2 month old sulcata hatchling with shell issue

Tortoisemama92

New Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2022
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
Centennial Colorado
Hello! I’m new here!
I’m coming here to see if anyone is able to give me some insight on my small hatchling sulcata, Pete. He’s had no issues since getting him at 2 weeks. He eats great. I have him on calcium with the proper lighting. A couple nights ago when soaking I noticed his shell had a weird spot on the plastron that sort of looked yellowish and his peeling. I have two photos from the day I noticed to now. I have a vet appointment set for Thursday. Couldn’t get in sooner unfortunately. I’m trying to see if I can find anyone who can tell me what this is? I am extremely nervous thinking the worst and can’t find much on anyone else experiencing this. I recently lost my male adult after 25 years. Really don’t want this to be anything fatal for this babe. I’ll attach the photos. If you have any info please help me out. It’ll be much appreciated.

Thank you for reading!
 

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Thomas tortoise

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Joined
Jan 26, 2022
Messages
661
Location (City and/or State)
Arkansas
Hello! I’m new here!
I’m coming here to see if anyone is able to give me some insight on my small hatchling sulcata, Pete. He’s had no issues since getting him at 2 weeks. He eats great. I have him on calcium with the proper lighting. A couple nights ago when soaking I noticed his shell had a weird spot on the plastron that sort of looked yellowish and his peeling. I have two photos from the day I noticed to now. I have a vet appointment set for Thursday. Couldn’t get in sooner unfortunately. I’m trying to see if I can find anyone who can tell me what this is? I am extremely nervous thinking the worst and can’t find much on anyone else experiencing this. I recently lost my male adult after 25 years. Really don’t want this to be anything fatal for this babe. I’ll attach the photos. If you have any info please help me out. It’ll be much appreciated.

Thank you for reading!
Looks like he is just healing up his yolk. Just to make sure ill call some more experienced guys. @wellington @Tom .
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Hello! I’m new here!
I’m coming here to see if anyone is able to give me some insight on my small hatchling sulcata, Pete. He’s had no issues since getting him at 2 weeks. He eats great. I have him on calcium with the proper lighting. A couple nights ago when soaking I noticed his shell had a weird spot on the plastron that sort of looked yellowish and his peeling. I have two photos from the day I noticed to now. I have a vet appointment set for Thursday. Couldn’t get in sooner unfortunately. I’m trying to see if I can find anyone who can tell me what this is? I am extremely nervous thinking the worst and can’t find much on anyone else experiencing this. I recently lost my male adult after 25 years. Really don’t want this to be anything fatal for this babe. I’ll attach the photos. If you have any info please help me out. It’ll be much appreciated.

Thank you for reading!
This baby was not started correctly. Most of them aren't. The smaller orange dot lower down is where the yolk sac was. That should be 100% healed and closed up BEFORE they go in to an enclosure with substrate. The upper portion that is all orange appears to be some sort of nasty shell infection. Sulcatas are not prone to shell rot, but it looks like this little baby got some bad infection going there due to poor husbandry and incorrect conditions. The breeder should not have sold this baby so soon. Way too early, and many mistakes were made. Here is how they should be started:

Housing the baby correctly going forward will be critical to help him fight infection and heal. I see a red bulb and an open top, and the baby looks very dry. This is all bad. We've been housing this species all wrong for decades, and most people still have no clue. Here is the correct care info:

Questions are welcome.
 

Tortoisemama92

New Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2022
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
Centennial Colorado
Looks like he is just healing up his yolk. Just to make sure ill call some more experienced guys. @wellington @Tom .
This is actually a second spot! He had the yolk sak “scar” when I actually got him and that seems to have healed up well. This is more towards the top. And wasn't there until about three days ago. Thank you so much for your replies and tags!!
 

