New baby leopard tortoise has damaged shell :(

[leopardstogo]

Hi guys I bought my baby leopard torts 2 days ago from a pet store in Bournemouth.
I have given them a couple days to settle in and today started on the soaks for them.
Whilst having their soaks and giving them a gentle stroke with a soft toothbrush I have found that one of my babies - ( named Walnut) has quite a bit of damage to his shell.
Im angry at the pet store for selling him like that and not telling me, but also for allowing it to happen as Im only guessing but I would say it looks like he/ she has been dropped or chewed or something?
I weighed him on Weds and they was 120 grams and drank loads when they got here and today is 126 grams so Im hoping thats a good sign but I feel so bad for them and don't know how long they could have been like this for.
Peanut the other baby is perfectly fine and has no damage and is more active but I don't know if that just means they have acclimatised to new home quicker.
Can anyone please give me some advice as to what to do or what could help him / her?
Im also presuming it will never grow back but unsure?
Please don't say to take them back as that would never happen, if they could sell them like that then I don't think they cared and I want to try to do best for them.
Is there anything I can do my end for them?
I have marked out with a pen on photos where I can see the damage. Theres no blood or anything but I also dont know how long ago it happened.
The images are after having the soak.

 

[zovick]

Hi guys I bought my baby leopard torts 2 days ago from a pet store in Bournemouth.
I have given them a couple days to settle in and today started on the soaks for them.
Whilst having their soaks and giving them a gentle stroke with a soft toothbrush I have found that one of my babies - ( named Walnut) has quite a bit of damage to his shell.
Im angry at the pet store for selling him like that and not telling me, but also for allowing it to happen as Im only guessing but I would say it looks like he/ she has been dropped or chewed or something?
I weighed him on Weds and they was 120 grams and drank loads when they got here and today is 126 grams so Im hoping thats a good sign but I feel so bad for them and don't know how long they could have been like this for.
Peanut the other baby is perfectly fine and has no damage and is more active but I don't know if that just means they have acclimatised to new home quicker.
Can anyone please give me some advice as to what to do or what could help him / her?
Im also presuming it will never grow back but unsure?
Please don't say to take them back as that would never happen, if they could sell them like that then I don't think they cared and I want to try to do best for them.
Is there anything I can do my end for them?
I have marked out with a pen on photos where I can see the damage. Theres no blood or anything but I also dont know how long ago it happened.
The images are after having the soak.

You didn't see all those spots when you were looking at the tortoise to buy it?

They look like they could be some type of infection causing abnormal growth of the keratin, but they also might possibly be older gnaw marks from mice. I think if it were from rats or something larger than a rat , the damage would be much worse.

If you read enough posts on this forum, you will see that keeping tortoises in pairs is NOT recommended, so if you haven't planned to keep them in separate enclosures, you should do so. Another option would be to take the "damaged" one back for a refund and just keep the other one.

 

[leopardstogo]

You didn't see all those spots when you were looking at the tortoise to buy it?

They look like they could be some type of infection causing abnormal growth of the keratin, but they also might possibly be older gnaw marks from mice. I think if it were from rats or something larger than a rat , the damage would be much worse.

If you read enough posts on this forum, you will see that keeping tortoises in pairs is NOT recommended, so if you haven't planned to keep them in separate enclosures, you should do so. Another option would be to take the "damaged" one back for a refund and just keep the other one.

You didn't see all those spots when you were looking at the tortoise to buy it?

They look like they could be some type of infection causing abnormal growth of the keratin, but they also might possibly be older gnaw marks from mice. I think if it were from rats or something larger than a rat , the damage would be much worse.

If you read enough posts on this forum, you will see that keeping tortoises in pairs is NOT recommended, so if you haven't planned to keep them in separate enclosures, you should do so. Another option would be to take the "damaged" one back for a refund and just keep the other one.

Hi I saw some pics of the torts on both their website and a whatsapp pic they sent me just before I had them couriered to me and was with me 45 mins later.
As for taking the damaged one back, as said above I wouldnt ever do that as if they havent cared for it so far how would taking it back help the tortoise, I am asking for advice to help him / her.
As for getting them in a pair, yes I do have separate enclosures just incase they don't get on and also have a 66ft x 36ft garden ready to be sectioned off if necessary otherwise I wouldn't have got a pair

 

[TammyJ]

@zovick naturally assumed that you would have inspected the tortoises before getting them, if possible.
As for the advice to you to keep them separated, that is the way to keep tortoises, it's just a matter of fact that they do not do well living in pairs.
Don't take umbrage when you are given advice from people here with vast experience and expertise with tortoises.
It's all for the tortoises' long and healthy lives

 

[wellington]

Hi I saw some pics of the torts on both their website and a whatsapp pic they sent me just before I had them couriered to me and was with me 45 mins later.
As for taking the damaged one back, as said above I wouldnt ever do that as if they havent cared for it so far how would taking it back help the tortoise, I am asking for advice to help him / her.
As for getting them in a pair, yes I do have separate enclosures just incase they don't get on and also have a 66ft x 36ft garden ready to be sectioned off if necessary otherwise I wouldn't have got a pair

They need to be separated now, not if. As for helping them, I think the damage has been done and there's nothing now to do for it. Just keep an eye in the areas. If they look to get worse, then try some antibiotic cream on the areas. I think he will be fine though.

