Help new tortoise owner

[D Craig]

We got a Russian tortoise 3 months ago. I am always worried about his shell. I am not sure if he is healthy. I am posting pictures of his shell and enclosure to see if anyone has advice. His shell seems to be peeling a little. Not sure if it's diet or he is dry? He eats spring mix, dandy lion greens, stc. we soak him about 2 x per week. The substrate is coconut core. We also use turtle wax once in a while. Any advice would be great!

 

[Jodie]

I think it looks like old damage, maybe burns though? What kind of lights, heat and UVB are you using?

 

[AnimalLady]

I agree that it looks like old damage. Theres a neat post on here about coconut oil and shell care. Below is the link, take a look.

http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/coconut-oil.103782/

 

[Yvonne G]

There's nothing to worry about. That shell looks great. You hardly ever see a Russian tortoise with aberrant scutes, and I just love the way his shell looks, sort of like a zipper on top. Those little spots that are worrying you are the part of the shell that the baby was born with. For some unknown reason, when he hatched out, his shell was very dimpled. But as he grew and added shell around the old part the new shell grew in smooth. There is no injury, new or old.

The growth that is coming in now, the new growth, looks a bit compromised. Do you use overhead heat? It may be a tad too close to the top of the shell. I would paint the seams (new growth) with a light coating of mineral oil every other day or so, using a Q-tip. After it has soaked in for a half hour or so, polish it off with a clean, absorbent cloth.

I'm not a big fan of using a topical on tortoise shells. If you feed him a good diet, his shell will be healthy without polish.