Weird patch on shell

[mysweettortieboy]

Hey guys! My best tort bud here has been with me a couple of weeks. I recently started noticing these weird 'patches' on his shell as you can see in the photo. Is this something serious or just a normal part of shell growth? He's active, seems healthy, has got his lamp on daily for 12 hours and I am adding supplements to his food every 2 days. The only thing is, he refuses to eat anything but lettuce. I have tried feeding him many other things (even other dark leafy greens) with no success. Could this be the issue? Any advice on how to change it? Thanks!

 

[wellington]

Don't see anything you could be talking about. The shell is pyramided some but otherwise looks fine.
The diet though, you can not keep feeding just lettuce.
Find any weeds and flowers that are tortoise safe along with better store greens and chop them up small along with some lettuce. Spritz with water. Daily add less and less lettuce and more of the better stuff. Do this until he eats everything. You have to stay with it, it's your job as a pet owner to do it right. There is not much nutrition in just lettuce

 

[EricW]

Are you referring to these spots?

 

[mysweettortieboy]

Are you referring to these spots?
View attachment 357715

Hi Eric! Yes these ones. They're all over his shell. Especially along the scutes

 

[EricW]

Usually tortoises do not sleep in ones hands. All three pictures are of the tortoise sleeping. It is concerning in my opinion. I do not know what those spots are, but usually linked to husbandry care.

How is the tortoise being kept? Enclosure size, type of enclosure, type of lights, temperatures, humidity, substrate, etc. The diet will also need to improve.

Please also review the following.

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

 

[Sarah2020]

Shell, beak and claws are made of calcium and these blemishes do appear and disappear as the tortoise grows. Your aiming for slow smooth growth and yours has lots if steps potentially pyramiding,

I would read care sheets ensure the light, heat, calcium, hydration and humidity are good etc... I recommend regular shallow warm water soaks in a high sided container this aids hydration.

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...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Krista S]

The marks you’re seeing are 100% normal and expected. Definitely no need to be worries. One of the most experienced members on the forum here taught me (when I had the same concern) that she believes it to be calcium working its way through new keratin. We can’t say for certain if that’s true, but it seems to make sense since these marks are usually only visible in young, growing torts. The marks can appear as squiggles, circles or anything in between. If you do a search on the forum for “squiggles” or “white squiggles” you’ll see endless examples of this. My tortoise is nearly full grown now and all of his squiggly marks have gone away.

 

[mysweettortieboy]

Don't see anything you could be talking about. The shell is pyramided some but otherwise looks fine.
The diet though, you can not keep feeding just lettuce.
Find any weeds and flowers that are tortoise safe along with better store greens and chop them up small along with some lettuce. Spritz with water. Daily add less and less lettuce and more of the better stuff. Do this until he eats everything. You have to stay with it, it's your job as a pet owner to do it right. There is not much nutrition in just lettuce

Hi Wellington! Thank you for your reply. Yes, you are absolutely right. He's my precious little guy and I'd be crushed if anything were to happen to him. Hence why I took others advice to join tortoise forum and learn how to better take care of Tortie. Forgive me if I sound ignorant, I really need some help with this. I actually come from a very small island and recently moved to a big city and I'm not so sure how to get these specific plants and weeds, especially with the language barrier. Just for reference, I am currently living in Dubai. How can one get these plants? Do you normally go to a florist or do they sell them in supermarkets? And what store greens do you recommend? I'm constantly checking the tortoise table whenever I go to different grocery stores and cannot find anything that's given the green light so I buy whatever mix I get. Still he refuses to eat it even when mixed with lettuce. I've tried all the fruits I can get (safe ones ofc) and he still won't eat anything. It breaks my heart seeing him like this so I end up giving him some lettuce anyway so he doesn't starve. Should I be a little more stern and keep on giving him the same thing even if he refuses to eat it? I'm thinking eventually he might give up once he's really hungry and give it a try. The supplement I am giving him is a grass and herb mix which photos I will attach along with this post.

 

[mysweettortieboy]

Don't see anything you could be talking about. The shell is pyramided some but otherwise looks fine.
The diet though, you can not keep feeding just lettuce.
Find any weeds and flowers that are tortoise safe along with better store greens and chop them up small along with some lettuce. Spritz with water. Daily add less and less lettuce and more of the better stuff. Do this until he eats everything. You have to stay with it, it's your job as a pet owner to do it right. There is not much nutrition in just lettuce

Hi Wellington! Thank you for your reply. Yes, you are absolutely right. He's my precious little guy and I'd be crushed if anything were to happen to him. Hence why I took others advice to join tortoise forum and learn how to better take care of Tortie. Forgive me if I sound ignorant, I really need some help with this. I actually come from a very small island and recently moved to a big city and I'm not so sure how to get these specific plants and weeds, especially with the language barrier. Just for reference, I am currently living in Dubai. How can one get these plants? Do you normally go to a florist or do they sell them in supermarkets? And what store greens do you recommend? I'm constantly checking the tortoise table whenever I go to different grocery stores and cannot find anything that's given the green light so I buy whatever mix I get. Still he refuses to eat it even when mixed with lettuce. I've tried all the fruits I can get (safe ones ofc) and he still won't eat anything. It breaks my heart seeing him like this so I end up giving him some lettuce anyway so he doesn't starve. Should I be a little more stern and keep on giving him the same thing even if he refuses to eat it? I'm thinking eventually he might give up once he's really hungry and give it a try. The supplement I am giving him is a grass and herb mix which photos I will attach along with this post.

