my Russian tortoise has had a flaky shell since I bought him. I thought with proper nutrition, soaking and sunlight it would stop. Is it shell rot or is he growing? He's active and is eating. Worried about my little guy
What you're seeing is old - either injury, too close to the light and the new growth burned, or something we have no way of knowing.
There's nothing to do for it, as it's old and healed. You just have to allow nature to take its course. Maybe it will all flake off and eventually look more natural, and maybe it will always be like it is. Just remember, the new growth (new growth happens between the designs on the shell, exactly where the flaking is happening) is sensitive to touch and heat.