New Russian baby-- help!

[mistrel123]

Hi there,
I just got a captive bred Russian Tortoise two days ago. It is around four months old. I have it living in the ZooMed tortoise house with loose coconut fiber and ZooMed ecobark mixture. I have a UVB lamp for it, a heat lamp and a nighttime heat lamp with no light. I've been feeding it mixed greens (specifically the same kind the previous owner had been feeding it), and it eats a little here and there but not a ton. I sprinkle the calcium powder on top. How much food should it be eating? Should I let it sit out or do designated feeding times?

Obviously because it is young it has a softer shell, but I noticed today after I soaked it that it has a little bit of peeling on the bottom of the shell... I will attach a picture. I got a toothbrush and can kind of scrape it away, I don't know if this is normal peeling for a baby tortoise or if it is shell rot or some kind of infection.. please let me know what you think based on the photo!

Thank you!!

 

[LaLaP]

I think that's where the yoke sac was attached. Like a babies belly button! It'll heal up completely eventually.

 

[Tom]

That is where the yolk sac was absorbed. That tissue and the egg tooth on the beak indicate that this tortoise hatched less than one month ago, and problem within the last week or two.

The ZooMed tortoise house is not a good enclosure. Its too open and won't hold in warmth and humidity, and the wood will leak and quickly rot when in contact with the necessary damp substrate.

Unless your house gets very cold at night, you shouldn't need night heat for a Russian.

What type of UV bulb? Cfl type? Those are ineffective and sometimes dangerous. They shouldn't be used.

Here are some threads to help:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/