WisconsinTortoise
New Member
Hello,
I have a male Eastern Box Turtle. I am unsure of its age, but it is at least 30 years old. He lived with my parents in Michigan until about a year and a half ago when they brought him to me in Wisconsin to take care of him. When I got him his shell appeared very dull, not at all vibrant, and he seemed to have a lot of buildup on it. I read online that it's best to use soft water to avoid buildup and let him grow a new shell (do tortoises really shed their shells?) instead of trying to scrape the stuff off and maybe hurting him. The problem is, for the past year or so I have been giving him only distilled water from the grocery store in his water dish, but there is no difference in the shell's appearance. It doesn't seem to be making him better.
I must be doing something wrong, or I don't understand how tortoises grow their shells. Should I be seeing a change? Is distilled water ok to use, or is there something else I can do to help him? Do I need to take him to a vet?
Thank you for your help.
I have a male Eastern Box Turtle. I am unsure of its age, but it is at least 30 years old. He lived with my parents in Michigan until about a year and a half ago when they brought him to me in Wisconsin to take care of him. When I got him his shell appeared very dull, not at all vibrant, and he seemed to have a lot of buildup on it. I read online that it's best to use soft water to avoid buildup and let him grow a new shell (do tortoises really shed their shells?) instead of trying to scrape the stuff off and maybe hurting him. The problem is, for the past year or so I have been giving him only distilled water from the grocery store in his water dish, but there is no difference in the shell's appearance. It doesn't seem to be making him better.
I must be doing something wrong, or I don't understand how tortoises grow their shells. Should I be seeing a change? Is distilled water ok to use, or is there something else I can do to help him? Do I need to take him to a vet?
Thank you for your help.