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[teenkrbl]

Hello! I have a 4 month old sulcata tortoise. His (not sure if its a boy) name is Tank =) Ive never had a tortoise before so any advice will be helpful I do have a question, do torotises peel/shed? It looks like my lil guy is. How do I make it stop? Is there something I can buy?

Thanks! =)

 

[Laura]

welcome. you have come to the right place... READ READ READ!!!
no, they dont shed.. they can flake a bit.. but sometimes that is normal.. or they are too dry.
Post a pic?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi teenkrbl:

Welcome to the Tortoise forum!!

May we know your name and where you are?

If you'll read the stickies at the top of the sulcata forum, most of your questions will be answered.

 

[dmarcus]

Hello and welcome to the forum...

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Welcome.

 

[wellington]

WELCOME

 

[pdrobber]

welcome

 

[Floof]

Welcome to the forum!

You know, I just did a forum search on whether tortoises shed, because I wondered the same thing. I have snakes and lizards, so, to me, it seems natural that a tortoise should also shed (that is, shed its head/legs, not its shell!) as it grows... But I've never seen it happen with my tortoises.

My search revealed that, yes, they DO shed, they just normally do it in such small bits and pieces that it generally goes unnoticed by us, the keepers. If he has flaky bits stuck that you're noticing, he may be dehydrated. In snakes and lizards (comparing here because, again, I've never seen a tortoise shed), old skin can get "stuck" if they are dehydrated or if the enclosure is too dry. Shedding off that old skin takes a surprising amount of hydration. With that said, you may want to make sure his enclosure is humid enough and that he's getting enough water--a water dish in the enclosure and, ideally, daily soaks in baby bath warm water.

There's a great care sheet for hatchling Sulcatas at the top of the Sulcata forum, created by a member named Tom. I highly recommend reading through it. I use a very similar regiment for my Leopard tortoise (not a Sulcata, I know, but virtually identical care requirements), and he's doing SO much better because of it than when I got him.

 

[laramie]

Welcome to you and Tank

 

[bubbles01]

Welcome!!

 

[Yash Raj]

Welcome.

 

[Tony the tank]

Welcome

 

[TORTOISEMAN1]

Welcome to the Tortoise Forum!!