# Shell Crack!!



## _emf (Apr 26, 2022)

Hello! Shelly was getting her soak today when i noticed some weird marks on her shell. It looks like her skin is showing, sorry I don’t know how else to describe it. If anyone can please help me figure out what this is or if its hurting her, how can i help her? She has been growing a lot for the past couple of months. Is this normal?
I’ve attached pictures of her (in general) and the marks.


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## zolasmum (Apr 26, 2022)

I think they might just be growth lines, especially since you say she is growing. That's the way tortoises shells expand as they grow. Her shell looks nice and smooth otherwise. 
Angie


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## Thomas tortoise (Apr 26, 2022)

zolasmum said:


> I think they might just be growth lines, especially since you say she is growing. That's the way tortoises shells expand as they grow. Her shell looks nice and smooth otherwise.
> Angie


There looks like blood. I dont think growth lines bleed. @Tom ?


_emf said:


> Hello! Shelly was getting her soak today when i noticed some weird marks on her shell. It looks like her skin is showing, sorry I don’t know how else to describe it. If anyone can please help me figure out what this is or if its hurting her, how can i help her? She has been growing a lot for the past couple of months. Is this normal?
> I’ve attached pictures of her (in general) and the marks.


Is there anything in the enclosure that would scratch her shell?


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## _emf (Apr 26, 2022)

_emf said:


> Hello! Shelly was getting her soak today when i noticed some weird marks on her shell. It looks like her skin is showing, sorry I don’t know how else to describe it. If anyone can please help me figure out what this is or if its hurting her, how can i help her? She has been growing a lot for the past couple of months. Is this normal?
> I’ve attached pictures of her (in general) and the marks.


Updated pictures after her soak.


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## Maro2Bear (Apr 26, 2022)

I would say it’s a combination of two things - brand new growth between scutes is tender & it looks like this area is then being rubbed against an enclosure/nightbox entrance or against a rock or rock. 

We had this happen to our Sully years ago. A tender area between scutes got rubbed on a wooden gate - it then appeared to ooze a bit. We put neosporin on for a few days & it was all better. (And i fixed the gate).


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## _emf (Apr 26, 2022)

zolasmum said:


> I think they might just be growth lines, especially since you say she is growing. That's the way tortoises shells expand as they grow. Her shell looks nice and smooth otherwise.
> Angie





Thomas tortoise said:


> There looks like blood. I dont think growth lines bleed. @Tom ?
> 
> Is there anything in the enclosure that would scratch her shell?





Thomas tortoise said:


> There looks like blood. I dont think growth lines bleed. @Tom ?
> 
> Is there anything in the enclosure that would scratch her shell?



No, nothing in her enclosure that can scratch her shell. But this did spark a thought, she has been digging under a planter. Perhaps thats it? I’ll remove the planter just incase


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## _emf (Apr 26, 2022)

Maro2Bear said:


> I would say it’s a combination of two things - brand new growth between scutes is tender & it looks like this area is then being rubbed against an enclosure/nightbox entrance or against a rock or rock.
> 
> We had this happen to our Sully years ago. A tender area between scutes got rubbed on a wooden gate - it then appeared to ooze a bit. We put neosporin on for a few days & it was all better. (And i fixed the gate).


She has been digging under a planter that’s pretty solid, thats the only thing i can think of. She doesn’t have anything in her inclosure that can scratch her. 
Thank you! I’ll begin to put Neosporin on it.


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## TammyJ (Apr 26, 2022)

_emf said:


> No, nothing in her enclosure that can scratch her shell. But this did spark a thought, she has been digging under a planter. Perhaps thats it? I’ll remove the planter just incase


Your tortoise is absolutely beautiful. If you move the planter, does she have an alternative hide or burrow? Can we see some pictures of her enclosure?


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## Tom (Apr 26, 2022)

_emf said:


> Hello! Shelly was getting her soak today when i noticed some weird marks on her shell. It looks like her skin is showing, sorry I don’t know how else to describe it. If anyone can please help me figure out what this is or if its hurting her, how can i help her? She has been growing a lot for the past couple of months. Is this normal?
> I’ve attached pictures of her (in general) and the marks.


That is typical of how the growth looks in dry SoCal. Soak often and do your best to keep humidity high in the night box. Keep the ground damp when possible and use sprinklers and misters in hotter weather frequently.


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## _emf (Apr 26, 2022)

TammyJ said:


> Your tortoise is absolutely beautiful. If you move the planter, does she have an alternative hide or burrow? Can we see some pictures of her enclosure?



Thank you. We bought our house 2 years ago and are still in the process of updating the yard. She just digs under the planter. Here are come pictures of the enclosure. We put something over it since it rained a couple days ago. The lamp also doesn’t hang that low, when I open it it dropped.


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## _emf (Apr 26, 2022)

Tom said:


> That is typical of how the growth looks in dry SoCal. Soak often and do your best to keep humidity high in the night box. Keep the ground damp when possible and use sprinklers and misters in hotter weather frequently.



Thank you Tom.


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## Tom (Apr 27, 2022)

_emf said:


> Thank you. We bought our house 2 years ago and are still in the process of updating the yard. She just digs under the planter. Here are come pictures of the enclosure. We put something over it since it rained a couple days ago. The lamp also doesn’t hang that low, when I open it it dropped.


My first attempts at night boxes were similar looking to yours. Time to learn and improve. Heat lamps are ineffective for large tortoises. If you keep using them, you will do damage to the carapace. Also, the night box needs to be sealed and insulted for your heating elements to work effectively. Here are two examples of night boxes for you, with two different heating strategies:






Double Door Night Box


As the years have gone by and I build more of these boxes, I learn more and more each time. This one is the latest and I incorporated everything I've learned over the years. I also tried to take lots of pics so I can explain in more detail some of what is going on. It will take multiple posts to...




tortoiseforum.org










Single Tortoise Night Box


I like my larger tortoises to live outside full time. My climate permits this year round with a little help. For people who live where it snows all winter, this type of box is still good for warmer weather, getting them out earlier in Spring, and keeping them out a bit later into fall. You'll...




tortoiseforum.org


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## _emf (Apr 28, 2022)

Tom said:


> My first attempts at night boxes were similar looking to yours. Time to learn and improve. Heat lamps are ineffective for large tortoises. If you keep using them, you will do damage to the carapace. Also, the night box needs to be sealed and insulted for your heating elements to work effectively. Here are two examples of night boxes for you, with two different heating strategies:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Thank you Tom! I sent the links to my husband, we’ll definitely be working on a new enclosure this weekend!


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## Tom (Apr 28, 2022)

_emf said:


> Thank you Tom! I sent the links to my husband, we’ll definitely be working on a new enclosure this weekend!


Questions are welcome. Here are two additional threads that should help with the build:





Here is the 4x8 rendering of Tom's Night Box. With Exploded view.


This is a rendering I did based off of @Tom 's heated night box enclosure. Its probably not a 100% accurate. Door is offset to one side for my personal needs but can easily be moved. Let me know if you see any issues with it. Feed back appreciated. High res renderings can be downloaded here...




tortoiseforum.org










What You'll Need to Build A Night Box


I just typed up a list of the needed supplies to build a night box and thought I'd copy paste it here: For sulcatas, I make the doors 26x16". This will fit all but the largest of large males for their entire life. If you end up with one of the giants, you will eventually have to make another...




tortoiseforum.org


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