Shell flaking up

[blakebeyer]

hi, I have an almost 2 year old red foot with one of her scoots starting to flake up. The substrate is peat moss and Sphagnam under some reptibark to keep the surface dry to prevent any shell rot. I have a repti-sun 10.0 fluorescent lamp for Uv. There is a heat lamp for a basking spot as well as a ceramic heat emitter to heat the rest of the enclosure. There is also humidifier that runs into her enclosure all the time to add humidity. We also have a plexiglass door for the enclosure that only covers about 2/3 of the opening to keep humidity high while still allowing air flow. The enclosure is 4ft by 2.5 ft with a 12”x 30” hide box.

I don’t see any other signs of injury on her or changes in her behavior.

I feed a mix of fresh veggies ( peppers, zucchini, carrots, kale, green beans, mango, apple) with some commercially available tortoise food about 2 parts fruit and veggies 1part tortoise mix. I also occasionally throw freeze dried meal worms and live earth worms in there as well for them to eat. I use a multivitamin dusting on their food every other feeding as well as have a cuddle bone in the tank for her to nibble on.

She is very active and tries to climb the sides of her enclosure when she hears us either come home or get up for the morning so maybe she is catching it on something?

Any advice on what could be causing this/ what to do would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

 

[blakebeyer]

Hi guys!

I never received a response regarding this thread and it seems the flaking went away for a bit. That being said, I noticed some new flaking on my tortoise’s shell and an entire scoot peeled off. I’ve attached a picture. Any help would be super helpful.

 

[ZEROPILOT]

It could be an issue with the type of heating you are using.
Some overhead lights can actually cause localized burning.
Redfoot don't need or want bright lights.
So are you able to have your temperatures in the lower 80s without some of that equipment?
Maybe a strip florescent(I use 5.0 but ax10.0 can take its place at a further distance from the animal) and heat provided by l low wattage CHE.
Other shell issues could be damage caused by a dog or a child, lack of humidity or lack of UVB. But I'm thinking burn damage.
That is just a theory.
How far away is the lamp?
How hot is the enclosures hottest area?

 

[teresaf]

if you keep it humid I don't understand why he's pyramided. Suspect your thermostat or hygrometer is not working correctly. try one that has a remote probe that could be hung inside the enclosure with the mechanism outside away from the wetness. Amazon sells them for about 12 bucks. Keep the humidity up and watching for Shell Rot. As a preventative you might even just smear on an antifungal to be proactive. Check on the search bar above for redfoot shellrot medication...

 

[drew54]

Is that puss coming out of his carapce?

 

[drew54]

Is that puss coming out of his carapce?

Nevermind. My glasses being dirty made it look like it.