Weird shell discoloration

[Carleatshandsandflowers]

Hello! My rescue Greek tortoise has had some weird discoloration since I had my parents look after him for a few months. The temps all seem normal, and I haven’t changed anything regarding lights. He was in the same enclosure while at my parents house but he definitely had a change in the environment, and I’m not sure how often they checked his light temps. I made sure temps were good when I visited at least twice a month and everything was consistent. They had a little less humidity than I had him at my place for the first month until I had them spray his enclosure down every few days, so he had a few dry weeks while he was adjusting but other than that seemingly no problems. His basking light is 13” above him, and under at floor level, it is 98 degrees on average, give or take maybe a degree on colder days or when it’s warmer. He’s indoors so temp is pretty steady year round with slight fluctuations but nothing drastic. His enclosure is made up of 2 store bought zoo med tortoise enclosures that I combined into one larger enclosure so he has plenty of space, about 6’x2.5’. I use a 75watt zoo med brand basking lamp in 2 separate spots, he has a super nice hide log with low temps around 68-70 degrees at the lowest.
I can’t seem to find any info online. I think it’s also important to note that he was a rescue that was wild caught and smuggled here illegally (not by me, obviously). He has missing toes and feet due to inhumane neglectful conditions that caused some of his toes to essentially slowly rot off. Poor guy had a hell of a time. He also had several damaged scutes and his shell has drastically improved since I first got him until this weird coloration. It started a while ago (about a year ago) and hasn’t changed much (no spreading or anything). The rest of his shell has grown healthy and more vibrant over the last few years that I’ve had him, but those few scutes have always looked a bit funky. Last year the vet told me it’s most likely just healing from whatever nastiness he dealt with previously so I haven’t done much but monitor it and his temp and humidity levels. Is his lamp too hot or cold? Im concerned it may be burning his shell? It may just be that his shell is still healing from his rough past but i would love a second opinion.
He is healthy to all other accounts. Active, bright eyed and a good eater. He sometimes won’t drink enough water so I usually put his food near his water dish and dampen it, as well as soaking him about once a week with some light washing with a soft bristle brush on all sides of his shell. He often gets a little bit of feces stuck under his shell so I make sure to check for that regularly and clean it with warm water and a soft wash cloth only, lightly towel drying after.
I just want to make sure my baby is as happy as possible.
Thanks in advance!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

I think that's a thermal burn from an overhead light.
Maybe the temperature under the light is higher than you think.
How are you measuring the temperature?

 

[Carleatshandsandflowers]

I think that's a thermal burn from an overhead light.
Maybe the temperature under the light is higher than you think.
How are you measuring the temperature?

I use a spot temp. I believe it’s zoo med brand as well. I can definitely double check with a new thermometer and see if I get a different read. It doesn’t seem to cause him any discomfort and he spends a lot of time napping under it, but nothing too excessive time-wise. He usually stays under for an hour or two and then moves around to get some exercise. That seems like a fairly normal time frame, right?

 

[Tom]

I use a spot temp. I believe it’s zoo med brand as well. I can definitely double check with a new thermometer and see if I get a different read. It doesn’t seem to cause him any discomfort and he spends a lot of time napping under it, but nothing too excessive time-wise. He usually stays under for an hour or two and then moves around to get some exercise. That seems like a fairly normal time frame, right?

Spot bulbs should;d never be used. They concentrate too much desiccating IR-A into too small an area. You need flood bulbs.

Check the temp by laying a digital thermometer on its back directly under the bulb at tortoise shell height and letting it cook for at least an hour.

6x2.5 feet is too small for a tortoise this size. He needs more space. Minimum 4x8, but larger is better.

More here:

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[Carleatshandsandflowers]

Spot bulbs should;d never be used. They concentrate too much desiccating IR-A into too small an area. You need flood bulbs.

Check the temp by laying a digital thermometer on its back directly under the bulb at tortoise shell height and letting it cook for at least an hour.

6x2.5 feet is too small for a tortoise this size. He needs more space. Minimum 4x8, but larger is better.

More here:

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...

tortoiseforum.org

We did some tests and discovered that the issue was in fact, the spot lamp. I had no idea they were so much more intense. The thermometer I had wasn’t reading correctly so I tested with another thermometer and it came out to 120 degrees!!! I’m shocked and horrified. I’ve had him for 4 years and never had the issue until I switched his light. I didn’t realize it was a spot lamp and I feel just horrible! He’s had this light brand and source for over 6 months but didn’t know my thermometer was defective…😭 We are getting him a flood lamp immediately and going to the vet in a few days. Does anyone know anything I can do to help keep him comfortable while we wait on the vet?

 

[Mrs.Jennifer]

Just out of curiosity, why are you going to the vet? If you are fixing the situation, I’m not sure a vet is necessary. Am I wrong @Yvonne G or @Tom?

 

[Tom]

Just out of curiosity, why are you going to the vet? If you are fixing the situation, I’m not sure a vet is necessary. Am I wrong @Yvonne G or @Tom?

