Chipped plastron? Is he healthy?

[TortoiseAndTheLagomorph]

Hi. Today a bit of my Russian tortoise’s plastron chipped/flaked off. He has also been shedding some head scales and skin around his neck (I know the skin shedding is normal.) Is the rest normal? It seems to not be, from what I’ve read. How do I fix it if it’s not?

He also sometimes quickly jerks his head a bit, but only once in a while. I haven’t been able to find any information on this, as it doesn’t seem to resemble head bobbing. Does anyone know what this is and if it’s an issue?

I have only had him for a week and I’ve been soaking him daily, so I don’t think I caused any of these issues, but I want to make sure. He has been active (though he likes to burrow a lot), has a massive appetite, and poops regularly.

He was sold to me as a captive born Russian from a local non-chain pet store, but I’m starting to doubt this based on his shell damage, and the fact that they couldn’t give me much information on him. Does he look like he may have been wild caught?

And while I’m here, from reading online, I believe my little guy is a male. Could anyone give me a second opinion on this?

Pictures:

 

[Yvonne G]

He might have had a bit of shell rot in the past. Just keep an eye on that spot and make sure it's not growing. Does it smell? Keep him on fairly dry substrate for a while just to be sure it's not rot. You can also dab on a bit of athlete's foot cream.

Yes, it's a male, and I really doubt he's captive bred.

 

[TammyJ]

How is he being housed and fed? Can we see his enclosure and can you tell us what substrate he is on, and his temps and humidity levels, etc?

 

[TortoiseAndTheLagomorph]

How is he being housed and fed? Can we see his enclosure and can you tell us what substrate he is on, and his temps and humidity levels, etc?

This is his enclosure. It is a 5’ by 2’ tortoise table, but I’m planning on building him him something at least a 10’ by 5’ outdoor enclosure (is that too big?) for when it gets warmer, as I have an unused half acre that it would would fit in as a back border.

His substrate is cypress mulch on top of eco earth, though the big hide box has 100% eco earth (with Timothy hay on top.) The top of all the substrate is dry, but it gets a bit damper as you go down.

The big hide is a “dry” hide, and the plastic log hide is “humid” and has moistened cypress and pillow moss in it.

The basking temperature is 100 degrees, the ambient day room temperature ranges from 70-75 degrees, and night temperatures never drop below 68 degrees (all in Fahrenheit.) I do now know humidity levels as I had read that you didn’t need to worry about it if you have a humid hide and damp substrate to dig in. If this is wrong I can buy a humidity gauge.

Right now he eats a mix of spring mix, collard greens, red leaf lettuce, dandelion greens and romaine lettuce. No fruits or sugary vegetables (though the pet store fed him those things.) I also bought the Zoo Med grassland tortoise food, but he has shown no interest in it, though he loves his greens. I put his greens out at around 6:55 AM, if that matters. I plan on starting to grow my own weeds for him soon. I also have a cuttle bone in there for him, and he has Timothy hay in his larger hiding area.

I soak him every day but I try to keep handling to a minimum.

If I’m doing anything wrong I’d really like to know, as I tried to do thorough research and I honestly just want what’s best for the little guy.

Also, a side note, for anyone concerned about the rabbit cage visible in my photo (I don’t think anyone would be but I would be if I saw it), my rabbit hasn’t been in that cage for over 2 years (I used it for a month) and she now free roams my room and uses a litter box. My mom just won’t let me throw the thing out, even though I’d never let Alice (the bunny) use it again.

 

[TortoiseAndTheLagomorph]

The bulb is a SolarGlo MVB.

 

[Sa Ga]

Cute!!! ❤❤❤

I agree...he doesn't look captive-bred. Plus he's so large, I doubt they would have kept him that long and would have sold him younger.

Torts do shed their scutes (the little "tiles" on their shell) and the color underneath is not always the same. (My Russian has gotten lighter as her retained scutes from past poor care have started wearing off.) He may have just lost part of the scute as a part of natural shedding.

Note, humidity matters A LOT. (My mistake when I first got Morla was thinking it didn't matter.) Russians do come from a more arid area, BUT they will spend a LOT of time underground, where humidity can be as night as 70%. They need this to stay hydrated and shed properly.

You have a humidity hide which is great. Just monitor to be sure he's using it enough (and not at the expense of getting enough UVB). If he looks dried out (skin is flaky looking, shell feels dry, not supple), consider misting at least part of his table and keeping it at 50-60% humidity or more.