How can i fix this?

[abdo]

I just saw these cracks in the first picture, and the second picture looks like the shell is peeling?
I got them three days ago and when i focused on the pictures of when i first got them all of these was there
So is it ok and will be healed on its own? Or is there anything i should do?
Note:
The pet store didn’t have the repti calcium so i still don’t have a calcium source

 

[abdo]

I just saw these cracks in the first picture, and the second picture looks like the shell is peeling?
I got them three days ago and when i focused on the pictures of when i first got them all of these was there
So is it ok and will be healed on its own? Or is there anything i should do?
Note:
The pet store didn’t have the repti calcium so i still don’t have a calcium source

 

[abdo]

I just saw these cracks in the first picture, and the second picture looks like the shell is peeling?
I got them three days ago and when i focused on the pictures of when i first got them all of these was there
So is it ok and will be healed on its own? Or is there anything i should do?
Note:
The pet store didn’t have the repti calcium so i still don’t have a calcium source

@Tom @Littleredfootbigredheart @Alex and the Redfoot

 

[Yvonne G]

Nothing needs to be done. Just set him up in an enclosure with a decent amount of humidity and the correct lighting and heat and give him a good 15 or 20 minute soak daily.

 

[Tom]

In addition to what Yvonne said, you can rub a little bit of cold pressed coconut oil into the seems between the scutes and that will help too. Use a rag or a paper towel to wipe off the excess. It won't hurt anything if you leaves gobs of it on, its just more messy that way.

The main things are to use a safe damp substrate, try to keep humidity up a bit, don't use the wrong bulbs that cause more desiccation, and soak frequently. I prefer to soak for 30-40 minutes each day, but Yvonne's recommendation of 15-20 is certainly adequate too. Having a humid hide or two available will also help simulate the naturally more humid areas they would find to hide in the wild.

 

[abdo]

In addition to what Yvonne said, you can rub a little bit of cold pressed coconut oil into the seems between the scutes and that will help too. Use a rag or a paper towel to wipe off the excess. It won't hurt anything if you leaves gobs of it on, its just more messy that way.

The main things are to use a safe damp substrate, try to keep humidity up a bit, don't use the wrong bulbs that cause more desiccation, and soak frequently. I prefer to soak for 30-40 minutes each day, but Yvonne's recommendation of 15-20 is certainly adequate too. Having a humid hide or two available will also help simulate the naturally more humid areas they would find to hide in the wild.

The tortoise is 4-5 months old, and the humidity in the enclosure is 97%+ most of the time, i try to open the doors every now and then to reduce it to around 85%, because i feel that its too high, but it immediately goes back to 97%+, looks like the water dish is the reason, since when i soak them i dump the water out and clean the dish but i refill after they finish soaking, and in that time the humidity is around 85%.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

The tortoise is 4-5 months old, and the humidity in the enclosure is 97%+ most of the time, i try to open the doors every now and then to reduce it to around 85%, because i feel that its too high, but it immediately goes back to 97%+, looks like the water dish is the reason, since when i soak them i dump the water out and clean the dish but i refill after they finish soaking, and in that time the humidity is around 85%.

That humidity is fine for a baby so long as your temperatures are okyou’ll find you have a gradient in there, so hides will be more humid and under the bulbs will be much lower, I wouldn’t worry

 

[abdo]

That humidity is fine for a baby so long as your temperatures are okyou’ll find you have a gradient in there, so hides will be more humid and under the bulbs will be much lower, I wouldn’t worry

What about the food, should i put it as it is? Or cut it to bite sizes?
Also my tortoises doesn’t eat the mulberry leaves unless i don’t give them any other thing and they even doesn’t finish it, but when i give them the romaine lettuce the finish it immediately, same goes with coriander.

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

What about the food, should i put it as it is? Or cut it to bite sizes?
Also my tortoises doesn’t eat the mulberry leaves unless i don’t give them any other thing and they even doesn’t finish it, but when i give them the romaine lettuce the finish it immediately, same goes with coriander.

