shell and habitat advice

[ziggaboogi]

Hey everyone, I just needed some more experienced advice on whether this mark on my russian's shell is something to be concerned about and possible improvements I can make to his living space.

Picture of his shell

I've read that a lot of things can go wrong with a torts shell and just needed some advice on what exactly this marking is and if there is anything I should do for him.

Below is his tort bachelor pad.

Heating/lighting- CHE that has a nice temp of around 96 F and a MVB on from about 8 AM to 6PM

Space - 43''x19'' I know an easy and eventually necessary upgrade would be to give him even more room but space will be a premium for a while and this will have to do for at least a while

substrate- some bio/dirt stuff from petco? The stuff where it's a brick that you have to soak in some water. Then a bit of bark and a bit of hay

Any advice on how to make him a happier tort is greatly appreciated.

 

[wellington]

I don't know if there is anything that you can do for the spot on his shell, or what is was caused from. Maybe at one time in his life he got burned from a bulb, before you got him. He really needs a bigger home. Look into our enclosure section and see about. Asking him a second level. Also, those clamps on those lights have been known to fail and then they fall and either burn a tort or start a fire. Hanging them is much safer.

 

[Tom]

His shell looks like any normal wild caught Russian shell. Totally fine.

Suggestions for improvement:

You mention a CHE and a MVB. In the pic I see one off to the side and one clamped on. Both should be mounted overhead hanging straight down, not clamped at an angle. Russians don't need night heat, so I don't think you need the CHE. The MVB with a 96 degree basking spot during the day should be plenty.

You can get a terra cotta plant saucer for about $2 that will be much better than the plastic tray for water. You can get another one for food too.

Its too late now, but you only need one kind of substrate. Everyone seems to want to mix different ones together lately for some reason. Either your coir (the brick) or the bark would have been fine alone. The hay is not a good idea. Damp hay will mold and provide a food source for stuff you don't want. Personally I would chuck all of that and replace it with new stuff that doesn't have hay mixed in. You can buy the orchid bark or the coco coir at a plant nursery in giant sized bags and pay less than you pay for a little tiny bag at the pet store.

While that card board box looks fantastic , you can get a black dish washing tub from Walmart for about $1.82 that will function much better as a humid hide. Just flip it upside down and cut out a door hole for him.

Lastly, your tortoise doesn't care about how little space, time or money you have. He needs more room to move and he needs it now. You can make a 4x4' or a 4x8' enclosure cheaply and easily with a sheet of plywood and some 2x12s. The hardware store will even cut your lumber for you. All you'd have to do is screw it together.

 

[Yvonne G]

...and get it up off the floor. It's cold and drafty down there.

 

[WillTort2]

All good advice. More space, hang the lights, get rid of the hay, and put the enclosure 3 or 4 feet off the floor.

Good luck.

 

[ziggaboogi]

Thanks for the advice everyone. I was planning on making a tort table once I get back in January. I realize the tub is not even half the space he needs but I need to leave him with a friend for two weeks in December so it's only temporary. Will update with a new picture when more improvements are made.