Sulcata scute lifted up

Khai

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Please tell me what happend with my sulcata. One of the scute partially lifted up, and it has some white line or dots between this scute.
The size of the sulcata is 12 cm.
Thank you

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crimson_lotus

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please take pictures of their enclosure and share - how close is their heat lamp to the tortoises shell?
 

Khai

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please take pictures of their enclosure and share - how close is their heat lamp to the tortoises shell?
I put the sulcata in a box 30cm x 50cm. The distance between heat lamp and the tortoise is about 30 cm

16022004685648693984936122652291.jpg
 

Tom

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That is not a good way to house any tortoise. That would make a nice soaking tub, but its not a place for a tortoise to live.

What type and wattage bulb is in there and what is the temperature under it?

Please give this a read:
 
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zovick

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I don't know, but we'll ask @zovick
Bill, what could this be?
Not quite certain of this one. It may be that the keratin layer is curling upward due to she shell being excessively dry. Another possibility could be that some bacteria has undermined the scute in the seam area and caused an infection which has caused the scute to lift away from the bone. It is hard to tell if there is any infection from the posted photos, however.
 

Khai

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That is not a good way to house any tortoise. That would make a nice soaking tub, but its not a place for a tortoise to live.

What type and wattage bulb is in there and what is the temperature under it?

Please give this a read:
I use UVA light, its 25 watt, the temperature is about 29 C - 32 C (85 F - 90 F)
 

Khai

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That’s how the tortoise always lives or that’s just temporary enclosure for when it’s sick?
It's a place they lives for the past 6 month since I adopt that tortoise. I've been thinking to change the enclosure to a bigger place because they are growing so fast. 6 months ago their size is 6cm, and now 12cm.
 

Tortisedonk7

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It's a place they lives for the past 6 month since I adopt that tortoise. I've been thinking to change the enclosure to a bigger place because they are growing so fast. 6 months ago their size is 6cm, and now 12cm.

That’s so sad! I feel really bad for the tort to live in there.
Not trying to be mean to you, but that is not an acceptable enclosure for a captive tortoise. It needs Proper substrate, places to hide, humidity, and more space to move around.
Please follow that care sheet linked previously, for a happy heathy tort.
 

Khai

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That’s so sad! I feel really bad for the tort to live in there.
Not trying to be mean to you, but that is not an acceptable enclosure for a captive tortoise. It needs Proper substrate, places to hide, humidity, and more space to move around.
Please follow that care sheet linked previously, for a happy heathy tort.
Thank you for the advice
 

Khai

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Not quite certain of this one. It may be that the keratin layer is curling upward due to she shell being excessively dry. Another possibility could be that some bacteria has undermined the scute in the seam area and caused an infection which has caused the scute to lift away from the bone. It is hard to tell if there is any infection from the posted photos, however.
Is there anything i can do to fix that?
 

Tom

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Is there anything i can do to fix that?
You can read that care sheet and make some major changes to this tortoise's housing.

My guess would be that this is being caused by the light and the tortoises inability to get away from it. If you put a digital thermometer directly under the light and let it cook for a couple of hours, what does the temp get up to?

You tortoise needs a large enclosure with substrate, lighting, a water dish, a hide or two, and some decorations.
 

Khai

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You can read that care sheet and make some major changes to this tortoise's housing.

My guess would be that this is being caused by the light and the tortoises inability to get away from it. If you put a digital thermometer directly under the light and let it cook for a couple of hours, what does the temp get up to?

You tortoise needs a large enclosure with substrate, lighting, a water dish, a hide or two, and some decorations.
Thanks for the advice, I will make the enclosure more comfortable for the tortoise.
But, can I do something for that partially lifted scute? Can the scute close again?
 

Maggie3fan

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Not quite certain of this one. It may be that the keratin layer is curling upward due to she shell being excessively dry. Another possibility could be that some bacteria has undermined the scute in the seam area and caused an infection which has caused the scute to lift away from the bone. It is hard to tell if there is any infection from the posted photos, however.
It looks broken off to me
 

zovick

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It looks broken off to me
If you look closely at the scute borders, they appear to be smooth and normal. None of the edges look broken to my eye. It appears more to me that the edges have been forced apart and upward by some force originating underneath them.
 

zovick

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Is there anything i can do to fix that?
Soak the tortoise in lukewarm water daily for 20-30 minutes to keep it well hydrated. You might try putting a bit of mineral oil on the area between the scutes which are raised up with a cotton swab after the soak to keep it from drying out during the day also.
 

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