Is this shell normal?

[IshKah]

Hello!

I just got a Hermann's Tortoise who is about a month old and have had him for about a week. I was giving him a soak this morning when I noticed that the back edge of his shell was sort of translucent and softer than the rest of his shell. I was reading some other posts on the forum here (which is great btw) and I just wanted to make sure that this isn't shell rot or anything.

Here are some images of him. I can post more if needed, thanks for taking a look!!!

 

[Fernando]

Do you give your tortoise any calcium supplement and sunshine?

 

[IshKah]

Thanks for the quick reply! Yes I sprinkle something called "Tortoise Supplement" made by T-Rex on all his food. He does not get direct sun but I have a UVA/UVB lamp that shines light over his entire enclosure. He also has a basking lamp as well.

 

[Fernando]

Do you know what kind of lamp it is? Brand and style type? Does the supplement include what's called vitamin d3?

 

[IshKah]

The supplement does include vitamin D-3, from the label "Vitamin D-3 4000IU/Kilo".

Here is a link to the two bulbs I have.

 

[Fernando]

Hmmm...I'm wondering if there is enough UV in that bulb for the tortoise. I don't believe the bottom of the shell should be that soft, it should be as hard as the rest of the shell. Is there a reason he hasn't gotten real sunshine? How's his diet?

---

take him out for an hour or more if you can. Do you put calcium every day? Sometimes that can be too much.

 

[IshKah]

The only real reason he hasn't gotten any actual sunlight is because I live in an apartment in an urban area, but I could find somewhere to take him outside for an hour or so. His diet is good, I think, I have some escarole and organic baby carrots that I cut up and feed him daily. I don't sprinkle calcium powder on his food everyday but I do sprinkle that feeding supplement everyday.

Also, I just thought I should explain what I meant by 'soft'. When I touched the shell that is just above his tail it moved slightly. From what I can tell no other edges do that when touched but I felt bad poking and prodding him so much so my 'examination' was not completely thorough.

Do you think it's just a matter of him not getting correct amount of sunlight or is it something more serious? I was mostly worried because I noticed the translucent edges then gently touched the back edge of his shell and then got really worried.

 

[Fernando]

It's my suggestion that you get him out in the sun as much as you can. I live in an apartment too. I take him outside on the street and sidewalk area where its warm for him to walk around when I can't take him to my moms.

He doesnt graze much because he's a hatchling so he likes to run in the warm sun. If he had long hair I'd imagine his hair blowing while he ran

It's also my SUGGESTION that you purchase what's called an MVB bulb. That stands for Mercury Vapor Bulb. It's a little pricey but days you can't take him out it works better then most standard UVB bulbs and it includes HEAT so all in one. I'm not sure about that supplement because I don't have experience with that particular one. Maybe someone can chime in. Is he active? eats a lot?

 

[IshKah]

He eats a lot, yeah. I have a webcam above his cage so I can watch him at work and I feel like he takes a lot of naps, mostly under the heat lamp or near his basking area. I do see him move but it's usually only so he can go for some water or move closer/further from his basking area.

How far away from the ground of his enclosure should I have the lamps? Both are about 17 inches from where he is.

Is this the kind of MVB you are talking about?

 

[Laura]

I think he also needs a bigger variety in the diet dept . carrots are ok as a treat, but not a diet.
Mixed greens. Baby lettuce, dark greens..
Real sun is best, but dont stress him out by just placing him outside in the big bad world.. do you have a balcony that gets sun? can you build a small outdoor safe area for him?

 

[IshKah]

Yeah that's one thing I have to do, go weed my parent's garden when I go home this weekend!

Actually yes, I do have a balcony of sorts. It gets some great sunlight later in the day, I will start making a habit of taking him out there while I read.

 

[Fernando]

If he's spending a lot of time under the basking light but it has no UVB coming through he's not getting much exposure to UV rays. Yes that is the type of bulb. I'm not sure of that particular brand but that's what I'm talking about. I've got a website I'll PM you in a second it might save you some money.

 

[IshKah]

Yeah that's what I was thinking if he's under the basking lamp all day then his UV intake must be taking a hit. Thanks so much for taking a look and helping me out! My tort is most gracious as well

 

[GBtortoises]

A tortoise that young does still does often have a somewhat pliable shell, particularly at and near the rear marginal scutes since they protrude from the main part of the body the most. As long as "he" is acting normal, eating well, has a good quality, varied diet, with access to calcium, is kept well hydrated and has either a few hours of direct, unfiltered sunlight, a good quality UV bulb or both you probably don't need to get too worked up just yet.

 

[Fernando]

My pleasure

 

[Paige Lewis]

Just thought i would add one thing, have you had a stool sample checked, when i first tort my he had quite a soft plastron and it turned out he had worms which stops them getting the full amount of nutrients from the food, i am not saying that this is what it is, it just may be something to check out, although mine was 4 months, so if yours is only 1 month old then as has already been said it is normal for the shell not to be totally hard.
Welcome to the forum!

 

[Terry Allan Hall]

I highly recommend letting your tort-let get some "balcomy time" at least an hour a day or more...no artificial light can really take the place of natural sunlight...also, UV lights really only put out any good rays for about 6 months before needing to be replaced, so use one when it's simply too cold for "him" to be outside, but any day that's in the mid-60s or warmer, let "him" get natural sunlight.

 

[Isa]

I have a baby Hermann, I have him since he was one month old. He went outside a couple of times but because of the bad weather and the cold, he did not go outside for a long time and his shell seems very nice to me, since the nice weather is back, he goes outside very often though . What is the substrate in his enclosure and what are the temps? I agree that you should feed him more than what you are feeding now. You could buy spring mix (in the lettuce section) and add some greens .

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi IshKah:

Welcome to the forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?

 

[IshKah]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone! I have bought a few organically grown plants, so my tort's diet is a bit more diverse and I can tell he is enjoying the variety because now he finishes everything I put in his enclosure!

The substrate is a mix of compressed coconut fiber and some aspen bark pieces. The temps are about 90-93 in the basking area and hovering around 85 in the colder part of his enclosure.