Horsefield Help!

[stacie_w83]

I have taken in 2 Horsefields. I think they are around 8 months old. They seem really happy and are eating well, walking around and interacting well. I have never owned torts before!

I noticed marks on their shells which look like watermarks, kind of white rings around the markings on their shells. I have attached pics, so I just want to know if they look ok or need anything!

Thanks in advance

 

[DutchieAmanda]

Hi and welcome!
The white rings are new growth, so nothing to worry about!

Do you keep the two torts together? Torts don't do well in pairs, so this is not advised.

If you want any input on the enclosure you can always share pics and many experienced keepers can give you feedback. I do not keep Russians myself but many here do.

Enjoy your new friends!

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome.

White rings around shell plates are just growth lines; they darken with age.

White rings on the shell plates are "don't know, but normal". We get asked about them quite regularly, but the consensus seems to be that there's nothing to worry about.

Have you read the TFO Guides which will help you to care for your Russians correctly?

They're written by species experts who are working hard to correct the misinformation widely available in books and on the internet and perpetuated by many pet stores and, sadly, some breeders and vets.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Russian Care Guide
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

Russians are very active torts; they need lots of space.

They are not social animals. They don't need, want or particularly like company. They don't get lonely and they don't need a friend. In the wild they roam huge distances, meet up to mate and move on.

In captivity a group of 3 or more may get on in a very large outdoor enclosure with plenty of sight barriers, but there are no guarantees.

Kept as a pair, bullying and fighting ensues sooner or later and they will have to be split permanently.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...together-a-lesson-learned-the-hard-way.94114/

 

[TortoiseWarrior]

Hi. Welcome

 

[CathyNed]

Welcome!

 

[stacie_w83]

Thanks all. I posted these photos on another forum and somebody advised that the white marks are keratin stress from over feeding, is this viable? I was also told they are babies, but the other forum advised that they could be 4-5 years old!

Thanks for all the information links though I will defo have a read through! I

 

[JoesMum]

Thanks all. I posted these photos on another forum and somebody advised that the white marks are keratin stress from over feeding, is this viable? I was also told they are babies, but the other forum advised that they could be 4-5 years old!

Thanks for all the information links though I will defo have a read through! I

Have you heard that one before @Yvonne G ? I certainly haven't!

 

[Tom]

Those white squiggly lines are common on many species. It is not from fast growth or over feeding. Do a search here for "white squiggly lines" and you can read pages and pages of speculation, discussion and guessing on the subject. The bottom line is that they are harmless, normal and nothing to worry about.

There is no way to tell the age of your tortoise by looking. Many factors influence the growth rate and appearance of the carapace. All any of us can do is guess, unless someone knows the hatch date.

If these two are living together, you definitely need a separate enclosure ASAP. This species is very scrappy and they do damage to each other regularly. Tortoises should not be kept in pairs, but especially not this species. In addition to the links from Joe's Mum, check this one out too:
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/bad-day-for-baby.114328/

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Stacie, and welcome to the Forum!

I would also like to know what those white, squiggly lines are, but the consensus of opinion is that they are harmless. Many years ago (I'm talking MANY years ago) I was told it was the calcium working its way through the shell. So that's what I've always believed. But none of us really knows for sure. All we know is the lines appear on HEALTHY baby tortoises, tortoises with a lighter keratin color, and that they are nothing to worry about.

Your two tortoises are still very young. I'd need to see a picture of the whole tortoise to give you a better answer, but any answer we give would be a guess. The only way to know for sure is to know the hatch date.

 

[stacie_w83]

Thanks for your reply! I've just weighed them for the first time and Finn the bigger one weighs 98g and Rey the smaller one weighs 78g.

Does anyone know of a reliable vet/reptile shop in Essex that would be able to give them a once over? Only because I am not 100% sure where they came from or how they were treated.

Here are a couple of pics of them in my hand [emoji4]

 

[JoesMum]

Thanks for your reply! I've just weighed them for the first time and Finn the bigger one weighs 98g and Rey the smaller one weighs 78g.

Does anyone know of a reliable vet/reptile shop in Essex that would be able to give them a once over? Only because I am not 100% sure where they came from or how they were treated.

Here are a couple of pics of them in my hand [emoji4]

Depending on where you are in Essex, a trip over the bridge to Maidstone to see my vet may be possible.

 

[Tom]

I've never been to the UK, but be cautious of asking for tips from vets or pet shops. Both have a dismal record for understanding tortoise husbandry. If you find a good one, that would be wonderful, but most of them don't have a clue and they parrot the same wrong info that has been parroted for decades.

Both of those tortoises look good and they look they they were well started and fed too. I'm just guessing from afar, but I see nothing to worry about in the pics you'v posted.

 

[stacie_w83]

Thanks Tom, and everyone else you have all really put my mind at ease!

I am falling in love with them more everyday, they are so funny and proper characters [emoji4]

 

[TortoiseWarrior]

I agree those torts look well started. They seem smoothed shelled, and if they afe interacting and eating well those are good signs. Nice looking torts!!

 

[144 Grandpa Turtle]

Hello Stacie

 

[Yvonne G]

Thanks for your reply! I've just weighed them for the first time and Finn the bigger one weighs 98g and Rey the smaller one weighs 78g.

Does anyone know of a reliable vet/reptile shop in Essex that would be able to give them a once over? Only because I am not 100% sure where they came from or how they were treated.

Here are a couple of pics of them in my hand [emoji4]

The top one looks about a year old and the other one about two years old.

 

[stacie_w83]

The top one looks about a year old and the other one about two years old.

Thankyou Yvonne! You have all been really helpful and friendly x