Unhealthy shell??? HELP!!!!

[viva]

Almost a week ago, my uncle surprised me by buying me a female Russian tort! He bought her from Petsmart and I understand the problems when it comes to Petsmart so please don't write a super long comment about how idiotic or stupid Petsmart is because that really isn't going to help anything. Anyways, I noticed that my tort has a shell that looks quite unhealthy. She's very happy and does not act odd at all, it is only her shell that has the problem. There are some pictures below. PLEASE help me why explaining what it is and how to fix it! Thank you so much!


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[wellington]

Hello and Welcome. Russians from Pet stores like Petco, petsmart are wild caught sub adults to adults. This may be the reason for the ruff looking shell.
Btw, we have lots of Petco and petsmart Russian owners. Not a problem.

 

[viva]

Hello and Welcome. Russians from Pet stores like Petco, petsmart are wild caught sub adults to adults. This may be the reason for the ruff looking shell.
Btw, we have lots of Petco and petsmart Russian owners. Not a problem.

Thank you!
Is there anyway to help it be smoother? Also, you can see that the corners of her shell that flip up are light and sort of see through. Anything will help, thank you!

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

The shell looks totally normal and healthy for a wild caught russian. Nothing to worry about there.

Need any tips on feeding, temps or housing?

 

[viva]

Hello and welcome to the forum.

The shell looks totally normal and healthy for a wild caught russian. Nothing to worry about there.

Need any tips on feeding, temps or housing?

Thank you!

Okay, good. I was getting worried.
Yes, I have a question about light bulbs. What kind(s) should I buy and where can I buy them?

 

[LisaTurtle]

I have a Petco Russian too his shell is a little bit see thru where it flips up in the back too, I think that is fine. You might try giving her a scrub with a soft tooth brush and warm water and see if she cleans up a little. A super small amount of coconut oil rubbed into the top of her shell will make her shell look nice too

For lighting, right now I'm using the 75w basking bulb from Petco but I switch between that and regular cheap white bulbs (I have a bunch ranging from 50w - 150w) depending on external temps and the temp I need under his basking spot (100 degrees). I would recommend getting a bunch of cheap regular bulbs in different wattages and try them all till you get the right temp. You might need to adjust the height of the bulb over the basking spot too.

 

[WillTort2]

How big is your tort and what is her weight?

The shell looks a little dry. I would suggest soaking her in luke warm water about 1 to 1.5 inches deep for the next week and then twice a week after that.

I also like the coconut oil remedy but rub it into the shell gently and then rub it off with a dry cloth. I've even used olive oil, but just applied to the growth lines between the scutes using a q-tip.

 

[Tom]

If your tortoise is getting regular sunshine, I prefer regular hardware store incandescent 65 watt flood bulbs. If he's going to be indoors and not hibernated all winter, then I would get a mercury vapor bulb. These give you heat light and UV all in one. SOme people prefer to use the 65 watt basking bulb and a long tube style florescent UV bulb.

The pet store will likely try to sell you a coil type, or compact florescent type UV bulb. I strongly recommend against these as some of them burn tortoise eyes.

Just make sure your enclosure has a 95-100 degree basking spot and the rest of the enclosure tapers down to room temp. You do not need night heat with an adult russian unless you live inside a refrigerator. Night temps in the 60s are fine. Add a hide box or two, a nice terra cotta plant saucer sunk into the substrate for drinking water and you will have a decent enclosure and a healthy tortoise.

I also agree that frequent soaks would be a good thing for a while since this guy is brand new to you. Once you see that he drinks regularly on his own after a couple of months, it is usually safe to taper off and soak less.

Here is a site with some good diet info:
http://russiantortoise.net/russiantortoisediet.htm

 

[viva]

I have a Petco Russian too his shell is a little bit see thru where it flips up in the back too, I think that is fine. You might try giving her a scrub with a soft tooth brush and warm water and see if she cleans up a little. A super small amount of coconut oil rubbed into the top of her shell will make her shell look nice too

For lighting, right now I'm using the 75w basking bulb from Petco but I switch between that and regular cheap white bulbs (I have a bunch ranging from 50w - 150w) depending on external temps and the temp I need under his basking spot (100 degrees). I would recommend getting a bunch of cheap regular bulbs in different wattages and try them all till you get the right temp. You might need to adjust the height of the bulb over the basking spot too.

I did that and her shell is looking better already. Thank you so much!

Okay, I will for sure do that. Thank you for the help!

 

[viva]

Thank you everyone. I really appreciate the help!