Tortoisemama92

New Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2022
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
Centennial Colorado
This baby was not started correctly. Most of them aren't. The smaller orange dot lower down is where the yolk sac was. That should be 100% healed and closed up BEFORE they go in to an enclosure with substrate. The upper portion that is all orange appears to be some sort of nasty shell infection. Sulcatas are not prone to shell rot, but it looks like this little baby got some bad infection going there due to poor husbandry and incorrect conditions. The breeder should not have sold this baby so soon. Way too early, and many mistakes were made. Here is how they should be started:

Housing the baby correctly going forward will be critical to help him fight infection and heal. I see a red bulb and an open top, and the baby looks very dry. This is all bad. We've been housing this species all wrong for decades, and most people still have no clue. Here is the correct care info:

Questions are welcome.
Wow I feel so horrible. Thank you so so much for all of this info. I am going to get a closed enclosure by tomorrow and fix these issues.

Do you think there’s a chance I am able to fix this? Would the vet be able to give him something for this? Is he able to fight this on his own if I do fix these things?
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
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Joined
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Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
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Do you think there’s a chance I am able to fix this? Would the vet be able to give him something for this? Is he able to fight this on his own if I do fix these things?
I've never had that problem, so I really can't answer.

What substrate are you using? Is it damp? Are you using a red bulb for heat? Are you soaking daily? What is the humidity? What are you feeding?

With these answers, we can help get you on the right track.
 

Tortoisemama92

New Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2022
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
Centennial Colorado
I've never had that problem, so I really can't answer.

What substrate are you using? Is it damp? Are you using a red bulb for heat? Are you soaking daily? What is the humidity? What are you feeding?

With these answers, we can help get you on the right track.
I use cypress mulch. I spray it daily but doesn’t stay super damp because the top is open and I’ve struggled with humidity levels for obvious reasons. I just got a reptile humidifier with the hose to keep is misted in the enclosure. Yes I soak him for about 30 min every other day. I am using the red light, I didn’t know that wasn’t recommended. I feed kale, collard greens, turnip greens, carrot tops mazuri tortoise diet. Looking for cactus to purchase in my area and have struggled with that. It’s winter so I don’t have access to save weeds and fresh grasses so I do offer Timothy hay and orchard grass cut up pretty small for him.
 

Jan A

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Jan 9, 2021
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Location (City and/or State)
Boulder, CO
I use cypress mulch. I spray it daily but doesn’t stay super damp because the top is open and I’ve struggled with humidity levels for obvious reasons. I just got a reptile humidifier with the hose to keep is misted in the enclosure. Yes I soak him for about 30 min every other day. I am using the red light, I didn’t know that wasn’t recommended. I feed kale, collard greens, turnip greens, carrot tops mazuri tortoise diet. Looking for cactus to purchase in my area and have struggled with that. It’s winter so I don’t have access to save weeds and fresh grasses so I do offer Timothy hay and orchard grass cut up pretty small for him.
I'm here in Oklahoma now but spent 40 yrs in Boulder. I really wasn't going to Whole Foods & Sprouts because I didn't get my tort until i moved to Oklahoma.

Since I've moved here, I've seen cactus at Sprouts, as well as raddichio, dandelion tenders, mustard greens, bok choy, all kinds of peppers & squash. Walmart also has many of the same but they're pretty wilted in winter. Walmart always has big aloe vera arms. Whole Foods is too far away for my weekly shopping. I have my fingers crossed that some good farmers' markets are opening in three weeks or so for more finds. Parker has a great farmer"s market downtown, which isn't too far from Centennial.

I have a red foot so i"m always on the lookout for fruit as well. My hubby says we eat a lot better owning a tort. Lol!

Hang in there. Make sure you soak your little guy daily & have a shallow dish sunk into the substrate so he can drink & soak himself in his enclosure. The clay saucers under clay pots work best since they're shallow & not slick.

