# Sulcata scute lifting off



## ratridejohnny (Dec 9, 2011)

Hello all. I have a 'good' size Sulcata, 35lbs 23" shell. He has a scute that is lifting, I can slide a playing card about 1/2 to 5/8 under the scute on one end. I cleaned it with antibact' soap, dryed it and packed with triple antibiotic cream. Should I trim/grind the lifted section back to better clean it? Also the scute has a hollow sound when tapping on it, none of the others do. I'm assuming 'shell rot'. Any advice would be appreciated.


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## jaizei (Dec 9, 2011)

Can you post pictures?


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## Laura (Dec 9, 2011)

pictures would help. Are you aware of any incidents of injury? dropped? something fell on him? too close to the heat lamp? 
I would leave it alone for now and let it fall off on its own. do you see blood or any pink area?


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## ascott (Dec 9, 2011)

Welcome to the Forum  The and We LOVE PICS 

Also keep in mind when a a scute comes loose you need to really look over your enclosure area and investigate to make sure the scute was not damaged by external source...also check your uvb exposure and duration...then you have to checklist your tortoise dietary intake.....please DO NOT ACCEPT A VITAMIN A injection as the cure all if you do end up at the vet....

Please share with us your tortoise enclosure information...winter enclosure information....diet..how long have you had him....what do you feed him....what uvb/uva and heat does your tortoise have access to and so on.....


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## Yvonne G (Dec 9, 2011)

Hi ratridejohnny:

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?

The scutes on a tortoise don't come off in the normal swing of things. Normally the scute you see today on the back of a tortoise will be the exact same bit of shell that you see on his back 100 years from now.

The only time scutes lift is because of injury, burn or disease, etc.

Unless its shell rot (which I doubt), if the scute has already partially lifted, there's no reason to worry about medicating it. The bone under neath has died, and the keratin layer has lost its blood supply, that's why it has lifted. Eventually, new karatin will grow under that white, dead bone, the bone will flake off and it will be clean and pretty underneath. But this takes a very, very long time. Sometimes years.

So, you need to figure out what happened so that it doesn't happen again. Was the light too close to his back? Was something dropped on him? 

Also, can we see pictures?


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## dmarcus (Dec 9, 2011)

Nothing more I can add to what has already been said..

Hello and welcome to the forum..


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## ratridejohnny (Dec 9, 2011)

Hello, I'm John and the Sulcata is Sherman. I've had 'Him' about 3 years. Summers in outdoor enclosure. Winters indoors 'free range'. UV A/B flourecent, infra red heat lamp. Grasses in the summer and Timothy hay in the winter. No trauma that I know of. I havn't been 'soaking' him until recently. The shiny in the photos is triple antibiotic.


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## Yvonne G (Dec 9, 2011)

Hi John:

I think Sherman should be looked at by a vet who is familiar with tortoises. Since you know for a fact that he hasn't been burned or injured, then there must be some other reason, like fungus, or something. Antibiotic ointment won't kill fungus, but athlete's foot cream will. But have a vet look at it to see if he can figure out what's going on.


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## ascott (Dec 9, 2011)

I don't know if it is the picture or what? but the tip of that scute appears to have wear mark on it....not like the other scute next to it? Hmmm?

I would agree with Yvonne in the vet visit....however, I would be very attentive when they begin to speak....I would also not allow a Vitamin A injection....if Vitamin A deficiency is diagnosed I would increase the vitamin a through foods and not an injection right away....

You say "free range" indoors....does that mean running a muck at will in the house? This would be a hazard in itself....he could have been caught up in something in your house...he could have turned himself sideways and wedged a bit to get loose between/behind furniture....ANYTHING....I would really make a place somewhere in your home that you can keep him safe....I know that folks think their house is safe....but you are not that close to the ground and are not wiggling into places that your tortoise would....IMHO....I understand letting them get some exercise in your home daily, but would not suggest free range....

I personally think that this was an injury and not a weird thing....however, that is my belief based on what you have here in the pic and also the free range combo....but that is my opinion....

Just a few examples of what a tortoise can get into in a human environment....while some may find fun to watch there is danger we do not encounter that they certainly can....and very little dignity for such beautiful creatures....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=fvwp&v=hKIMM1G93GI&NR=1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YYDjvtKkcw&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MOx5b1eJ9Q&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PxXXF9ZMIaA&feature=related

The last one is the scariest, if you really look around what the tortoise has to live with and have total access to.....just thought I would share...


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## ratridejohnny (Dec 10, 2011)

Thanks for the input, vet appmnt is on the list for Monday.


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