Injury on underside of shell

Jenn1469

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So it has been a couple weeks I’ve had my baby Hermanns now and he has been doing great.
I have been giving him time to adjust and regain his health here and today I took him out to look over him and make sure everything looked good.
I flipped him over so that I could get a good luck of his underside and found what I am guessing is a bite wound from the last owners dog.
They had a large labradoodle type dog and I am wondering if the dog snatched him up and that is why they ended up posting him on Craigslist.
I am guessing that at some point the dog got ahold of him because no one was watching but of course it’s just a guess.
I will attach some pictures, also is the bottom shell typically softer and more pliable than the top?
Whatever it is it looks like it is healing but I’m wondering if this will cause problems with his growth in the future or what things I should be looking out for. He (or she) is just under 4 months. Should I be giving calcium every single day?
Thank everyone. 8EA18DC3-F149-4AA6-88CB-5932E9B7505F.jpeg82F3B0D9-C37A-4E73-9C2E-A49DCA99FC1F.jpegAD3A2188-4475-4B3D-A194-DEFC18C14994.jpeg
 

TeamZissou

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I think what you're seeing as an indent is actually the healing of the umbilical scar, where the egg yolk was attached in the egg and after hatching. If a dog got a hold of a tortoise this size, it probably wouldn't survive..

What's your setup like? Check out the care sheet below, it has great housing info as well as diet and supplementation. Ask any more questions after reading it. Calcium is good 2-3 times a week with a good diet and adequate UV light.

 

Jenn1469

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Well that is a relief!! I was so upset.
This is his house. Everything we purchased was recommended based on that article you posted. It’s coconut fiber mixed with orchid bark, a in tube bulb and a 150 watt ceramic heat bulb. There is a wood hide just for exploring and then that plastic cave hide place that we keep more moist for a humid hide and a rock for basking. I soak him for 20-40 minutes daily and got calcium, miner-all and a multivitamin. You can see him in the front right corner eating mazuri pellets that have been soaking.4896E3B0-D388-4184-A615-055875220D1F.jpeg
 

TeamZissou

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Nice. That's a fairly decent setup. The dial type humidity gages won't be as super accurate as a digital gate, and they're a bit high--you want to measure it at tortoise level. Don't be afraid to dump large quantities of water into the coir to wet it down. Also, don't be afraid of getting up to 80% humidity, which will be better for smooth shell growth.

Holding high humidity will be tough for the wire mesh cover on the cage. Ideally it would be a closed top to keep the humidity in and temperature up in the high 70s-low 80s. The wire will also reduce the UVB light. What kind or power UVB light did you get? The UV level is highly dependent on the height.

I've never used a Thrive basking bulb, but you can use simple incandescent flood bulbs from Home Depot, which are much cheaper. I get 30, 45, and 65 W and vary them to dial in the basking temp around 95F.

To answer your other question, it will take a while for the shell to harden. It should feel firm but pliable like a butter dish for while. The plastron is indeed softer for longer.
 

Jenn1469

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Nice. That's a fairly decent setup. The dial type humidity gages won't be as super accurate as a digital gate, and they're a bit high--you want to measure it at tortoise level. Don't be afraid to dump large quantities of water into the coir to wet it down. Also, don't be afraid of getting up to 80% humidity, which will be better for smooth shell growth.

Holding high humidity will be tough for the wire mesh cover on the cage. Ideally it would be a closed top to keep the humidity in and temperature up in the high 70s-low 80s. The wire will also reduce the UVB light. What kind or power UVB light did you get? The UV level is highly dependent on the height.

I've never used a Thrive basking bulb, but you can use simple incandescent flood bulbs from Home Depot, which are much cheaper. I get 30, 45, and 65 W and vary them to dial in the basking temp around 95F.

To answer your other question, it will take a while for the shell to harden. It should feel firm but pliable like a butter dish for while. The plastron is indeed softer for longer.

We don’t actually use that bulb. It came with the set up. When we purchased it. I bought a thermometer hydrometer with a probe which was supposed to be here on the 16th but got lost in the mail along with the mister I purchased. I’m waiting for my refund so I can reorder them.
I pour a couple cups of water in there every other day or so and mist the top layer daily.
 

