Grey on shell of baby Leopard Tortoise

[Simbasounds]

Hi All,

I found this baby leopard tortoise wandering in the middle of the road where I live in Barrydale, Western Cape, South Africa.
It has grey on its shell and I'm wondering if it's a fungal infection. Is it possible to identify via the attached photo?
The tortoise seems very lethargic, barely moves, and I'm aware that leopard tortoises don't hibernate, so I'm concerned about its health.

Thanks in advance,
Simon

 

[wellington]

Looks to me like it's either just very dry, give it a long warm water soak or could be a possible fungal infection, which you could put athletes foot cream on it.
However, being native to your area, it's likely better to give it a long warm water soak and let it go
@Tom

 

[Simbasounds]

Thanks Tom, I really appreciate the prompt response!
It's outdoors in the wild area at the back of our mountainside house. I have soaked it twice for as long as it'll stay in the bowl, about 10 mins each. Will soak again, and get some athlete's foot cream as a precaution.

 

[wellington]

Thanks Tom, I really appreciate the prompt response!
It's outdoors in the wild area at the back of our mountainside house. I have soaked it twice for as long as it'll stay in the bowl, about 10 mins each. Will soak again, and get some athlete's foot cream as a precaution.

I'm not Tom, I sent an alert to Tom. That's okay though. You're not the first to confuse the alert.
Be sure to put the cream on but not in-between the scutes. Rub it in and then wipe any access off. Keep an eye on it to be sure the cream doesn't attract bugs, I doubt it will.

 

[Tom]

Hi All,

I found this baby leopard tortoise wandering in the middle of the road where I live in Barrydale, Western Cape, South Africa.
It has grey on its shell and I'm wondering if it's a fungal infection. Is it possible to identify via the attached photo?
The tortoise seems very lethargic, barely moves, and I'm aware that leopard tortoises don't hibernate, so I'm concerned about its health.

Thanks in advance,
Simon

Leopard tortoises in your part of Africa DO brumate and since it is your winter, that is almost certainly what is happening.

The discoloration is just some silt, or some hard water staining. Does this tortoise live in an area where outdoor sprinklers are used regularly?

Putting the tortoise in a shallow bowl and letting it walk out when it wants to is not "soaking". That is just putting a tortoise in a shallow water bowl and it doesn't accomplish much.

I think it may be too early in the season to be waking this little one. I'd let it find its own way into some heavy cover and sleep off the rest of winter. As you move into September and October, it will warm up and it should be fine. If this is a wild tortoise, I would just leave it be.

The other alternative, if you are concerned about it, is to make a large indoor enclosure with the proper heating and lighting, and bring this little one indoors until late spring. A tortoise can't function without the correct temperatures. If you want this little one up and functioning, you will have to give it a 36C basking area under an incandescent bulb, some ambient lighting, and some night heat to keep it around 25-26 over night.

 

[Simbasounds]

I'm not Tom, I sent an alert to Tom. That's okay though. You're not the first to confuse the alert.
Be sure to put the cream on but not in-between the scutes. Rub it in and then wipe any access off. Keep an eye on it to be sure the cream doesn't attract bugs, I doubt it will.

Wellington .. sorry : )

 

[Simbasounds]

Leopard tortoises in your part of Africa DO brumate and since it is your winter, that is almost certainly what is happening.

The discoloration is just some silt, or some hard water staining. Does this tortoise live in an area where outdoor sprinklers are used regularly?

Putting the tortoise in a shallow bowl and letting it walk out when it wants to is not "soaking". That is just putting a tortoise in a shallow water bowl and it doesn't accomplish much.

I think it may be too early in the season to be waking this little one. I'd let it find its own way into some heavy cover and sleep off the rest of winter. As you move into September and October, it will warm up and it should be fine. If this is a wild tortoise, I would just leave it be.

The other alternative, if you are concerned about it, is to make a large indoor enclosure with the proper heating and lighting, and bring this little one indoors until late spring. A tortoise can't function without the correct temperatures. If you want this little one up and functioning, you will have to give it a 36C basking area under an incandescent bulb, some ambient lighting, and some night heat to keep it around 25-26 over night.

Hi Tom,

Thanks so much for the detailed response. I brushed its shell lightly with a toothbrush and indeed much of the grey came off, so I think you're correct. I found it in a more urban part of the village, so it could well be silt or even cement if it walked through a building site.

I'm going to read up more on soaking, but since my original post we did soak it a bit longer and it became much more active. It's gone back to basking outside now. Tonight and tomorrow are predicted to be the coldest nights of the year, so I will bring it indoors overnight, but I'll let it go wild in a few days.

Thanks again,
Simon

 

[Tom]

Hi Tom,

Thanks so much for the detailed response. I brushed its shell lightly with a toothbrush and indeed much of the grey came off, so I think you're correct. I found it in a more urban part of the village, so it could well be silt or even cement if it walked through a building site.

I'm going to read up more on soaking, but since my original post we did soak it a bit longer and it became much more active. It's gone back to basking outside now. Tonight and tomorrow are predicted to be the coldest nights of the year, so I will bring it indoors overnight, but I'll let it go wild in a few days.

Thanks again,
Simon

I met another Simon while in the RSA. He was a top dog trainer and a super cool dude.

Glad you are trying to hep this little one. I'm not sure you need this info, but there may be some tidbits that can help you give him some help, and you might find it interesting. It lists the correct temperatures and many other care details:

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

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[Yvonne G]

When you "soak" a tortoise that means you place him into a container he can't climb out of, with warm water that comes up to the middle of his sides.

You said there's construction in the area. That could mean he was disturbed from his brumation site. I would put him back outside in a safe, covered place where he won't freeze and just allow him to finish off his brumation naturally.

 

[Simbasounds]

I met another Simon while in the RSA. He was a top dog trainer and a super cool dude.

Glad you are trying to hep this little one. I'm not sure you need this info, but there may be some tidbits that can help you give him some help, and you might find it interesting. It lists the correct temperatures and many other care details:

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

Info For New People. Please Read This First.

Hello and welcome to tortoiseforum.org! We are all glad you are here! There is no other forum like this anywhere. We have tens of thousands of members from all over the world ranging from kids with their first tortoise to people who have been breeding and keeping high end tortoises since the...

tortoiseforum.org

This is a really excellent guide, Tom. Thank you so much!

 

[Simbasounds]

When you "soak" a tortoise that means you place him into a container he can't climb out of, with warm water that comes up to the middle of his sides.

You said there's construction in the area. That could mean he was disturbed from his brumation site. I would put him back outside in a safe, covered place where he won't freeze and just allow him to finish off his brumation naturally.

Thank you Yvonne, yes he did seem a bit lost. Luckily I spotted him and swerved to drive around him.