Dry/cracked Baby Sulcata face...

graciemay98

Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2018
Messages
54
Location (City and/or State)
OH
My very young sulcata has been having increasingly dry face 'skin' and now it looks like it's even starting to crack.
Is this normal??? Do tortoises shed or is he just too dry? Help :(

yes our enclosure is open and doesn't recieve very much humidity... we are working our best to create a semi-closed habitat for the little guy. he is very new to my boyfriend and i- we DID get the basic needs covered- but buying all the advanced and specifics are taking time and money at the moment.. we truly do want the best for our forever family member.. [emoji173]️

Heat emitter and Uvb bulb: basking is 95-105, ambient is never below 80. (we are saving up and making room for tube lighting uvb so hopefully this helps his eyes out as he rubs them often)

We soak him daily/every other day for 30-35 minutes.

~Will changing bedding to mainly soil help with keeping humidity? Along with a semi covered top and occasional water spritzing?

IMG_1970.jpg
IMG_1957.jpg
IMG_1855.jpg

IMG_1981.jpg
 

graciemay98

Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2018
Messages
54
Location (City and/or State)
OH
P.S. - the close up sunny photo
of him, he has dried pumpkin on his face- NOT dryness (sorry confusing picture)
-the photo of him sleeping in his basking dish is the most recent and easiest to see his skin. (i will try and attach better photos later today of the cracks)
 

JoesMum

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 26, 2011
Messages
21,606
Location (City and/or State)
Kent, South East England
All creatures shed skin. Snakes do it tidily all on one go. Humans do it in tiny pieces that become house dust. Tortoises do it in patches and look downright tatty at times.

What I can see looks perfectly normal. It requires no treatment or potions. The old skin will rub off as your tort goes about its business.
 

drew54

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 25, 2018
Messages
903
Location (City and/or State)
Indiana
I wouldn't use soil. You don't know what's in it. It looks like you're currently using orchid bark. Is that right? I would also soak twice a day everyday for 30 minutes. Pour a glass of warm water into the substrate and mix with your hands to evenly dampen the substrate. I wouldn't really worry about getting it water logged either. If you do that's okay. You could also use a shower curtain to cover the enclosure to keep humidity up.
 
Top