Hi everyone,

I recently noticed that my Russian tortoise has ripples on the outer edges of his shell. His shell was smooth in the past. Is that a problem??? I have posted some pictures for you to look at. Please let me know soon because I am worried that it might be bad. I had him outside in a nice habitat, now I have moved him indoors because it is getting really cold. I bought him a UV B light and a basking bulb. He still has a pretty good appetite and eats a wide variety of green leaves. I don't give him any supplements though. It is very hard to find here in Kazakhstan. Do you think I need them? could that be the reason his shell is this way? Please reply as soon as you can. Thanks

This post was last modified: 10-08-2007 11:49 PM by jimmynm26.

Oh, one more thing.
Fred loves to dig! his front nails are now worn out. Will they grow back? They are still there but much shorter than before.

Hi there, the nails will naturally break so far from the tip and then re-grow when he doestn dig as much.

The ripples on the shell are new growth so i think, are they soft? are they peeling?
if so then it could be shell rot, that means VET ASAP.

Also, that substrate must be changed.
Saw dust, shavings, woodchips, pellets and similar stuff are bad.
Use a 50/50 mixture of soil and playsand.
Or bed-a-beast is fine.

If not then aspen or hemp.