Shell Growth/Spreading Issues

[Landrysdad]

Hello Everyone. I am new to the forum and am glad to see there is such a great resource. I have a female Sulcata that is about 3 years old. she is doing fine, acting normal and eating normally as well. I noticed yesterday that on the segmented joints on her shell, they seem to be spreading faster than her shell can grow. the areas were not necessarily raw, but didn't look completely normal. I noticed one spot that looked like maybe there was some dry blood. I can take some pictures and post this evening, but I just wanted to know if anyone out there had experienced this.

 

[katieandiggy]

Hi welcome, there is tons of knowledge on this forum, and I’m sure someone will have the answer. Pictures will be really helpful when you can post.

Tell us about your set up, where is your sully kept, substrate, lighting/heating set up? What kind of bulbs are you using/ what wattage? How often do you soak?
What do you feed?

 

[Landrysdad]

So my current set up is a 2' X 4' square enclosure and is set up with dividers that form an "S" shape. One end has a 100W basking light and heating pad. Middle section is for food and water, last section is an enclosed house. In the house I keep green moss and throughout the rest of the enclosure I have wood chips. Diet has remained the same consisting of spring mix greens, Tortoise Diet by all living things (pet smart) and occasional fresh fruit. I take her outside for a few hours a day where she grazes on grass in the back yard and gets some more natural light. I can post pictures of the enclosure this evening as well.

 

[katieandiggy]

Ok what are your temperature in your enclosure?
Basking?
Ambient?
Night heat?

Please post pictures when you can.


@Tom @Yvonne G can you help?

 

[Tom]

So my current set up is a 2' X 4' square enclosure and is set up with dividers that form an "S" shape. One end has a 100W basking light and heating pad. Middle section is for food and water, last section is an enclosed house. In the house I keep green moss and throughout the rest of the enclosure I have wood chips. Diet has remained the same consisting of spring mix greens, Tortoise Diet by all living things (pet smart) and occasional fresh fruit. I take her outside for a few hours a day where she grazes on grass in the back yard and gets some more natural light. I can post pictures of the enclosure this evening as well.

Hello and welcome.

A 2x4' enclosure is okay for starting a baby, but much too small for a three year old. At three years old they should be 20-30 pounds and living outside. I'm guessing yours is smaller than that. We will help you sort things out. Pics of the growth area you are asking about and of the enclosure will get us started.

Here is some care info for you. These will explain what needs to change and why:
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/
https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/for-those-who-have-a-young-sulcata.76744/

 

[Landrysdad]

Here is a close up of the shell issue that I'm concerned about.

To answer the above questions. I dont know what the temp is in the enclosure i keep her in but she has always seemed happy.

 

[Yvonne G]

It's very important for the keeper to provide what the tortoise needs, the most important of which is the correct temperature. It looks to me as if you have burned his new growth by having the light too close to his shell.

 

[katieandiggy]

Landrysdad please stay around, we can help you make changes for the best For your tortoise.

Some pics of your enclosure would be good. As Tom said 2 x4 is way too small but there are some great cheap ideas on here to make it bigger. Plus depending on where you are, your tortoise could be living outside full time by now, we can help with that too.

 

[Yvonne G]

I forgot to mention that Sulcatas should not be fed fresh or any kind of fruit. When fed fruit it causes a parasite bloom.

 

[Landrysdad]

Thank you everyone for your input. Here is a picture of the enclosure she has had since we got her. Now that its warming up here in Dallas TX, she spends about 5 +/- hours outside every day. I started on her outdoor enclosure a few weeks ago so she will soon be outside full time.

 

[Landrysdad]

Was there any more input that anyone wanted to share?

 

[Yvonne G]

Nope - burned new growth is what it looks like to me.

 

[katieandiggy]

Thank you everyone for your input. Here is a picture of the enclosure she has had since we got her. Now that its warming up here in Dallas TX, she spends about 5 +/- hours outside every day. I started on her outdoor enclosure a few weeks ago so she will soon be outside full time.

View attachment 271798

I know some people take this bad... but your enclosure is to small really for a tortoise that size.
Your tortoise could live outside full time now with a heated night box. Tom has a great thread on here you just search for heated night box.
The other thing is, you need to ensure your temperatures are correct otherwise you end up with problems like the burnt carapace. You could invest in an IR temp gun from amazon they are about 12 dollars.
What kind of stuff do you feed? Can’t remember if you told us that?

Please read the threads on how to raise a healthy sulcata, it will tell you all you need to know. It’s been written by people on here with decades of experience in keeping them.

 

[katieandiggy]

Just read back. Sulcatas are grass eaters. Spring mix should only form a small Part of their diet, fruit is also a no no. I honestly think your sulcata would do best now in an enclosure outside, grazing on grass with natural sunlight. You can make the box fairly easily and heat it at night and lock her away.

 

[Landrysdad]

Thanks for the input. I have been working on her outdoor area and she will be moving out there in the next week or two. All that's left is some fencing to separate her from the dogs. I don't want to have any issues with that. There is grass in her area that is 5' by 20' but I will be planting some as well.

 

[katieandiggy]

Thanks for the input. I have been working on her outdoor area and she will be moving out there in the next week or two. All that's left is some fencing to separate her from the dogs. I don't want to have any issues with that. There is grass in her area that is 5' by 20' but I will be planting some as well.

That’s great I’m sure she will thrive out there. Just be careful with your lamp, you may need to raise it up a bit higher until you get a reading of around 35-37c
I’ll try and post you a list of all of the great foods/weeds and plants, you may find you have some already growing.

Edit:

Here is Toms list


Mulberry leaves
Grape vine leaves
Hibiscus leaves
African hibiscus leaves
Blue hibiscus leaves
Rose of Sharon leaves
Rose leaves
Geraniums
Gazanias
Lavatera
Pansies
Petunias
Hostas
Honeysuckle
Cape honeysuckle
Leaves and blooms from any squash plant, like pumpkin, cucumber, summer squash, etc...
Young spineless opuntia cactus pads

Weeds:
There are soooooooo many...
Dandelion
Mallow
Filaree
Smooth Sow thistle
Prickly Sow thistle
Milk thistle
Goat head weed
Cats ear
Nettles
Trefoil
Wild onion
Wild mustard
Wild Garlic
Clovers
Broadleaf plantain
Narrow leaf plantain
Chick weed
Hawksbit
Hensbit
Hawksbeard

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings.

Since the carapace does look damaged by probably your heat bulb, make sure it’s still not inflicting damage. Id take your tort, give it a nice soak in warm water, gently clean out the wound(s)/bloody areas between the scutes. Then apply an ointment -
If you do need a topical antibiotic, silver sulfadiazine (Silvadene) is great but requires a prescription. It is cheap and comes in a jar, so keep this handy in your medicine chest. Another good over-the-counter option for an uncomplicated burn is to use Polysporin or Neosporin ointment.

Keep the area clean. Apply ointment every few days as needed. You don’t want this area to get infected.

Lastly, get making a larger enclosure! Get an IR temp gun. No fruit! Make sure you soak.

Good luck, happy torting.