# Red Footed Dry Spot On Head



## Carny (Nov 11, 2017)

Hi my tortoise has a dry spot on his head and where his legs meet his body hes pretty skinny i feed him Dandelion Greens, Green Lettuce, Romaine Lettuce, Sometimes Tomato, Yellow Squash, Green Squash, Green Bean and then for fruit i feed him PineApple, Mango, Kiwi, Apple with no seeds sometimes, Pear and thats it im pretty limited at my local store but i add new things to his diet pretty often i have had him for about 3 months hes 4 to 5 years old i bought him from some people that rescued him and then didnt take really good care of him he didnt have very much warmth and his diet wasnt even relatively good all they were feeding him was tomato green lettuce and cat food so not very good but hes really active im gonna be building a tortoise table within a week to get rid of the aquarium and i keep the temp at about 80 on one side to 86 on the other i keep the humidity at about 70 and mix around his substate once a day im just worried about the dry spot [he had it when i got him] and his skinny legs when it goes up to meet the body is that normal for the legs to be like i feed him quite a bit is it lack in vitamins calcium protein diet? im just not sure thanks for any response also how should i clean his shell in the cracks cuz hes kinda dirty.


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## ZEROPILOT (Nov 11, 2017)

I don't see anything that alarms me in the photos and they're kind of blurry.
What are you using for a UV source?
Is he kept indoors or out?
Do you give him soaks?


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## Carny (Nov 11, 2017)

i use uvb and 80 watt reptile night lights its kept about 83 at night in the enclosure and yes i give him soaks i apoloigize for the blurry photos he was moving while i was trying to take them and yes hes indoors


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## JoesMum (Nov 12, 2017)

Your tortoise is probably just shedding skin. They do it in patches and look pretty scruffy at times. 

This is an older tort, so the shell is never going to be perfectly smooth an shiny. Soaking your tort in warm water and for a good 20 minutes and gentle use of a nail brush should shift most dirt. 

These tortoises need high humidity and steady warmth day and night... and complete darkness at night. 

Can we see photos of your enclosure and lighting to see if there are any improvements we recommend?

This is a great care sheet for this species
http://tortoiselibrary.com/species-information-2/chelonoidis/


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