Shell rot?

[richardcooke98]

Hi everybody, I’m new to the forum. I have a 10 year old Herman’s tortoise and he has always been pretty healthy, no problems. I have been away for the last couple of months and upon my return I noticed that the shell on the top of the tortoise looks like some sort of shell rot taking place, to the right side of his head and partially behind his head. I have never encountered this and I am just wondering the steps to go forward to ensure my tortoise has the best health and life possible. Thankyou

 

[JoesMum]

Shell rot normally occurs on the plastron (the underside) of your tortoise where it comes into contact with the substrate

That doesn’t look like shell rot to me.

It doesn’t look like new damage either to me.

Damage to the shell is usually caused by heat (is your heat lamp too close and at an angle?) or impact (has it fallen or been dropped?)

Photos of your enclosure and lighting might give us some clues.

 

[zovick]

Hi everybody, I’m new to the forum. I have a 10 year old Herman’s tortoise and he has always been pretty healthy, no problems. I have been away for the last couple of months and upon my return I noticed that the shell on the top of the tortoise looks like some sort of shell rot taking place, to the right side of his head and partially behind his head. I have never encountered this and I am just wondering the steps to go forward to ensure my tortoise has the best health and life possible. Thankyou

It does not look like shell rot. As JoesMum said, shell rot usually occurs on the bottom shell, not the top shell.

Are you sure that won't just wash off with water and a brush? It looks more like dust or dirt than anything else. The front legs have what looks like the same-colored material on them above the elbows and on the outer surfaces of the lower portions above the feet.

 

[Yossarian]

looks like the kind of thing that happens when they fall head first off a ledge and land on something hard. Those leading scutes of the carapace can hit the ground and chip. Mine managed to drop 18 inches once to a tile floor and did the same thing, exposing a little bone.

 

[richardcooke98]

Hi guys thanks for the replies. It’s not dirt I looked closer at it and it seems like it’s the top layer of his shell that has the colour and pattern. It’s as if it’s chipped away. The layer seems very thin but as if more could chip away, I could nearly put my own nail under the fragile part of the damage. I’m not sure whether this is bone below or some part of the shell. He is in a tank with the UV bulb and 80w heat bulb, the tanks usually around 30 degrees. I have included a photo however the bulb is just a temporary one as the last one blew and everywhere is shut.
thanks

 

[JoesMum]

I accept the red lamp is temporary. Red lamps should not be used with tortoises at all.

There ‘s nothing obviously causing the damage in there other than the enclosure is too small for a tortoise of that size. I a, sticking with impact damage from a fall or being dropped. It’s probably been there a while.

Please read this thread and compare it with your setup

The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. What is...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Yossarian]

When bone is exposed like that it will regrow shell over time, starting as a thin layer and getting thicker. Thats what you are seeing I think. I still think it looks like damage from impact or maybe the tort ramming something.