 

[TheTortoiseKing]

If they are being housed together they could have been fighting

 

[COmtnLady]

Hi!
This is not meant to be mean or off-putting toward you... Its just a hope that the experiences of the rest of this community will help you keep your beautiful new torts as happy and healthy as possible.

Keeping them separately is very important. What we, as humans, see as friendly behavior, is actually bullying in the tortoise world. When they "sleep" together, or "cuddle", those are domination activities. If one follows the other around, that is also bullying. If one sits on top of the food or in the water dish (either activity would be normal for a single tortoise just expressing its enjoyment that it has that - or maybe the tortoise is just walking across to get the piece of food that it really wants - even I anthropomorphize, attribute inaccurate reasonings, they really are not complicated critters.) , its a sign of dominance, keeping the food/water from the other. After a bit of time one will be stunted while the more dominant one gets larger - both are seriously stressing though.

They have millions of years of hard-wiring that tells them another tortoise that they can see/smell/be aware of, is in their territory and a competitor for resources. The "other" is an interloper. Then they "fret" about it, never quite relaxing, always having to be alert, on the defensive. Eventually there will be aggression, but tortoises are slow - they could live together for years, apparently doing fine, BUT then, seemingly "out of the blue", start ramming the other, tipping the other, pushing, smothering the other, biting and more.

Here's a thread discussing all of the above, but I am linking you into the middle to the most germane comment. I suggest reading the whole thread eventually, though.

Signs of bullying in young tortoises

What about a group of hatchlings of two species? Hermanns and Sulcatas. Both are one month old. Species should never be mixed. These two species have different housing and feeding requirements. If both are kept in the same enclosure, one of them will be in the wrong environment. There is also...

tortoiseforum.org

Please don't be offended - I/we only want you and your tortoises to be happy and thrive.

 

[COmtnLady]

As to the damage -
Tortoises do everything slowly. Those will heal over years somewhat, but there will always be divots in the shell. Think of it as ways to identify your tortoise because no one else will have those exact same marks.

As was said in posts above, keep an eye on them for anything that looks infected. To me they seem to already be healing and past that stage, but if you can see white film/velvety stuff, or its just not looking clean and healthy, try a little of the least- expensive-that-you-can-find Athlete's Foot cream on the place that looks that way. If it gets "weepy"/seeping some fluid, come back and post pics so we can help you decide what to do (different problems need different treatments).

Since the damage is taking some of your attention and enjoyment away, I would contact the seller and ask for a refund - or at least partial refund. An honorable, above-board, seller should have at least made sure you were aware the divot/chips/damages were there. If they are chew marks there could be ongoing expenses/internal injuries. (At this stage, probably not, but it is a possibility. You were sold damaged goods. Even though this is a sentient being, you also have to consider it a damaged product that the seller sold to you without making the damage crystal clear so that you KNEW it was there before buying.) It is possible such could take more of your time and money (only maybe), so they, as a reputable seller, should offer to make it right. Your caring and reasoning is admirable, but its important to bring it to the attention of the seller. And don't do it apologetically. Don't be emotional and shouty. Be matter-of-fact. You are doing a service to others who might get taken in by the dishonesty.

Also leave public statements/reviews so that the next person can see if the seller apologizes and compensates you, or if they are unreasonable to deal with. Don't you wish someone had reviewed them for you?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hi I saw some pics of the torts on both their website and a whatsapp pic they sent me just before I had them couriered to me and was with me 45 mins later.
As for taking the damaged one back, as said above I wouldnt ever do that as if they havent cared for it so far how would taking it back help the tortoise, I am asking for advice to help him / her.
As for getting them in a pair, yes I do have separate enclosures just incase they don't get on and also have a 66ft x 36ft garden ready to be sectioned off if necessary otherwise I wouldn't have got a pair

You’ve had some good responses already but I did want to add to the pair conversation, please separate them asap, it’s not about waiting to see if they fight or not, don’t let it even get to that point. There’s many animals in the animal kingdom that cannot live in pair, tortoises are one of them. As babies stunting is extremely common in pairs, they’re incredibly territorial, behaviours that look cute to us really aren’t, following one another and sleeping huddled up is all bullying the the tortoise world, you’ll eventually see more extreme signs of aggression. Anyone who tells you pairs are fine, have no idea what they’re talking about. the longer you leave it, the longer their transition period will be, all tortoises hate change, even good ones, they’re going to get used to seeking out their rival, the longer they’ll need to adjust.

Please don’t put these babies through that