Carleatshandsandflowers
New Member
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!
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!