It’s up to you, sometimes cutting things up seems to encourage them if they’re being a bit fussy, but they would eat whole leaves in the wild so it’s not 100% necessary, you can give it a trythat’s ok, they all have there preferences, but do keep persevering with different things, they’re stubborn by nature but will eventually take to new foods if you keep offering them bit by bit

 

[Tom]

What about the food, should i put it as it is? Or cut it to bite sizes?
Also my tortoises doesn’t eat the mulberry leaves unless i don’t give them any other thing and they even doesn’t finish it, but when i give them the romaine lettuce the finish it immediately, same goes with coriander.

Can we see a picture of the enclosure?

What type of heat lamp are you using? What are the temperatures in the enclosure?

About the food: Get a single small mulberry leaf and chop it in to tiny pieces with scissors. Really chop it up good. Then get a knife and mince it up even finer. Using the same knife and cutting board, mince up a couple of romaine leaves. Then spray a little water on the pile, add a tiny pinch of calcium, and mix the minced mulberry leaf with the minced lettuce thoroughly. Do this same sort of thing to add in any new food.

I don't think this tortoise is 4-5 months old. Looks more like 4-5 years old at least. How long have you had it? Did the seller tell you the age?

 

[abdo]

Can we see a picture of the enclosure?

What type of heat lamp are you using? What are the temperatures in the enclosure?

About the food: Get a single small mulberry leaf and chop it in to tiny pieces with scissors. Really chop it up good. Then get a knife and mince it up even finer. Using the same knife and cutting board, mince up a couple of romaine leaves. Then spray a little water on the pile, add a tiny pinch of calcium, and mix the minced mulberry leaf with the minced lettuce thoroughly. Do this same sort of thing to add in any new food.

I don't think this tortoise is 4-5 months old. Looks more like 4-5 years old at least. How long have you had it? Did the seller tell you the age?

Everything i got for the enclosure was after asking here in the forum in a previous thread, also I don’t think that it’s 4-5 years old at all because it’s still really small and the seller had one much bigger, of course i had it for only a week by now, it’s a golden greek so it shouldn’t be that small in the age of 4-5 years, and lastly for the food concern the petshop didn’t have the calcium powder and they said it will be available in monday or tuesday, can you give me a photo showing what is the correct amount of calcium powder i should put?

 

[Tom]

Everything i got for the enclosure was after asking here in the forum in a previous thread, also I don’t think that it’s 4-5 years old at all because it’s still really small and the seller had one much bigger, of course i had it for only a week by now, it’s a golden greek so it shouldn’t be that small in the age of 4-5 years, and lastly for the food concern the petshop didn’t have the calcium powder and they said it will be available in monday or tuesday, can you give me a photo showing what is the correct amount of calcium powder i should put?

The size of the tortoise has nothing to do with its age. If it was fed and cared for optimally, it could reach that size in a year. If it was fed and cared for poorly, or wild caught, it could be more than 10 years old at that size. This tortoise is at least several year old. Also, males tend to be smaller than females in some species.

You need a proper humid hide. Open flower pots on their side are not great hides. It would also be good to put some boulders, logs and a potted plant or two in there for hiding spots. You also need a flat rock under the basking lamp.

I don't have a picture for the calcium, but if you just pinch a tiny bit between your thumb and forefinger, that will be enough, but not too much. Mix it in well so there isn't visible calcium sitting on top of the pile of food.

 

[abdo]

The size of the tortoise has nothing to do with its age. If it was fed and cared for optimally, it could reach that size in a year. If it was fed and cared for poorly, or wild caught, it could be more than 10 years old at that size. This tortoise is at least several year old. Also, males tend to be smaller than females in some species.

You need a proper humid hide. Open flower pots on their side are not great hides. It would also be good to put some boulders, logs and a potted plant or two in there for hiding spots. You also need a flat rock under the basking lamp.

I don't have a picture for the calcium, but if you just pinch a tiny bit between your thumb and forefinger, that will be enough, but not too much. Mix it in well so there isn't visible calcium sitting on top of the pile of food.

