Dog/fox attack!

[*Amber*]

Ok, so I aquired this adorable little tortoise today. He has unfortunately been attacked by a dog or fox, and has a few tooth marks on the top and underneath his shell. It has bled a little, but doesn't look too bad to me. He was found in a ladies garden, and I knocked on a few doors, and nobody knew where he'd come from. I have washed the small wounds with luke warm sea salt in water. He has eaten and seems lively. Please forgive me, I don't know a great deal about tortoises, but he is small and as he's injured, I'm guessing he must not hibernate. He has a long tail, so think he's a he. I am taking him to the vet tomorrow, so they can scan him to see if he has a microchip. I have improvised today, and he's in a large wire top rabbit cage in my living room with a heat lamp for warmth. I understand they need UV etc. Also, do they need nutrobal like lizards? He has had cucumber, celery, clover and dandelions. He has a shallow dish of water. I'm panicking, as I've had so many animals including other reptiles, but not tortoises! Any advice will be greatly appreciated! Many thanks!
This pic isn't that clear, but I don't want to wake him! You can see some of his wounds, they're not too deep.

 

[blafiriravt]

try and gather the following things:
Cypress mulch, top soil (preferably organic), plastic flower pots (or a cheap/free similar hide box).

Mix 75/25 Cypress mulch and top soil. This will provide the humidity that will (hopefully) prevent further pyramiding. Make a hot end, about 90 degrees F (about 32 Celsius). And a cool end, from 70F (21C) to 77F(25C). I divided my enclosure to be half and half. I have a ZooMed Powersun 100W bulb. It acts as a heatbulb, UVA, and UVB all in one. Real nice. I also use a ceramic heat emitter at night in place of that sun bulb. Make sure that he has a nice humid hide box on the cool end where he can get away from things. What you are feeding was pretty much spot on, although I will help dig up some other suggestions on the forum. Soak him every other day or 2 to 3 times a week for about 10 minutes or so, for cleaning, and hydration. Calcium is a big thing with torts, as with other reptiles. A nice calcium powder sprinkled on food every couple feedings should do the trick.

---

Oh, under "Enclosures" I have a thread listed "Finally, my somewhat setup enclosure" You can kind of see what I did. I am also the keeper of a Hermann's as of tomorrow, and gathered a lot of info from my breeder and the people here on the forum, so maybe it can kind of give you an idea of what to shoot for. There are also a ton of peeps on here willing to give advice if you need more.

 

[*Amber*]

Thank you so much for this info! It's much apreciated! I've been trying to read up tortoise stuff since I've had him! So you think his raised shell segments are caused from lack of humidity? Bless him, he's very sweet, but I am worrying about getting things right! It's now almost 1am here, so I really must go to bed and read more in the morning! Many thanks for your help!

 

[blafiriravt]

Lol! Well sleep well! I do hope things go well. And yes, it is generally said that a lack of humidity can cause the pyramiding. Also, either too much food, not enough calcium, not enough fiber or too much protein can cause it, meaning when you get him on a more structured diet, with proper humidity levels, and lower the stress factor a little bit, good cause it to stop. I don't think the shell will ever really fix itself, but it will continue to grow smooth again. I know Hermann's like a bit more humidity than mos, especially when they are young. A nice humid hide box should be plenty mixed with the enclosure posted above. Keep us posted