Dry face cracking

[Srodriguez]

Hello,

I am very new to the forum and a first time tortoise owner. I recently started caring for what I think is an AZ desert tortoise but I’m not exactly sure. Im also still not sure if it is a male or female but I’ve been calling em Enoch. I’ve been caring for Enoch for a month now and everything has been great. I have a hollow dish for em to soak in whenever ( I still soak them in warm water every other day) as well as a mister that I turn on and off periodically to keep the humidity at 40% bc I read that is the ideal humidity for desert tortoises. I have a uvb lamp and basking lamp that keeps the temp at 85 F. 3 days ago I started noticing some skin flakes coming off around her chin and neck. I read that they shed skin so I wasn’t very worried. Well, yesterday when I took a look at em, the entire face looked like it was flaking. I increased the humidity Bc I was worried It was way too dry in there. She still looks dry today but not as flaky. I would like to know if this looks like normal shedding for tortoises? Also, would anyone recommend putting something on it like olive oil, coconut oil, vita-shell(could this be used on the face or just the shell?), or avocado oil? If this is not what normal shedding looks like I plan to take Enoch to a reptile vet ASAP. I’m concerned. The first 2 photos are from yesterday and the last photo is from this morning.

 

[Tom]

Hello and welcome. That is not a desert tortoise. You have a sulcata. Get ready for a 100 pound monster that will destroy your yard. The leg scales and the lack of a nuchal scute give it away. Color too.

The care for the two species is quite different. The primary difference being that sulcatas need warm temps 24/7 and high humidity. Both can burrow in summer, but neither can be left underground in the fall.

The face looks too dry, but still within "normal" parameters. The frequent soaks have likely saved this tortoises life.

Here is the correct care info for your tortoise:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome. We are happy to help you with your new charge.

 

[Srodriguez]

Hello and welcome. That is not a desert tortoise. You have a sulcata. Get ready for a 100 pound monster that will destroy your yard. The leg scales and the lack of a nuchal scute give it away. Color too.

The care for the two species is quite different. The primary difference being that sulcatas need warm temps 24/7 and high humidity. Both can burrow in summer, but neither can be left underground in the fall.

The face looks too dry, but still within "normal" parameters. The frequent soaks have likely saved this tortoises life.

Here is the correct care info for your tortoise:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

Questions are welcome. We are happy to help you with your new charge.

This is incredibly valuable information! Thanks so much, Tom! Also, thank you for identifying my tortoise. I was trying to do my own research but since I’m not familiar I didn’t know what details to look for to identify it.

It’s good to know my tortoise is ok but I feel terrible for keeping em in the wrong conditions :/ I’m making adjustments ASAP! Is there anything I can do immediately to treat the dryness or will it just get better on its own after adjusting the environment?