I don’t think that there is any chance for a fully grown golden greek to be only 7.5 cm, is there?
Also i should add calcium powder every other day, right?
And for adding new food should i mince the food for the first time adding new food only? Or do it a couple of times?

 

[144 Grandpa Turtle]

I just saw these cracks in the first picture, and the second picture looks like the shell is peeling?
I got them three days ago and when i focused on the pictures of when i first got them all of these was there
So is it ok and will be healed on its own? Or is there anything i should do?
Note:
The pet store didn’t have the repti calcium so i still don’t have a calcium source

Try This and It Don't Cost Anything

 

[Tom]

I don’t think that there is any chance for a fully grown golden greek to be only 7.5 cm, is there?
Also i should add calcium powder every other day, right?
And for adding new food should i mince the food for the first time adding new food only? Or do it a couple of times?

Who said it was fully grown? They grow at vastly different rates depending on the care they receive. The size of the tortoise has little to do with its age. That's all I'm saying. I have seen 10 year old sulcaas that were 6 inches. Because they were 10 years old does not mean they were fully grown.

There is no need for calcium more than twice a week in most circumstances. Too much too often can cause problems.

You mince the food every time and gradually increase the ratio of new food to old favorite food over a period of weeks or months until the tortoise begins to accept the new food.

 

[abdo]

Who said it was fully grown? They grow at vastly different rates depending on the care they receive. The size of the tortoise has little to do with its age. That's all I'm saying. I have seen 10 year old sulcaas that were 6 inches. Because they were 10 years old does not mean they were fully grown.

There is no need for calcium more than twice a week in most circumstances. Too much too often can cause problems.

You mince the food every time and gradually increase the ratio of new food to old favorite food over a period of weeks or months until the tortoise begins to accept the new food.

How can i be 100% sure of its age?
And if they are not fully grown and 4-5 years old, should i keep the humidity 90%+? Or should i maintain it under 80%?

 

[Tom]

How can i be 100% sure of its age?
And if they are not fully grown and 4-5 years old, should i keep the humidity 90%+? Or should i maintain it under 80%?

You can't know the exact age unless you know the hatch date.

Humidity around 80% is fine for any age. Having a couple of humid hides is a good idea too. In most cases, Testudo species don't need high humidity at this age. Given the rough growth and the conditions that this one has been in, the higher humidity will help the new growth to come in smoother. Higher humidity also helps them stay hydrated which has many health benefits.

 

[abdo]

You can't know the exact age unless you know the hatch date.

Humidity around 80% is fine for any age. Having a couple of humid hides is a good idea too. In most cases, Testudo species don't need high humidity at this age. Given the rough growth and the conditions that this one has been in, the higher humidity will help the new growth to come in smoother. Higher humidity also helps them stay hydrated which has many health benefits.

Will he grow as fast as if he was less than 1 year old? Or will he grow slowly?

Also is this burrowing safe? I saw him burrow a couple of times before but he wasn’t like this, he was half burrowed and most of his shell was outside

31.4 MB file on MEGA

mega.nz

 

[Tom]

There is no way to predict the growth rate. Way too many variables. We could make an educated guess if we knew more about his history, but without that info, there is really no way to tell.

It's normal for them to dig down into the substrate to hide out. It creates a beneficial humid microclimate around them. Just don't let him stay that way for days. Make sure it's not too hot or too cold in the enclosure. Make sure you are using all the correct bulbs so that he isn't trying to hide away from the wrong type of UV or other lighting.

 

[abdo]

There is no way to predict the growth rate. Way too many variables. We could make an educated guess if we knew more about his history, but without that info, there is really no way to tell.

It's normal for them to dig down into the substrate to hide out. It creates a beneficial humid microclimate around them. Just don't let him stay that way for days. Make sure it's not too hot or too cold in the enclosure. Make sure you are using all the correct bulbs so that he isn't trying to hide away from the wrong type of UV or other lighting.

Should i keep him burrowed if i want to soak him? Or should i take him out and soak him?