PLEASE HELP!!!! (shell problem)

[Cloeanthea]

This is my first post here so I’ll go ahead & introduce myself! I have a male Sulcata who goes by the name of Tucker! Not exactly sure how old he is on account of him being my boyfriends!
Anyways I’m looking for help! I’ve read on here that tortoise do NOT shed their scutes however I’m seeing some flaking/peeling on the shell of my tucker
I keep him dry most of the time but give him 3 soaks a week to keep his shell hydrated! This hasn’t seemed to help the flaking! Should I be worried? He has a balanced diet and doesn’t use a heat lamp right now because it’s still hot (we live in Phoenix Arizona, it’s been 100 on average for the last month) please answer with anything I’m desperate!!!

 

[TammyJ]

Hi and thanks for coming here for help! Someone will shortly come along and advise you, regarding how you should be keeping him. He is probably too dry among other things to do with incorrect husbandry from before you got him. All the best! We will definitely need some pics and information on exactly what you are feeding him and his enclosure, temperatures and humidity levels etc.
If that is him in the picture, he sure needs help right away.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings.

Can't see the pix yet, but make sure you start soaking daily and for longer periods of time.

Theres no reason to “keep him dry” most of the time.

Read more info here... https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

Good luck

 

[Cloeanthea]

Greetings.

Can't see the pix yet, but make sure you start soaking daily and for longer periods of time.

Theres no reason to “keep him dry” most of the time.

Read more info here... https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

Good luck

This was not helpful-

Hi and thanks for coming here for help! Someone will shortly come along and advise you, regarding how you should be keeping him. He is probably too dry among other things to do with incorrect husbandry from before you got him. All the best! We will definitely need some pics and information on exactly what you are feeding him and his enclosure, temperatures and humidity levels etc.
If that is him in the picture, he sure needs help right away.

can you elaborate on why my tortoise “needs help right away” what are the things that stand out to you from the pictures above? His shell doesn’t smell or have any odor, it’s hard despite the flaking, he is active and eats mostly grass and cabbage with the occasional hibiscus leafs/flowers as treats. As I said above we live in PHOENIX ARIZONA, it’s not humid here at all it’s actually a desert! So with this information I hope everyone can please give some USEFUL advice instead of sending me to external links & or wishing me luck and saying he’s dying

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Here on this forum we have some tried and true detailed post for what needs to be done by y’all. For me, without going back and reading, often times people don’t keep their sulcatas warm enough at night nor do they provide proper humidity during this time. [emoji848]

 

[Maro2Bear]

Sorry the link i provided wasn't helpful to you, your pictures had not yet uploaded to the site. That said, the provided link does provide the tried and true and proven means to care for a Sulcata.

I understand you live in hot dry Arizona - but this is possibly part of the issue. Hot dry conditions aren't really what a Sulcata needs. Your tort’s shell appears very very dry. Id suggest a lot more soaking. What kind of a night box do you have set up for a nighttime enclosure and how are you heating it (if at all).

Hope that helps.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

In the browse folder y’all can find files for tortoises around the world. Go to Africa, then click on sulcata which will give you access to lots of important things to read. [emoji41]

 

[Relic]

Looking at the pictures it shows normal grow lines between the scutes, except in that "problem" area in the front left quadrant, where there is lifting & overlapping of the scutes and no obvious growth lines. It almost appears that there has been an injury at some point in the past, and it has affected the growth in this area. It will probably take a trip to a knowledgeable reptile vet (and perhaps an x-ray) to determine the extent of the problem and possible treatment. Hopefully, the tort is eating and moving about normally, and the trip probably doesn't fall under the "emergency trip" category just yet...

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Looking at the pictures it shows normal grow lines between the scutes, except in that "problem" area in the front left quadrant, where there is lifting & overlapping of the scutes and no obvious growth lines. It almost appears that there has been an injury at some point in the past, and it has affected the growth in this area. It will probably take a trip to a knowledgeable reptile vet (and perhaps an x-ray) to determine the extent of the problem and possible treatment. Hopefully, the tort is eating and moving about normally, and the trip probably doesn't fall under the "emergency trip" category just yet...

Yeah, @Relic
I can't see well. Especially on my phone right now. But it looks like a crushing injury to me too.

 

[Tom]

Your tortoise has some irregular scute growth happening all over there. I'd guess it is due to conditions that are too dry.

Does the tortoise burrow during your summers? Does it have a heated night box with some humidity?

