Hinge back's shell looks... Dry?

Korall

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image.jpeg So, a few days ago I noticed there was some kind of "powder" on my tortoise's shell (Although it seems like it's a part of the shell since it does not stick or come off onto anything), I just thought it was some kind of dirt so I just cleaned my tortoises' shell and it seemed like it dissepeard.(It was no longer visible although it never seemed like any off it got in the water.

Looking at it now it seems almost a bit "rashy"

Is this just normal shell growth or is the shell dry, or is there something special I need to look out for?

(Keep in mind that it was quite hard to make it show up on picture so you might have to zoom in to see it clearly)

image.jpeg
 

Korall

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Looks dry but could also be a bit of hard water staining.

Maybe, I just find it weird that it seems like a part of my tortoises shell, when it gets wet it looks normal but instantly when it dries up it comes back.

So, i have no idea what it could be myself (Altought its most likely that it's dry as you said) but thanks for the reply!
 

SarahChelonoidis

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Hard water stains behave like that. Try a little bit of vinegar to see if you can get them off. Could just be dry keratin though - some people rub shells down with coconut oil to prevent the shells for looking dry. Either case, you're really just dealing with an aesthetic issue. What relative humidity are you keeping your enclosure at?
 

Korall

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Hard water stains behave like that. Try a little bit of vinegar to see if you can get them off. Could just be dry keratin though - some people rub shells down with coconut oil to prevent the shells for looking dry. Either case, you're really just dealing with an aesthetic issue. What relative humidity are you keeping your enclosure at?

It varies but I try to keep it above 65% (At minimum), last time I checked it was 70%
 

Pearly

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It varies but I try to keep it above 65% (At minimum), last time I checked it was 70%
Mine get those hard water stains too it drives me insane! I like using extra virgin organic coconut oil to rub them down with about once a week after their bath.
 

Pearly

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Mine get those hard water stains too it drives me insane! I like using extra virgin organic coconut oil to rub them down with about once a week after their bath.
Sorry, got interrupted and didn't finish addressing your post. I have kept my humidity at 80-90's% since the beginning, and of course with that the heat is crucial for their health. Mine is 80F away from the lamp and inside their dark cave, where the substrate temp is 79F those themps have been consistent once i got the feel of what wattage bulbs to use different times of year. The thing with humidity in my understanding is: the higher, the better, just make sure that temps do drop below 80F
 

Korall

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Sorry, got interrupted and didn't finish addressing your post. I have kept my humidity at 80-90's% since the beginning, and of course with that the heat is crucial for their health. Mine is 80F away from the lamp and inside their dark cave, where the substrate temp is 79F those themps have been consistent once i got the feel of what wattage bulbs to use different times of year. The thing with humidity in my understanding is: the higher, the better, just make sure that temps do drop below 80F

Yeah, I've been trying to raise humidity in my current terrarium altough it's kind of hard since the top isn't very closed, even when I'm covering it up with some extra foil.
But, I am working on a new enclosure right now, it will have a more closed top that is more desingned for having the bulbs.
It will also be bigger and have plants inside which could also help with humidity and shade.
 

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