Long time no see! 
I'm a bit stumped right now regarding my tortoise's shell. He's a nine-year-old Russian (very small for his size, about five inches width and length). He seemed quite skinny when I got him; perhaps it was because he was sharing a cage with a Redfoot and they didn't share very well. He has a tremendous appetite, likewise, and I noticed that he's almost gotten too . . . heavy so I'm trying to watch his weight and experiment with new foods. Before, I gave him kale, some carrots, and a powder form of either protein or calcium (each day it would switch). Instead of kale, I've switched to a mix of kale and dandelion leaves (which he LOVES ), and I tried a mix of edible flowers and he was a little indifferent towards them. Anywho, I was giving my little tort a bath today and I noticed something very peculiar about his shell ... on the hip-area of his shell there are two identical indents on each side. I looked it up online and apparently he could be experiencing some sort of calcium deficiency? It's a little worrying, because I feed him calcium every other day of the week, so ...
1. what exactly his wrong with him?
2. does he need more calcium (I give him a tiny sprinkle of it everyday on his food; probably like 1/6 of a spoonful or less)?
3. will his shell ever be smooth again?
I heard that there's something called a calcium block or something. When I first got him, though, the seller said that powder was definitely a better opinion. He seemed fine until today.
By the way, December 26th of this year will be my tortoise's and I first-year anniversary!
I'm a bit stumped right now regarding my tortoise's shell. He's a nine-year-old Russian (very small for his size, about five inches width and length). He seemed quite skinny when I got him; perhaps it was because he was sharing a cage with a Redfoot and they didn't share very well. He has a tremendous appetite, likewise, and I noticed that he's almost gotten too . . . heavy
so I'm trying to watch his weight and experiment with new foods. Before, I gave him kale, some carrots, and a powder form of either protein or calcium (each day it would switch). Instead of kale, I've switched to a mix of kale and dandelion leaves (which he LOVES ), and I tried a mix of edible flowers and he was a little indifferent towards them. Anywho, I was giving my little tort a bath today and I noticed something very peculiar about his shell ... on the hip-area of his shell there are two identical indents on each side. I looked it up online and apparently he could be experiencing some sort of calcium deficiency? It's a little worrying, because I feed him calcium every other day of the week, so ... 1. what exactly his wrong with him?
2. does he need more calcium (I give him a tiny sprinkle of it everyday on his food; probably like 1/6 of a spoonful or less)?
3. will his shell ever be smooth again?
I heard that there's something called a calcium block or something. When I first got him, though, the seller said that powder was definitely a better opinion. He seemed fine until today.
By the way, December 26th of this year will be my tortoise's and I first-year anniversary!