Good luck with the vet & don't let him give your tort a vitamin shot without getting a VERY good reason because vitamin shots don't cure infections & shots are painful & stressful to the tort. And vets don't always have experience with torts. So write down what the vet tells you. Ask him/her questions, like does he/she personally own a tort.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
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Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I use cypress mulch. I spray it daily but doesn’t stay super damp because the top is open and I’ve struggled with humidity levels for obvious reasons. I just got a reptile humidifier with the hose to keep is misted in the enclosure. Yes I soak him for about 30 min every other day. I am using the red light, I didn’t know that wasn’t recommended. I feed kale, collard greens, turnip greens, carrot tops mazuri tortoise diet. Looking for cactus to purchase in my area and have struggled with that. It’s winter so I don’t have access to save weeds and fresh grasses so I do offer Timothy hay and orchard grass cut up pretty small for him.
Cypress mulch is okay, but I prefer orchid bark.

Spraying the surface is ineffective, as you've seen. Dump water into the substrate to maintain dampness. How much water and how often varies with each enclosure.

You can use the humidifier in the room, but don't blow it directly into the enclosure.

Soak every day until this baby tops 100 grams. After 100 grams, you can start skipping a day occasionally. By 1000 grams, once or twice a week should be enough, but more won't hurt.

There are four elements to heating and lighting:
  1. Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
  2. Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species. In most cases you'd only need day heat for a temperate species like Testudo or DT, as long as your house stays above 60F (15-16C) at night.
  3. Ambient light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in LED bulb types are both fine.
  4. UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. In colder climates, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. I like the 12% HO bulbs from Arcadia. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html A good UV bulb only needs to run for 2-3 hours mid day. You need the basking bulb and the ambient lighting to be on at least 12 hours a day.
Get out of the grocery store and either grow or scavenge more natural foods, when the weather allows. If you must use grocery store foods, favor endive and escarole. Add in arugula, cilantro, all the ones you are already using, and add in amendments. This is all explained in the care sheet.

Hay is for older larger sulcatas. Babies don't eat hay. Use freshly sprouted tender young grass for babies and cut it in to 1-2 inch pieces with scissors.
 

Tortoisemama92

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Joined
Mar 22, 2022
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
Centennial Colorado
I purchased the incandescent bulb, it will be here today. As well as the ceramic heating element. I will be able to get him outside once summer hits here for the UV. I’ll get a meter to double check the UV for now. Working on figuring out a closed chamber of some sort. My question with soaking, if there is and issue with an infection on the plastron could this worsen it or affect it? I know you’ve never dealt with this, just worries me. You have really helped me get some things in order and I’ll be taking all this advice. Thank you so much really.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,265
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I purchased the incandescent bulb, it will be here today. As well as the ceramic heating element. I will be able to get him outside once summer hits here for the UV. I’ll get a meter to double check the UV for now. Working on figuring out a closed chamber of some sort. My question with soaking, if there is and issue with an infection on the plastron could this worsen it or affect it? I know you’ve never dealt with this, just worries me. You have really helped me get some things in order and I’ll be taking all this advice. Thank you so much really.
Dehydration is the number one killer of baby sulcatas. Soaking in clean water should not make this infection worse. Replace the warm water with more clean warm water if the tortoise soils it. You can have two soaking containers, and simply plop the little guy into a fresh tub with clean warm water after he poops in the first one.
 

Tortoisemama92

New Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2022
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
Centennial Colorado
I'm here in Oklahoma now but spent 40 yrs in Boulder. I really wasn't going to Whole Foods & Sprouts because I didn't get my tort until i moved to Oklahoma.

Since I've moved here, I've seen cactus at Sprouts, as well as raddichio, dandelion tenders, mustard greens, bok choy, all kinds of peppers & squash. Walmart also has many of the same but they're pretty wilted in winter. Walmart always has big aloe vera arms. Whole Foods is too far away for my weekly shopping. I have my fingers crossed that some good farmers' markets are opening in three weeks or so for more finds. Parker has a great farmer"s market downtown, which isn't too far from Centennial.