These are the supplements. And yes I always spritz with a little bit of water.

 

[mysweettortieboy]

These are the supplements. And yes I always spritz with a little bit of water.

Usually tortoises do not sleep in ones hands. All three pictures are of the tortoise sleeping. It is concerning in my opinion. I do not know what those spots are, but usually linked to husbandry care.

How is the tortoise being kept? Enclosure size, type of enclosure, type of lights, temperatures, humidity, substrate, etc. The diet will also need to improve.

Please also review the following.

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

www.tortoiseforum.org

Thanks for the reply Eric. And I really appreciate the link! I didn't know that sleeping in my hands could be a bad sign for my tort. It's actually only happened twice so far and I'm constantly taking pictures of him. It just happens that these ones show those weird marks better. The one in the tissue was after a power cut when he had just woken up, so I was just cuddling and keeping him warm until I could turn his lamp back on. I tried it again after he had just woken up to see if he would react the same and kind of show off to my partner and he did, but then I never did it again. I always assumed he loved being picked up for rubs (which I don't do all the time btw) as he never hides in his shell or try to get away. Rather, he will just chill there with me on my chest and look around while I'm giving him rubs until he's ready to be put back down. Often after his soak, I'll let him sit on his towel to dry for a bit while I rub his shell a little so he can feel safe and warm while he dries. I feel like we have a very special bond. He's a very social guy and doesn't mind being handled at all, but then again, if you feel I am doing this wrong, please let me know 🙏 Like I keep saying, he's really my sweet little dude (or dudette) and he makes me so happy. I always look forward to see him when I get home from work and talk to him about my day and I guess it's the same for him as he'll scramble to come my way when he hears my voice. Although I'm sure it's for food haha. I'd be crushed if he was not doing good in any way. He's really my tiny best friend.

 

[mysweettortieboy]

Here's a photo I took of him just now. This is only a temporary enclosure that I made myself as we will be moving out soon. I let him out from time to time so he can roam around the house and get more exercise. His substrate is a mix of loose coconut fibre and pine burk which I mist at least 3 times daily and I bought the special UVB-UVA light from the pet store which is about 45 cm above him. I only turn it on 12 hours per day. I plan on getting him a cuttlebone this week so hopefully he can use that as well for calcium supplement. What do you think? Constructive criticism is much appreciated.

 

[mysweettortieboy]

Shell, beak and claws are made of calcium and these blemishes do appear and disappear as the tortoise grows. Your aiming for slow smooth growth and yours has lots if steps potentially pyramiding,

I would read care sheets ensure the light, heat, calcium, hydration and humidity are good etc... I recommend regular shallow warm water soaks in a high sided container this aids hydration.

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...

tortoiseforum.org

Hi Sarah! Thank you for your reply. I notice that he doesn't drink much water so I give him daily soaks for hydration. As for pyramiding, how can you tell this is starting to be an issue? I keep and eye on his shell since I got him to make sure it hasn't changed. Does this suggest a calcium deficiency? The photos attached are what his shell looked like when I first got him from the pet store. Can you see any major differences that I may be missing out or could this be due to neglect from the pet store before I got him. And how can I make it better? Thanks!

 

[mysweettortieboy]

The marks you’re seeing are 100% normal and expected. Definitely no need to be worries. One of the most experienced members on the forum here taught me (when I had the same concern) that she believes it to be calcium working its way through new keratin. We can’t say for certain if that’s true, but it seems to make sense since these marks are usually only visible in young, growing torts. The marks can appear as squiggles, circles or anything in between. If you do a search on the forum for “squiggles” or “white squiggles” you’ll see endless examples of this. My tortoise is nearly full grown now and all of his squiggly marks have gone away.

Thank you Krista ❤️ Your reply has made me feel a little better about this issue. I just pray it goes away soon and doesn't turn into anything serious. When I first got him, I was not expecting this level of care but boy was I surprised. However, Im constantly reading up on tort care and how to ameliorate his life so he can be a very happy tort. He has been acting pretty normal and is active so that's always a good sign at least.

 

[Tom]

Thank you Krista ❤️ Your reply has made me feel a little better about this issue. I just pray it goes away soon and doesn't turn into anything serious. When I first got him, I was not expecting this level of care but boy was I surprised. However, Im constantly reading up on tort care and how to ameliorate his life so he can be a very happy tort. He has been acting pretty normal and is active so that's always a good sign at least.

I agree with Krista that the squiggly lines are totally normal, expected, and harmless, and that no one seems to know what it is.

You probably have a mercury vapor bulb. That is likely causing the pyramiding, along with the open top. Your tortoise needs a closed chamber with more humidity. Don't delay. Every single day that pyramiding gets a little bit worse, and it cannot be undone. All you can do is stop it from getting worse by correcting the causes.

In the thread that Sarah lined for you is all sorts of good info, and look for the temperate species care sheet toward the bottom. All of your feeding questions are answered there. More questions are welcome!