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method89

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You should try to seal the top. You won't be able to keep the humidity and heat where it needs to be
 

Tom

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So it has been a couple weeks I’ve had my baby Hermanns now and he has been doing great.
I have been giving him time to adjust and regain his health here and today I took him out to look over him and make sure everything looked good.
I flipped him over so that I could get a good luck of his underside and found what I am guessing is a bite wound from the last owners dog.
They had a large labradoodle type dog and I am wondering if the dog snatched him up and that is why they ended up posting him on Craigslist.
I am guessing that at some point the dog got ahold of him because no one was watching but of course it’s just a guess.
I will attach some pictures, also is the bottom shell typically softer and more pliable than the top?
Whatever it is it looks like it is healing but I’m wondering if this will cause problems with his growth in the future or what things I should be looking out for. He (or she) is just under 4 months. Should I be giving calcium every single day?
Thank everyone. View attachment 318838View attachment 318839View attachment 318840
I see the dent. Whatever it is and whatever caused it is a thing of the past. Nothing to do about it now, and I don't think there is any lasting damage.

Yes, the plastron tends to have more give than the carapace. Its normal for it to flex some when you press on it. It will thicken and harden up over time.

Calcium supplementation, if needed at all, should be no more than twice a week in most cases.
 

Jenn1469

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I see the dent. Whatever it is and whatever caused it is a thing of the past. Nothing to do about it now, and I don't think there is any lasting damage.

Yes, the plastron tends to have more give than the carapace. Its normal for it to flex some when you press on it. It will thicken and harden up over time.

Calcium supplementation, if needed at all, should be no more than twice a week in most cases.

Thanks Tom! That was my concern, I don’t know exactly how they grow but I was worried it might leave him with some type of issues. You have definitely given me some peace! Everything I have done so far has been based on your advice and info and I see such a change in him in the time since we brought him home. Thank you!
 

Jenn1469

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You should try to seal the top. You won't be able to keep the humidity and heat where it needs to be
I’ve thought about that but am not sure how? I thought uv rays couldn’t pass through glass? Luckily for this little one I have absolutely no life outside of my house so I check on him multiple times daily. ?
That ceramic heater is 150 watts so I worry less about heat and more about humidity but he does soak usually 40 minutes a day and we keep the inside of the hide really moist, I spray inside of it daily. And it has no other openings beside the one.
 

TeamZissou

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UV also gets blocked by the screen top. This also depends on the original output of the bulb, whether it was a 5.0 or a 10.0 bulb. The link you showed is only the light fixture rather than the bulb info. It's just a guess, but a 10.0 bulb with the screen might provide something close to the correct UV level; a 5.0 bulb may be too weak with the screen. Anyway, it's impossible to know what the UV level is without a Solarmeter 6.5. Ideally the light wouldn't pass through the screen and you'd set the height of the bulb, measuring the UVI using a Solarmeter.

The CHE should mainly be used to raise the temp of the enclosure. An incandescent flood light is better for basking.
 

Yossarian

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If you continue to use that white dish, sink it into the substrate so its level, straight walls are a risk of flipping your tort over and flipping over in a water dish could lead to drowning. I would swap it out for a terracotta saucer with sloped sides instead.
 

Maggie3fan

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We don’t actually use that bulb. It came with the set up. When we purchased it. I bought a thermometer hydrometer with a probe which was supposed to be here on the 16th but got lost in the mail along with the mister I purchased. I’m waiting for my refund so I can reorder them.
I pour a couple cups of water in there every other day or so and mist the top layer daily.
UVB rays do not go thru screen, just sayin
 

Jenn1469

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Location (City and/or State)
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UV also gets blocked by the screen top. This also depends on the original output of the bulb, whether it was a 5.0 or a 10.0 bulb. The link you showed is only the light fixture rather than the bulb info. It's just a guess, but a 10.0 bulb with the screen might provide something close to the correct UV level; a 5.0 bulb may be too weak with the screen. Anyway, it's impossible to know what the UV level is without a Solarmeter 6.5. Ideally the light wouldn't pass through the screen and you'd set the height of the bulb, measuring the UVI using a Solarmeter.

The CHE should mainly be used to raise the temp of the enclosure. An incandescent flood light is better for basking.
It is a 15 watt high output bulb
 

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