White patches on our hatchling

[stasia]

Our 3 month old tortoise "Chelsea handler" has developed these white patches on top of her head. I've been attempting at researching various tortoise illnesses and the only thing I come across is either a respiratory illness or dehydration.

What makes me suspect a respiratory illness is that Chelsea when she sleeps bobs her head in and out of her she'll, but she has done that since we got her. Further she is reluctant to open up her eyes but again she has done that always.

She eats a diet of berries and various greens. There is a cuttle bone in her tank for calcium.

We keep one side "cool and dry" and the other side has a Lamp that keeps it around 80-90 degrees.

On the warm side we keep this dirt/sand mixture were she tends to hang out when she isn't underneath her tunnel on the "cool" side.

Is there something we are missing for her? Any advice?

 

[crimson_lotus]

His head looks dry, what is your humidity in the enclosure? It should be around 80%, babies need humidity to grow proper and smooth, otherwise their shell will start to get bumpy and pyramid. This particular species requires high humidity even as adults. I can see a bit of your enclosure from the picture - is the top covered at all? Open tops allow the humidity to escape. If you can close it off with tinfoil or something it would keep the humidity in better.

If the warm side has dirt/sand mixture, what does the cool side have? A lot of people really do not like sand as substrate, even in mixes. If your tortoise ever ingests enough and he is dehydrated, the sand can build up in their gut and cause impaction. Some tortoises do die from this. I personally don't think it's beneficial for a humid environment, either.

Do you soak her? Babies should be soaked daily. A major issue in captive tortoises is dehydration and this is a good way to know they're hydrated.

Here's a link for some great general info on the care of Red Foots:

http://www.tortoiselibrary.com/species-information-2/chelonoidis/

I would also add protein to the diet once every 2 weeks to a month.

Do you have a UVB light? Without UVB they can get metabolic bone disease.

 

[Yvonne G]

You don't really need a hot side/cool side with RF tortoises. An overall temp of 80-85F is fine. And the substrate needs to be moist underneath but dry on top. The humidity is kept inside by covering the enclosure.