Help needed

[JakeC1999]

What’s this on my tortoises shell? Help?

My horse field tortoise is 13, I was just giving her/him (not sure on gender lol) a bath and noticed this on there shell, he’s been pretty lazy the last few days just sleeping and not really eating. Not sure if it’s maybe abit of shell rot? Or just a calcium build up?
We have recently moved his enclosure so that could explain the laziness.
Just want to insight into this on the shell, it’s on the front segment by his head.

Thanks

 

[Tom]

What’s this on my tortoises shell? Help?

My horse field tortoise is 13, I was just giving her/him (not sure on gender lol) a bath and noticed this on there shell, he’s been pretty lazy the last few days just sleeping and not really eating. Not sure if it’s maybe abit of shell rot? Or just a calcium build up?
We have recently moved his enclosure so that could explain the laziness.
Just want to insight into this on the shell, it’s on the front segment by his head.

Thanks

Looks like desiccation in the growth lines from dryness. How are you housing this tortoise? What sort of heat lamps and UV bulbs?

Check this out. There is a heating and lighting breakdown near the bottom, and a temperate species care sheet with the correct care info too.

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

 

[JakeC1999]

What’s this on my tortoises shell? Help?

My horse field tortoise is 13, I was just giving her/him (not sure on gender lol) a bath and noticed this on there shell, he’s been pretty lazy the last few days just sleeping and not really eating. Not sure if it’s maybe abit of shell rot? Or just a calcium build up?
We have recently moved his enclosure so that could explain the laziness.
Just want to insight into this on the shell, it’s on the front segment by his head.

Thanks

Looks like desiccation in the growth lines from dryness. How are you housing this tortoise? What sort of heat lamps and UV bulbs?

Check this out. There is a heating and lighting breakdown near the bottom, and a temperate species care sheet with the correct care info too.

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

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the reply, I think it could be from dryness, I will start to bath him a few more times this week.

I’ve recently moved into a new house and have only been using a heat lamp for him, I’ve just ordered a new UVB light as the last one broke. I’m thinking the lack of energy could be coming from the lack of UVB.

His enclosure is about 160cm - 50cm
I really want to expand that in the future.

Thanks

 

[Tom]

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the reply, I think it could be from dryness, I will start to bath him a few more times this week.

I’ve recently moved into a new house and have only been using a heat lamp for him, I’ve just ordered a new UVB light as the last one broke. I’m thinking the lack of energy could be coming from the lack of UVB.

His enclosure is about 160cm - 50cm
I really want to expand that in the future.

Thanks

You definitely need a larger enclosure and all the correct lighting.

Pertaining to your original question: Have you checked the temperature under the basking bulb by laying a thermometer on its back directly under the bulb and letting it cook for an hour? That type of "injury" is often due to the wrong bulb and it being too hot under it. What type of heat lamp are you using?

Read the thread I linked for you and the care sheet at the bottom. It will be an eye opener.

 

[JakeC1999]

You definitely need a larger enclosure and all the correct lighting.

Pertaining to your original question: Have you checked the temperature under the basking bulb by laying a thermometer on its back directly under the bulb and letting it cook for an hour? That type of "injury" is often due to the wrong bulb and it being too hot under it. What type of heat lamp are you using?

Read the thread I linked for you and the care sheet at the bottom. It will be an eye opener.

Yeah, I need to upgrade the size of the enclosure just need to make some space in the new house. I’ve just ordered a new UVB bulb.

I currently use a 50w e27 bulb which is about 20-25 cm above the tortoises back when they come out to bask. I used to have a thermometer under the basking area and it used to register at about 28 degees C to 32
When I put my hand under it, it’s fairly warm but not burning.

What should I do moving forward? Keep bathing the tortoise? I’m hoping the reintroduction of a UVB bulb will help.

Thanks

 

[Tom]

Yeah, I need to upgrade the size of the enclosure just need to make some space in the new house. I’ve just ordered a new UVB bulb.

I currently use a 50w e27 bulb which is about 20-25 cm above the tortoises back when they come out to bask. I used to have a thermometer under the basking area and it used to register at about 28 degees C to 32
When I put my hand under it, it’s fairly warm but not burning.

What should I do moving forward? Keep bathing the tortoise? I’m hoping the reintroduction of a UVB bulb will help.

Thanks

That is not a good bulb option, and it only covers one of the four lighting and heating elements needed. The basking area directly under the bulb needs to be around 36-37 at tortoise shell height, and it needs to be a wide beam that covers an area larger than the tortoise. Regular incandescent bulbs from the hardware store do this best. If you can't find one there, then Arcadia sells a good basking flood lamp.

All of this and more is in the link I left for you.

 

[Yvonne G]

The new growth has been burned, like Tom said. The light was too close to the shell, and it's probably the wrong type of light.