 

[wellington]

@Neal can you help here. I know you dont have sullies but you live in the same area and have or had leopards which as you know is the same care as this OP's sulcata.
So far they are not happy with the help the others are trying to give.
Maybe coming from someone that lives in the same area can get through what needs to be done when keeping non native species in very hot and dry AZ.
Thanks

 

[Cloeanthea]

Greetings.

Can't see the pix yet, but make sure you start soaking daily and for longer periods of time.

Theres no reason to “keep him dry” most of the time.

Read more info here... https://tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

Good luck

Looking at the pictures it shows normal grow lines between the scutes, except in that "problem" area in the front left quadrant, where there is lifting & overlapping of the scutes and no obvious growth lines. It almost appears that there has been an injury at some point in the past, and it has affected the growth in this area. It will probably take a trip to a knowledgeable reptile vet (and perhaps an x-ray) to determine the extent of the problem and possible treatment. Hopefully, the tort is eating and moving about normally, and the trip probably doesn't fall under the "emergency trip" category just yet...

yes thank you! He is really active and his shell doesn’t have an order and is strong! I did read online that this could be growth!

 

[Cloeanthea]

@Neal can you help here. I know you dont have sullies but you live in the same area and have or had leopards which as you know is the same care as this OP's sulcata.
So far they are not happy with the help the others are trying to give.
Maybe coming from someone that lives in the same area can get through what needs to be done when keeping non native species in very hot and dry AZ.
Thanks

thank you!

 

[Cloeanthea]

Your tortoise has some irregular scute growth happening all over there. I'd guess it is due to conditions that are too dry.

Does the tortoise burrow during your summers? Does it have a heated night box with some humidity?

So this is a problem! I’ve never seen tucker burrow however I have read online that it helps keep their shell hydrated! What can I do? Not sure if he even knows how to burrow!

 

[Cloeanthea]

Yeah, @Relic
I can't see well. Especially on my phone right now. But it looks like a crushing injury to me too.

I’m really not sure about that- he’s been in my boyfriends family since he was born & no reports of an accident/crushing, HOWEVER he hasn’t been given water his WHOLE LIFE- for some reason my boyfriends parents didn’t think he needed water?!?! I almost wonder if the scute deformation is from dehydration/ not well diet growing up

 

[Cloeanthea]

Sorry the link i provided wasn't helpful to you, your pictures had not yet uploaded to the site. That said, the provided link does provide the tried and true and proven means to care for a Sulcata.

I understand you live in hot dry Arizona - but this is possibly part of the issue. Hot dry conditions aren't really what a Sulcata needs. Your tort’s shell appears very very dry. Id suggest a lot more soaking. What kind of a night box do you have set up for a nighttime enclosure and how are you heating it (if at all).

Hope that helps.

I’m not sure if this helps but he doesn’t burrow I’ve never seen him do it & I did read this helps with the shell- could this be a reason for all the flaking? Right now we are not using a heating lamp because it’s still in the 80’s at night here in Arizona- I’ve read that being too close to heat can also hurt their shell..

 

[Cloeanthea]

Here on this forum we have some tried and true detailed post for what needs to be done by y’all. For me, without going back and reading, often times people don’t keep their sulcatas warm enough at night nor do they provide proper humidity during this time. [emoji848]

It would help if you could take some time to actually read up on this thread I typed up- despite the easy assumption of “not being kept warm enough” I don’t think that’s the problem here! Thanks!

 

[Cloeanthea]

Your tortoise has some irregular scute growth happening all over there. I'd guess it is due to conditions that are too dry.

Does the tortoise burrow during your summers? Does it have a heated night box with some humidity?

he does have a heating box but now can I add/ make it more humid for him? I’m sure this is an issue, I live in Arizona which is a desert so we have no humidity usually! He also hasn’t been taken care of 100% by his previous owners (they didn’t even know he needed fresh water) so he’s gone most of his life scavenging for water as it is!

 

[Jules321]

My sulcata has done really well in Phoenix for the last 20 years, we had to stop him from burrowing about 8 years ago after an incident where he got trapped in his burrow for 4 days. He doesn't need a burrow but he does need a covered space that can feel like a burrow (I added a picture of what he has now note it gets good shade to help stay cooler) and it's best to have dirt floors- you can spray water on the dirt floor every couple days and that will help create a more burrow like feel
Also I know it's hard in Arizona but he should always have access to water even if it's a smaller bowl than what he can soak in. Arizona is hotter and drier than their natural climate and they can do really well there-but they definitely need access to water all the time. If it's a smaller bowl, He'll put his head into the water and soak/drink when he needs it. Ideally you'd change it out every day to prevent bacteria growth but if it goes a few days it will be fine.

 

[Jules321]

Trying the picture again...