# turning black



## alex20 (Dec 2, 2015)

Hi, Sorry if I post in the wrong place but we are new to the forum and are in a panic right now.... We have had a Russian Tortoise for about 3 weeks now and he seemed to be doing great. He is very friendly and seemed very healthy. We have been feeding him a very well balanced diet and have started giving him soaks 2-3 times a week. Today we came home and found that he is turning black! His under shell is very black and the rest of him is lighter black, both on the skin and shell. Could this be something we feed him or not enough water???? He is out and doing his nightly walk and soak, he ate all his food today and seems in great spirits (for a turtle). His stool is a little soft but no more than he has been having. When we first got him he was secreting a white cottage cheese substance but that has stopped. I tried to find a vet with turtle knowledge but had no luck, we are hopeful someone can please tell us what to do for our little guy, we have grown attached to him very quickly,,,thanks in advance for any help and support.


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## Prairie Mom (Dec 2, 2015)

If I were you, I would post good clear photos. Hopefully someone can give you some insight into what is going on.


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## leigti (Dec 2, 2015)

Can you post some pictures? What kind of substrate are you using?


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## wellington (Dec 2, 2015)

Hello and welcome. The white cottage cheese as you called it is urates, normal as long as it's like tooth paste. Gritty means under hydrated. The color change could be normal, but a picture is the only way we can tell. Be sure he has water 24/7 that is easy for him to get into and give a soak couple times a week, unless it was a hatchling, then soak daily.


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## alex20 (Dec 2, 2015)

He is soaking now and seems fine, I want to let him soak a few more minutes than we will get some pictures....asap thanks for all the quick responses


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## alex20 (Dec 2, 2015)

I hope these help


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## leigti (Dec 2, 2015)

Looks like a normal colored Russian to me. What color was he before?

this is my Russian.


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## alex20 (Dec 2, 2015)

leigti said:


> Looks like a normal colored Russian to me. What color was he before?
> View attachment 157562
> this is my Russian.


He was lighter like yours, now he is really black. It happened overnight, maybe something in his diet- we hope.


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## Yvonne G (Dec 2, 2015)

Hi Alex, and welcome to the Forum!

Your tortoise is just fine. I think you are mis-remembering. He's looking perfectly normal.


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## alex20 (Dec 2, 2015)

Maybe being over cautious, but as you can see he was much lighter before..... thanks for all the feedback. We will be exploring this site more, we love it! Thanks


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## SarahChelonoidis (Dec 2, 2015)

Had you been away for a little while?

Do you have more 'before' photos or at least two photos we can compare from the same angle?


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## wellington (Dec 2, 2015)

Looks fine to me too.


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## alex20 (Dec 2, 2015)

alex20 said:


> Maybe being over cautious, but as you can see he was much lighter before..... thanks for all the feedback. We will be exploring this site more, we love it! Thanks




This was before, he was much lighter and yellow... he seems fine so hopefully all is well....Thanks


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## leigti (Dec 2, 2015)

Were the lighter growth lines wider when you got him? Those can change based on a rate of growth. Also, their color can change gradually over time. The right kind of lighting and hydration can make a difference. I don't know of any way it could change overnight. Did somebody swap out your tortoise? I am only half kidding. We would have to see two pictures from the same angle before and after to have an idea.


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## martaemha (Dec 3, 2015)

Hi, The tort seems perfectly healthy Maybe the conditions you provided for him are so good that he regained his natural pigmentation. And I am not kidding on this one, I have seen dozens of russian torts turn darker during summer in their outside enclosures when they had access to sun. This often happened as they were reaching maturity though. Oh, and you probably have Testudo horsfieldii rustamovi or Testudo horsfieldi baluchiorum ( horsfield's subspecies) - they tend to be darker.
For comparison take a look at the picture below. Yes, these two are both russian torts, just different subspecies.


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