I have a red foot so i"m always on the lookout for fruit as well. My hubby says we eat a lot better owning a tort. Lol!

Hang in there. Make sure you soak your little guy daily & have a shallow dish sunk into the substrate so he can drink & soak himself in his enclosure. The clay saucers under clay pots work best since they're shallow & not slick.

Good luck with the vet & don't let him give your tort a vitamin shot without getting a VERY good reason because vitamin shots don't cure infections & shots are painful & stressful to the tort. And vets don't always have experience with torts. So write down what the vet tells you. Ask him/her questions, like does he/she personally own a tort.
That is such a great idea I am going to check sprouts and Whole Foods over here. I’m sure they will have a lot of good stuff you listed! I’m not sure why I did t think to even look there. You definitely do eat better with a tortoise in the house!

I do have a terra-cotta dish sunken in for his water. And he has access to it at all times! Definitely going to make it a point to soak daily now. Been worried about it with the weird plastron spot!

I am really worried about the vet. Thank you for letting me know about the vitamin shot. I wasn’t aware that that was a thing but I will definitely try to steer away from that. I don’t wanna do anything that is going to stress him out or make the situation worse. The vet I’m going to says that they see tortoises and only a specific one will see them. So I hope they’re knowledgeable and can get him better.

Thank you again for the store suggestions. Can’t wait for spring and the farmers markets. I hope you get one close to you soon for your red foot!!
 

Donna Albu

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May 15, 2014
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123
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Peoria, Maricopa County, AZ
That is such a great idea I am going to check sprouts and Whole Foods over here. I’m sure they will have a lot of good stuff you listed! I’m not sure why I did t think to even look there. You definitely do eat better with a tortoise in the house!

I do have a terra-cotta dish sunken in for his water. And he has access to it at all times! Definitely going to make it a point to soak daily now. Been worried about it with the weird plastron spot!

I am really worried about the vet. Thank you for letting me know about the vitamin shot. I wasn’t aware that that was a thing but I will definitely try to steer away from that. I don’t wanna do anything that is going to stress him out or make the situation worse. The vet I’m going to says that they see tortoises and only a specific one will see them. So I hope they’re knowledgeable and can get him better.

Thank you again for the store suggestions. Can’t wait for spring and the farmers markets. I hope you get one close to you soon for your red foot!!
Maybe I can help a bit? I have lots of cactus in my yard, and could cut some & mail it to you. My torts love it. Let me know if you're interested. It will keep in the refrigerator, just cut it as you use it - don't cut it all up at once.
 

Tortoisemama92

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Joined
Mar 22, 2022
Messages
10
Location (City and/or State)
Centennial Colorado
Maybe I can help a bit? I have lots of cactus in my yard, and could cut some & mail it to you. My torts love it. Let me know if you're interested. It will keep in the refrigerator, just cut it as you use it - don't cut it all up at once.
That is so kind of you!! I would love that so much and I’m sure the little guy will too. I am thinking of seeing if I can find some plants and maybe grow some of my own! I could PayPal you for shipping costs? Really thank you!
 

Lyn W

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23,497
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UK
I purchased the incandescent bulb, it will be here today. As well as the ceramic heating element.
Make sure you run the CHE through a thermostat. It will stop the temps getting too hot and cooking your tort.
 

Thomas tortoise

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Joined
Jan 26, 2022
Messages
661
Location (City and/or State)
Arkansas
I just got a reptile humidifier with the hose to keep is misted in the enclosure.
Is the reptile humidifier A reptile fogger? Some people get these mixed up. A fogger is not recommended for tortoises in fact they usually tell you not to get one. If it is a humidifier then like Tom said. "Don't put it directly into the enclosure. Just run it in the room of the enclosure" (I know those aren't the exact words but close enough! 😄) @Tom if you have anything you would like to correct me on or add anything to this subject then please do!
 

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