I don't think you are wrong. Most vets do more harm than good in my experience.

 

[Carleatshandsandflowers]

Just out of curiosity, why are you going to the vet? If you are fixing the situation, I’m not sure a vet is necessary. Am I wrong @Yvonne G or @Tom?

I don’t feel confident in my ability to assess the situation myself, since I’ve never dealt with thermal burns. I have no idea what the extent of the damage is or what to do about it, so I figured I could see a vet to get that info. I’ve been painstakingly Researching the topic since I discovered the issue and I’m not really seeing much info on what to do if your reptile has thermal burns. I’ve had snakes and torts for 5+ years now and haven’t yet encountered this problem. I’m usually super on top of checking the temp but didn’t realize my thermometer is reading everything incredibly low. My other babies are ok and their temps are good, but Carl is the only one using a spot lamp and is the only one with burns. He also has a separate thermometer and humidity
gage, and that was the only one malfunctioning. I feel so awful. He’s a rescue and his shell took over 4 years to heal from his previous home. Unfortunately, he was so neglected that some of his feet and toes rotted off from infection. Also was housed with other torts before I had him so many cracks and bite wounds that are finally healed up. The poor guy has been through so much and I just want to make sure he’s ok. I have a decent vet for my exotics, but he doesn’t seem as familiar with tortoises since last time I took him in about this same issue, he just kind of shrugged it off saying it could be a weird part of the healing process. He’s been great with helping me rehabilitate him and super informative up until this issue. I just kept feeling like something was wrong, so I figured I’d ask the group. I’m glad I did and double checked everything. I’m regards to enclosure size, He has an outdoor enclosure as well that is 6’x8’ when it’s not cold out that he uses most of the year, so his indoor one is slightly smaller (6’x3’). We have been considering adding a 3 rd zoomed enclosure to give him some more room indoors. I am hoping that will have also reduced the severity of the burn, as he’s only been under his indoor lamps since the beginning of November.
Does that mean the burns should in theory, heal on their own? I’ve already switched his light out with floodlight and temps are back to normal. Got him a new temp gage as well since the old one was obviously failing.

 

[Mrs.Jennifer]

I don’t feel confident in my ability to assess the situation myself, since I’ve never dealt with thermal burns. I have no idea what the extent of the damage is or what to do about it, so I figured I could see a vet to get that info. I’ve been painstakingly Researching the topic since I discovered the issue and I’m not really seeing much info on what to do if your reptile has thermal burns. I’ve had snakes and torts for 5+ years now and haven’t yet encountered this problem. I’m usually super on top of checking the temp but didn’t realize my thermometer is reading everything incredibly low. My other babies are ok and their temps are good, but Carl is the only one using a spot lamp and is the only one with burns. He also has a separate thermometer and humidity
gage, and that was the only one malfunctioning. I feel so awful. He’s a rescue and his shell took over 4 years to heal from his previous home. Unfortunately, he was so neglected that some of his feet and toes rotted off from infection. Also was housed with other torts before I had him so many cracks and bite wounds that are finally healed up. The poor guy has been through so much and I just want to make sure he’s ok. I have a decent vet for my exotics, but he doesn’t seem as familiar with tortoises since last time I took him in about this same issue, he just kind of shrugged it off saying it could be a weird part of the healing process. He’s been great with helping me rehabilitate him and super informative up until this issue. I just kept feeling like something was wrong, so I figured I’d ask the group. I’m glad I did and double checked everything. I’m regards to enclosure size, He has an outdoor enclosure as well that is 6’x8’ when it’s not cold out that he uses most of the year, so his indoor one is slightly smaller (6’x3’). We have been considering adding a 3 rd zoomed enclosure to give him some more room indoors. I am hoping that will have also reduced the severity of the burn, as he’s only been under his indoor lamps since the beginning of November.
Does that mean the burns should in theory, heal on their own? I’ve already switched his light out with floodlight and temps are back to normal. Got him a new temp gage as well since the old one was obviously failing.

Oh my goodness! First, you need to hear that you are doing a GREAT job! I see that you are doing everything you can to improve Carl‘s life. However, whatever damage to his carapace, a vet will not be able to change that. Spend your time and resources in other ways. As many here have learned, fixing the husbandry is 99% of the game.

 

[Carleatshandsandflowers]

Oh my goodness! First, you need to hear that you are doing a GREAT job! I see that you are doing everything you can to improve Carl‘s life. However, whatever damage to his carapace, a vet will not be able to change that. Spend your time and resources in other ways. As many here have learned, fixing the husbandry is 99% of the game.

 

[Carleatshandsandflowers]

Thank you so much @Mrs.Jennifer! I really do love him and want the absolute best for him. He’s my baby 💙 And thanks everyone on your recommendations . I can already tell he is feeling more comfortable basking.

 

[TammyJ]

Can you post some more pictures of him from other angles please? What size is he? Is it really a male?