Peeling on Shell?

[MarysTort]

I'm so sorry if this has been asked before.

Kenya's shell seems to be peeling. It looks like little flakes or even knicks on his shell. It doesn't seem to be going away. I see all these other tortoises with these beautiful smooth shells and his used to look like that but now looks 'dirty'. What am I doing wrong? It's been like this for a while and seems to be getting worse.

He is close to a year old now.

 

[egyptiandan]

Hi Mary,
We would need a clear picture to give a guess at what might be going on.

Danny

 

[MarysTort]

The fibers are so small and my tort is so small that my camera won't focus when it's that close. If that makes sense.

It looks like tiny hairs of his shell coming off. Like you could pull them. They are only noticeable up close. His shell is rather dark for a sulcata and that probably makes it more apparent. They are scattered around on his shell along with what looks like tiny nicks in his shell. Flakes was completely the wrong word, sorry. It looks kind of ashy, even when he's soaked and rinsed off.

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Maybe I'm just looking too closely at my tort and need to relax? lol

 

[egyptiandan]

Is it on the new scute material forming between scutes?

Danny

 

[MarysTort]

No, I knew that could be new growth.

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Do you think it could have to do with calcium? Maybe I need to be giving more? Could that cause his shell to deteriate on the outside? His shell is hard though....

 

[egyptiandan]

The scutes are the same material (basicly) as our finger nails, so not much calcium in them. I have seen sometimes that the scute material will stick to the scute next to it and will basicly make a tear in the top layers as the tortoise grows. Might it be that?

Danny

 

[MarysTort]

Hmmm, I don't know..... maybe they are like really tiny tears? They are not very big.... What causes this to happen?

 

[MarysTort]

What is the cause of what you are explaining?

 

[egyptiandan]

It usually happens when the humidity is to low, bits of the scute material don't let go of the other scute and it causes a tear or peeling of the very top layer of the scute.
If you can get a pretty close (doesn't have to be real close) in focus picture that would help a lot.

Danny

 

[MarysTort]

Ok, I will do my best. The humidity is usually really high in his enclosure so it might not be that.

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This is the only one that would fit onto the post. I have a few more if you want me to e-mail them to you. I have the hardest time getting pictures on this site!

 

[egyptiandan]

I can see the small bits and they look fine. I can though see one tear on the top of the whole scute on the right hand side of the picture.
It's on the right hand side of that scute, it looks like a small pyramid with a slightly longer bit at the top. You can use your finger nails to unattach it from the scute, just scratch it down towards the scute it came from.

Danny

 

[MarysTort]

Wow, Danny you are amazing! You can see all that in the picture? You must really know what to look for!

So how do I stop this from happening anymore?

 

[egyptiandan]

Not sure if you can stop it, just have to keep an eye on things and scrape the bits that are sticking before they get to big.

Danny

 

[Yvonne G]

Not sure if you can stop it, just have to keep an eye on things and scrape the bits that are sticking before they get to big.

Danny

Danny: Would a little more moisture in the habitat help?

Yvonne

 

[egyptiandan]

It can't hurt I haven't had it happen in quite a while and I don't remember changing anything.

Danny

 

[MarysTort]

I'll try a little more moisture..... His substrate is already moist for most of the day and night. Not sure how much more i could add. Around 60 % humidity a foot above his enclosure.

So is it just kind of random? I hope it doesn't get worse.