Is something wrong with this guys head? Photos Incl.

[mightymizz]

I have noticed that this cherryhead's head (1.5 Years old) has been seeming to lose coloration. It has always been much more "orange" version of color for a cherryhead, but it appears to be fading out. None of my other torts are experiencing this and they are all fed the same.

1. Is this a problem, health issue, etc.??

Here are some pictures, yes he appears dry in these shots, but he gets sprayed and humidity is usually around 80% in the enclosure. If you need you can click a few times on the photo to get a much larger image. CLick photo once, then Look for the magnifying glass symbol on the photo, lower right corner a couple of times. It gets pretty good detail!!





THANKS

 

[Yvonne G]

I've noticed in some young box turtles that when they aren't kept moist enough, and are not fed a varied diet, including animal protein, they develop a hard layer over the top of the head. This is almost like a callous, and looks very similar to your tortoise's head.

Are you keeping the tortoise in a moist environment? Does he get vitamin d3 either from the sun or from his food? Does he get animal protein?

 

[mike taylor]

He looks dry to me . Do you soak in warm water. What is your humidity? It should be 80/90 .

 

[mightymizz]

As mentioned in OP, the humidity averages 80%.

They get occasional mazuri, and once per week the Pro Plan weight management Catfood, as recommended by our redfootNerd. This should be giving them some protein. I also occasionally sprinkle some Miner-All (no D3) to help cover any potential mineral deficiencies. Occasionally they get some Carolina Pet Supply TNT spread over their food. I have a 5-6 year old tort that never got this, as well as the 3 other yearlings that don't have this either.

Like I said, if you click a few times on the pictures, you can really get some good detail. It almost looks like a funky fungal growth..but I have no idea.

 

[Raymo2477]

Looks almost like a build up of dead skin to me.

 

[N2TORTS]

Mizz.....
Your tort looks great ( peering at shell growth) ….and the constant “ mist and drip” can get a little too exaggerated . Red-footed tortoises live in dry forest areas, grasslands and the savanna. They may also live in some crossovers of the rain forests that are close to open habitats . So an often misunderstanding of this species is it does not live in the wet jungle… it will and does have the drier look you might expect. Now of course South America is much different in rain fall and humidity to where we live and keeping torts in captivity period.
With my reds and cherries who are kept outside , they too will succumb to that dry look at times. As many times as you mist them, when they frequently soak….. just the natural sun , along with digging in the dirt all will pull moisture and show a “visual dry look” to scales in the head and legs. The key elements in knowing your getting enough humidity is your nice even shell growth you have going on, along with the health of the eyes. As the old saying goes ….
“ the eye’s tell it all”
You can take a Q~tip and a very small amount of Lubriderm ( make sure that exact brand ) non scented. Rub on your little guys head and legs …try avoiding the eyes, it is a safe sterile , water based lotion.

 

[mightymizz]

Sounds good!

I appreciate everyone's thoughts. Feel free to add more if needed anyone!

Thanks!

 

[Redstrike]

Mighty,
I think JD summed things up very well here. Just a tip:

Mine sometimes look similar, their heads seem to dry out a bit. One thing I've found that works well is to put a very, very small amount of coconut oil on my finger and apply it to the tops of their heads. I don't use much, but it helps to moisturize the head scales. I don't use much because I don't want it going into the tortoises eyes. Just wet your finger with it.

Honestly, this is only when I have some spare time and I'm looking the torts over closely. Most of the time I don't worry about it. Like JD said, the shell growth is a good indicator that your humidity level is adequate and that carapace looks perfect!

 

[ascott]

What a lovely tort....

 

[Sue Ann]

Sounds good!

I appreciate everyone's thoughts. Feel free to add more if needed anyone!

Thanks!

I kind of like his head color. He looks healthy and like I said I think his pattern color, with orange eyebrows is pretty cool.