Weird hole in shell Sulcata
- Thread starter unnaturallycam
- Start date
How long have you had him? When did you first notice it? If I had to guess, it looks like a tooth mark. Any marks on the bottom shell?
unnaturallycam
New Member
I’ve had him for a week now. I noticed just the other day. He has no other marks or knicks on his shell. His bottom is perfectly healthy. I thought it might be a rock in his enclosure, because I saw him messing around with it the other day. He was trying to move it and dig underneath of it. I obviously removed the rock. He has no encounters with any of my dogs. Nor have any of them had an interest in him. I have seen his previous home post with their dogs and tortoises, so I’m not sure.
keilana+flash
New Member
It sounds like this could be an older injury, especially since you mentioned the previous home allowing their dogs around their torts. Does his shell feel soft or spongy at all? I would monitor his behavior and keep track of that knick, I'm not sure how old it could be and it is a bit difficult to tell from the picture, but if it is still healing you should make sure there aren't any signs of infection. Might be a good idea to put a triple antibiotic ointment on it for a few days.
Agreed, sounds like a dog got a hold of the little guy when it was younger and softer. I would keep an eye on the dent, keep it clean and apply Silver Spray to help it heal and avoid infections.
In additional to the hole, this tortoise has been in the wrong conditions and started poorly. Soak him every day for the next couple of years, and house him in a large closed chamber to keep humidity high. More here:
The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...
tortoiseforum.org
unnaturallycam
New Member
His shell feels fine, beside his pyramiding. He’s been eating normally and likes to bask a lot. It appears to be more of a scratch on his shell. Sometimes I wish I could ask him if it hurts and for him to reply, but he doesn’t show any signs of it bothering him.
