# Soft shell



## Abberzoo (Jan 12, 2012)

My baby sulcata has a soft bottom shell and is a little soft on the sides. I don't remember it being this way when I got him a few months ago. He is also very sleepy and I rarely see him roaming around. Should I be worried?

-Abby


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## Yvonne G (Jan 12, 2012)

Yes, Abby, I believe you have reason to start worrying. Make sure your UVB light is putting out plenty of the UVB rays. When you have sunny days, get the baby out into the sun. Calcium on every meal.


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## Abberzoo (Jan 12, 2012)

Should I take him to the vet?


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## Yvonne G (Jan 12, 2012)

A trip to the vet never hurts.


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## BrinnANDTorts (Jan 12, 2012)

Sounds to me like he needs lots and lots of UVB. I would get him under a mercury vapor bulb 14 hours a day with the basking temp around 100F and give him calcium with D3 everyday until his shell hardness up and he becomes more active. Powersuns by zoo med are the best I have heard. 

Make sure he stays warm too , I would say to be safe no less than 80F any where in his enclosure. If he becomes to cold he will become inactive. 
Tortoises need D3 vitamin to process their calcium and build strong bones and shells or else they develop MEtabolic Bone Disease which Is very very serious 

Also keep him hydrated. Make sure he has got no less than 80% humidity and your soaking him daily and misting down him and his enclosure lots. Just remember with the humidity levels that high , which they should be in my opinion , he needs to stay above 80 degrees. That's very important 

It's important that with him getting a bunch of UVB under the 100F mercury vapor bulb that he says hydrated 
Also natural sunshine is the best but during the winter a lot of places are just too cold for that


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## Abberzoo (Jan 13, 2012)

Thank you very much!
I Will try all that!


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## BrinnANDTorts (Jan 13, 2012)

Has he become a little more active yet ?


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## auntsusan (Jan 17, 2012)

I took my one year old African leopard tortoise to the vet today due to similar symptoms. My vet advised me that my tortoise most likely has Metabolic Bone Disease. As mentioned, this is caused by insufficient calcium in his diet and/or poor UVB lighting. I left my tortoise with the vet over night to get a radiograph in order to confirm diagnosis, and to begin treatment. He will be placed in the correct lighting, temperature and will need to be force fed because he has not been eating lately. I am pretty worried, but hopeful that he will be able to recuperate. It sounds like your tortoise is more active than mine and better able to bounce back. My guy had been thriving for almost a year. In November I changed his light and added more sand to his bedding material. Soon after that I noticed he became less active and started eating less and less. I first thought he might be hibernating, but after more research this kind of tortoise does not hibernate. I also noticed that his shell seemed softer, and that's when I got pretty worried and took him in for a check up. I am sure that you will be able to bring your tortoise back to good health with the modifications to the food and lighting. Good luck.


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## SulcataSquirt (Jan 17, 2012)

I would be careful with all the D3, id only give that for prolly few weeks then switch back over to regular calcium because if you have him under A good MVB he will be getting plenty of D3 to take care of that calcium.


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