does this shell look normal?

denice

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This is vladamir, my sons turtle. He does not have a huge house, but it is very clean. He is fed every day, spring mix and once a week or two my son takes grassland tortise food, wets it it, then mixes it with the spring mix, sprinkles calcium power and feeds this. He has a cuttle bone and he is soaked once every 2 weeks for about 10 minutes. His poops are firm and dark green. My son does not put water in his living space. Just lately we noticed these lines in his shell look different and wider gaps with a lighter color and we do not know if this is from him growing, or something is wrong. Can someone advise. Thank you.

upload_2017-11-19_19-49-47.png
 

wellington

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They are growth lines. Water needs to be available 24/7 large clay saucer for him to get into. He also needs a minimum of a 4x8 foot enclosure or his growing/muscles/etc will suffer. Better variety of diet is also needed. Proper housing, diet, temps etc all very important for growth and health.
 

JoesMum

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Hello and welcome.

It’s a common misconception that tortoises need to be kept dry.

I recommend that you both read the TFO care guides and compare them with your setup

They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some breeders and vets too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Russian Tortoise Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
 

TammyJ

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How long have you had him?
I think he must have water in a shallow pool, available all the time.
What is that substrate?
 

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