but I wanted to come on here and ask for anything I could do for her in the meantime.

Please understand I'm trying my best to do right by her, I want her life to improve

GENERAL INFO:

• She's a Horsefield/Russian tortoise
• I think she's roughly 20 years old? (give or take a few years, not sure)
• She has a open top, wood tortoise table (200cm, 50cm, 50cm, which I know isn't great, but it's bigger then what she had before and as big as we can get it)
• She has a UVA/heat "Reptil Nova, STRONG, UVA, 75W" mercury bulb (which apparently aren't good? I'll change it to a separate heat/uvb lamp)
• I soak her for 15min twice a week (have been doing it more lately since she seems dehydrated?)
• Her hot side is about 32C, cold is about 22C (which doesn't get any lower at night)
• Humidity shifts between 40-30
• Her substrate is Repti Planet coco-soil
• She has a glazed terracotta saucer for her water bowl
• We're located in Latvia (if that matters)

I've been using the tortoise table to see what she can eat, so far her diet consists of: Dandelion, ground elder, chickweed, clover, lilac, radish tops, and sometimes basil and jade plant, cucumber to help with hidration and I sprinkle Trixie calcium over her food every 2-3 days (she used to have a cuttle bone, but I've NEVER seen it have a bite out of it)
I know before she usually just ate carrot/lettuce/dandelions for most of her life.

QUESTIONS

• My main concern right now is this...abcess(?) on her neck. It doesn't seem to bother her but it's gotten bigger and is something we'll bring up to the vet. Is this something that I should worry about? (Like, can it get worse before the vet?)
• And her pyramiding, is it reversible? And is it extreme enough to cause her discomfort?
• She seems to be "dragging" her hind legs a bit, which I read can be because of MBD, she sort of..half-walks if that makes sense?
• Are her leg scutes supposed to be peeling like this? I know before her peeling skin was cut off (which I KNOW your not supposed to do...but no one ever listened to me, since "it's her tortoise and she knows better") I've read it can be from dehydration so I've been upping her soaks, cucumber and been trying to keep her enclosure moist with a spray bottle. Will they grow back? (they seem to be)
• How wet should her substrate be? She doesn't seem to like to dig, so I took some out on the warm side to keep it from drying out/getting in her food.
• WHAT CAN I DO/BUY TO MAKE HER LIFE BETTER?

WHAT I'M WORKING ON

• I've been saving up for a "Arcadia Pro T5 12% UVB 24W" tube light and regular, non mercury heat bulb
• Lazer heat gun for temp (we're currently using a house hidro/thermo-meter)
• Setting up an outside enclosure for her in the summer? (We live in a flat, but we'd be able to get her a size appropriate outdoor enclosure for 3month out of the year at out summer home)

PICTURES
Here are some pictures of her and her enclosure:

https://imgur.com/a/v7Wn4rU

,

https://imgur.com/a/AmRvPgR

,

https://imgur.com/a/52WU46R

,

https://imgur.com/a/ti9Q5aX

,

https://imgur.com/a/30F7DgJ

(from Imgur, the images wouldn't show up her for some reason)

HUGE THANK YOU TO ANYONE WHO READ THROUGH THIS! ANY ADVICE/INFO IS APPRECIATED!!

Hello! So glad the forum has been your first port of call, it’s such a fantastic place with all the most up to date care information

It’s nice you’ve been able to give her a size upgrade from what she has before, hopefully at some point you might be in the position to expand it a bit, it’s the kind of design you could make into a nice ‘L’ shaped enclosure to better fit your space if that’s ever possible, I’ll include links with info below.

You’re right about the lighting and it sounds like you’re making the right upgrades

Twice a week is a nice soak routine for adults, if you feel she’s currently a bit hydrated yeah I’d do them maybe 3 or 4 times a week and make them half an hour each.

Temps sound good, basking spot just directly under the bulb should read around 95f(35c)
Substrate and water dish are great choices.

Wow you’ve already made great improvements on her diet! Keep up the good work and be sure to go at her pace, if she’s only eaten a certain way her entire life, it might take her some time to adjust to new foods, but she’ll get there

Agree with above about the lump, definitely needs veterinary intervention.

The pyramiding isn’t reversible, the pyramiding itself doesn’t look extreme enough in the photos to be causing discomfort(just my opinion)I’ve seen captive bred Russians with worse where I live.

MBD can cause discomfort, but with correct husbandry moving forward, hopefully she’ll start to improve, she’ll certainly have a much better quality of life with you and there’s no reason she can’t happily live it to the fullest even if there is some MBD.

The shedding does look a little intense on the photos, but if she’s been kept super dry previously perhaps it’s a collection of old skin.

Coir substrate should be nice and damp and pack down firmly by hand(leaving it loose and fluffy can have it dry out quicker) you don’t want it sopping wet, you should be able to squeeze it into a first and it retain its shape, without much moisture coming out, hopefully that makes sense. Some people put a layer of reptile orchid bark on top to help lock in the moisture underneath, perhaps she’ll like the different textures

If you’ve not read these threads yet, hopefully they’re helpful,

A great one for new comers;

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

Toms care guide:

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

tortoiseforum.org

I made this one based off the forums care information and added some visual aids, This one covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc, theres visual examples on mounting your lighting), sizing(you can get away with slightly smaller indoors if you can build a larger outdoor space when weather permits), appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything, and the tortoise table link)

Housing adult Russian and Hermans indoors

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information an example of an appropriate indoor set up for an older Herman/russian. As much as it’s encouraged to have tortoises in a safe outdoor enclosure, I understand being from the uk myself, that some climates make it difficult to...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes lots of inspiration for an adult set up both indoors and out! The indoor bit has some good ideas to tackle indoor space whilst still providing the needed roaming room! Check comments too, I’m always adding to it.

Enclosure inspiration

Howdy folks! Hope everyone is well! As you all know, I’m a big fan of making threads that cater more towards visual learners like myself, I’ve really been wanting to create a thread full of adult enclosure inspiration for a while now, I’ve managed to find some great references over time! I do...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, this one is good to keep on hand, it’ll help you avoid the wrong 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

You’ve already made some great improvements to this tortoises life, and sounds like you have some more planned, that’s always so wonderful to see, welcome to the forum

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi and welcome!

Oh my, she's a pretty little thing, isn't she. .. with lots of good, new growth lines.

I wonder if the 'abscess' is goiter.

 

[Marko_UK]

Her shell looks pretty good and apart from the abscess, looks quite healthy. With a visit to the vets and the changes you know about, I'm sure she will be very happy and content