I have had my Russian tortoise for a few years now, and for a while her shell has been curling upwards at the ends. I read that this is probably a symptom of MBD, but her shell is not soft and does not show any sign of pyramiding, she is very active and moves very fast, and has not had any loss of appetite. However, I am concerned that this might be caused by a lack of variety in her diet, lack of UVB light(she does have a UVB light in her enclosure, but I don’t if I need to change it more often), a lack of vitamins(I sprinkle calcium supplement regularly on her food), or overfeeding(I feed her once every day). I really hope there isn’t anything severely wrong, but if there is, I feel really bad that I didn’t try to do something about it sooner.
I am not sure if my Russian tortoise has MBD
- Thread starter Echaryn
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Hi, and welcome to TFO!
It would be really helpful if you would post some pictures of your tortoise, so we can see the shell.
In the meantime, read over our care sheet and see if anything pops out at you. I will say, you seem to be very well informed about tort care! But a lot of info is old and outdated, and pet shops, some breeders, and even some vets are still doing things the old fashioned way.
Here we have new updated ways to raise babies, and continue their care as adults.
Read it, and then come back with questions or anything you don't understand. We're happy to explain wby we say what we do.
www.tortoiseforum.org
It would be really helpful if you would post some pictures of your tortoise, so we can see the shell.
In the meantime, read over our care sheet and see if anything pops out at you. I will say, you seem to be very well informed about tort care! But a lot of info is old and outdated, and pet shops, some breeders, and even some vets are still doing things the old fashioned way.
Here we have new updated ways to raise babies, and continue their care as adults.
Read it, and then come back with questions or anything you don't understand. We're happy to explain wby we say what we do.
The Best Way To Raise Any Temperate Species Of Tortoise
I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies and care for adults? 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. What is...
www.tortoiseforum.org
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- Low desert 50 mi SE of Palm Springs CA
It really is curling! You said you've had her for a few years...where was she before that? A previous owner?
I think someone else must have had her, because I think damage like this happened when she was little.
I'm not experienced enough to advise you if there's anything you can do other than give her good living conditions now. I'll tag another member who knows lots about these things.
@Yvonne
What kind of UVB bulb are you using? Does it screw into a socket? Or is it a tube like a fluorescent light?
The ones that screw in aren't very good. They are unreliable.
Read the care sheet I linked. That explains it more.
Definitely something wrong here, but without more info we are just guessing.
What have you been feeding?
Any supplements, like calcium?
Does the tortoise ever go outside for sunshine in a safe enclosure?
What type of indoor UV bulb?
Heat lamps?
What size enclosure?
What substrate?
We got her from a pet store, but she definitely was not a baby when we got her.
We are currently using a mercury vapor lamp that I believe is a screw-in(although I guess we might need to change that).
We do have a ceramic heat lamp, but we usually rely on the mercury vapor lamp for heating + UVB exposure. I think the mercury vapor lamp is a bulb.
We feed her mostly kale, we've tried to give her other greens like romaine lettuce and spinach, but she never seemed to like them.
I sprinkle calcium on her food regularly.
We occasionally take her outside in the yard to walk around(with supervision).
We use an incandescent bulb for UVB exposure and a ceramic heat lamp.
The enclosure is about 36" x 18"
The substrate is a dry-ish soil that I'm not really sure how to describe other than this:
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EDIT: Scratch what I said about the mercury vapor lamp, I read the wrong package. We're currently using an incandescent screw-in bulb with the ceramic heat lamp.
EDIT: Scratch what I said about the mercury vapor lamp, I read the wrong package. We're currently using an incandescent screw-in bulb with the ceramic heat lamp.
Update: After reading more info on the care page, I think I'm going to have to make some changes to my tortoise's habitat. I might have to get a larger enclosure overall as well as a different heat/HVB source... and probably change the substrate too.
Agreed. You also need to drastically change the diet and add lots more variety.
Fauna
New Member
I’m not sure you use a lid or not on your enclosure, but be aware that screen tops can block a lot of UVB. A wider mesh is preferable on a closed enclosure. There are also charts that provide information about the bulb wattage and distance from the substrate to make sure your tortoise is able to benefit from the UVB.
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In Texas, I would think that she could spend a lot of time outdoors.
