damaged scutes-brittle

zoey vagner

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hey everyone. im honestly embarrassed coming on here and feel so bad for my little guy. he is 8 years old and an amazing animal. he has his vet on Friday.

his who shell is extremely dry and his scutes have deeper crevices in between some. the marginal scutes near the front have broken off in some parts and this is what brought my attention to it because other than some dryness he hasn't changed eating, personality, exercise, sleeping, etc.

his diet consists of romaine, grass my yard, squash, carrot, some bell pepper (its his favourite D:), flowers from the yard all non-toxic, calcium supplement, etc. He has a heat lamp, and UVB light. He doesnt enjoy soaking so he generally goes in my shower instead but I can manage doing one soak a week (he literally has an attitude against soaking and will find a way out or splash all the water out of the tub...)

his indoor sleeping terrarium is generally the coconut substrate but I ran out and they didnt have it in the store so in the picture its a temporary sand until its mailed to my house tomorrow. I mist his indoor terrarium with water sometimes.

I really want the best for him. maybe some of you can tell me what to expect when I go to the vet or if you have had something similar happen. I want to make sure he has the best care and that the things I am doing are right or wrong so I can change his routine and get him on a better track. hes my only torty child but has his buddy the rabbit (they love playing). I wish I knew what ive known now and didnt get him from a pet store 8 years ago and rescued instead :[

in the picture on the left marg. scute is the rabbits bedding. he tried to go in his cage.... lol

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Yvonne G

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WElcome to the Forum, Zoey!

That chipping just may be from him ramming things.

You can offer temporary lubrication by using coconut oil or vegetable oil, but if you do use a topical, be sure to wipe off the excess after a short period to allow it to absorb.
 

zoey vagner

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WElcome to the Forum, Zoey!

That chipping just may be from him ramming things.

You can offer temporary lubrication by using coconut oil or vegetable oil, but if you do use a topical, be sure to wipe off the excess after a short period to allow it to absorb.
Thank you for replying. The left marginal scute is from ramming but I don't think the right marg scute (one shown here) is from ramming. it almost looks like its peeling off and the scute nearest to it looks to be doing the same. :[

I did apply a little bit of olive oil this morning to moisturize
 

zoey vagner

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Hi Zoey, welcome to the Forum. Which Vet are you going to?

Helfrich at All Pets Hospital

This will be Shilohs first vet visit and now I will be doing every year because if this is something I could have caught earlier, I wish I would've brought him in for regular check ups sooner.. I feel like a horrible torty mom
 

zoey vagner

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hoping other people can hop in and let me know if they've seen this. here is a picture of him a month ago before he decided to ram the right side of himself into a wall lol. its the peeling on the other side that is my concern. this just does not look normal.
 

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zoey vagner

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im beginning to think this is slow burn and now I am freaking out because I am at work until 7pm and cannot turn off the heat lamp or light!!! :[ My family isn't home either/not answering.
 

Dizisdalife

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im beginning to think this is slow burn and now I am freaking out because I am at work until 7pm and cannot turn off the heat lamp or light!!! :[ My family isn't home either/not answering.
I can't tell much from the photo, but it could be slow burn. Not the most typical place for slow burn. Usually the top of the carapace is affected while the lower parts of the shell are okay. It would be a good idea to check all the temps and lighting to make sure.
 

zoey vagner

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I can't tell much from the photo, but it could be slow burn. Not the most typical place for slow burn. Usually the top of the carapace is affected while the lower parts of the shell are okay. It would be a good idea to check all the temps and lighting to make sure.
My grandma is going to my house to turn off the lights/heat until I get home. hes inside today because the gardeners are coming and im not home due to work.. I will be giving him a good soak and putting a little more oil on his shell to moisturize it.
Like you said, its an unusual place for slow burn but his shell has been more brittle this winter with bringing him in at night under the lamp....

Thank you for your reply!
 

zoey vagner

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I cant take a picture enow but heres a better view of the shell and the brittleness im talking about. its just so weird because it didnt begin looking like this until the weekend. and before I just associated the dry looking scutes with just dryness, nothing serious.

again don't mind the sand, temporary because coco substrate was out at the store.
 

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zoey vagner

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today is his big day! I am hoping for a healthy tortoise with a simple solution. He has better insurance than I do, so i'm not too worried :p He loves his rabbit friend so he will be coming along with us.
 

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zoey vagner

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Vet said he has an infection so he is on injectable antibiotics for one month every 72 hours. I leave for Hawaii jan 8-18 so im going to show my dads gf how. he was a fighter and did not like the injection. :[
 

zoey vagner

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the vet also asked if ive ever fed him cat food and I was so confused and asked if that was really thing. unbelievable O_O
but he has a little bit of pyramiding which is odd with his diet so he suggested more humidity.
 

zoey vagner

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Im not very med savvy XD Well the antibiotics have seemed to help. hes eating a lot more his shell is looking brighter, he looks healthier. his follow up is tomorrow and last injection tonight :]
Yeah, and doctors prescribe antibiotics for viral illnesses. Still looks fungal.
 
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