Please please help Soft Plastron - Sulcata

[Calliope_TortKeeper]

Hi everyone!

I have 2 Sulcata Tortoises who both have soft plastrons. I first noticed their plastron being soft was a month ago and up until today its still soft.

Tortoise A has a softer plastron than Tortoise B. Though both are very active and are eating, walking, exploring around.

They have direct sunlight for about 2-3 hrs in the morning. They have cuttlebone in the enclosure too and I do sprinkle calcium powder on their food 2/3x per week.

How can I remedy this because other sulcatas I have have hard plastrons and are not as soft as the 2 above being discussed.

They have UVB in their indoor enclosure too and they generally eat Jute Leaves, Gumamela, Pellets, Peperomia, Torenia Flower and graze on Bermuda Grass.

Note: Tort A lost 3 grams since Oct 19 and Tort B lost 2 grams since Oct 19.

Can anyone please help as what needs to be done?

TYA

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Are the two tortoises houses together?

What kind of UVB do you provide indoors?

Is the plastron squishy like a sponge, or does it have give like plastic?

How old are they and how much do they weigh?

 

[Calliope_TortKeeper]

Are the two tortoises houses together?

What kind of UVB do you provide indoors?

Is the plastron squishy like a sponge, or does it have give like plastic?

How old are they and how much do they weigh?

Hiii @The_Four_Toed_Edward thanks so much for your response.
1. Yes they are
2. I use the 10.0 UVB of Reptisun
3. The plastron feels like plastic like the lid of a container. Though tortoise A's plastron is way softer than B's.
4. They are both 7months old and Tortoise A weighs at 58grams while Tortoise B is 69 grams.
Last Oct 19 Tortoise A's weight was 61grams and Tortoise B's weight is 71grams.

The only real cause of concern that I notice right now is that theyve both lost weight and theyre the only ones with much softer plastrons.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Hiii @The_Four_Toed_Edward thanks so much for your response.
1. Yes they are
2. I use the 10.0 UVB of Reptisun
3. The plastron feels like plastic like the lid of a container. Though tortoise A's plastron is way softer than B's.
4. They are both 7months old and Tortoise A weighs at 58grams while Tortoise B is 69 grams.
Last Oct 19 Tortoise A's weight was 61grams and Tortoise B's weight is 71grams.

The only real cause of concern that I notice right now is that theyve both lost weight and theyre the only ones with much softer plastrons.

Do I understand correctly that you have more than two tortoises?

How is their appetite? Are they pooping and peeing normally?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Hiii @The_Four_Toed_Edward thanks so much for your response.
1. Yes they are
2. I use the 10.0 UVB of Reptisun
3. The plastron feels like plastic like the lid of a container. Though tortoise A's plastron is way softer than B's.
4. They are both 7months old and Tortoise A weighs at 58grams while Tortoise B is 69 grams.
Last Oct 19 Tortoise A's weight was 61grams and Tortoise B's weight is 71grams.

The only real cause of concern that I notice right now is that theyve both lost weight and theyre the only ones with much softer plastrons.

do you happen to have a photo of them and a set up pic? They sound small for their age.

First and foremost I’d recommend separating, Tortoise of any species shouldn’t be housed in pairs under any circumstances, 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 the older they get. As babies one commonly stunts the others growth and it can actually cause the other to fail to thrive, hopefully that isn’t the case here, but the stress could be making it a possibility. Anyone who tells you pairs are fine, have no idea what they’re talking about, unfortunately breeders sell pairs too often.

Small groups are ok when there’s lots of land and the correct male to female ratio.

Or are these guys part of a clutch?

Feel free to goes over these links to check your parameters, they’ll each need their own closed chamber set up.

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

This one covers covers correct equipment(uvb, heating bulbs, lighting etc), correct levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need)appropriately maintaining the humidity, safe substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better!

Leopard/sulcata starter

Hello there! In this thread I’m going to include some information below on how I’d personally tackle an indoor starter set up for a leopard/sulcata until they’re bigger. Hopefully it helps give people some ideas!” I know it looks like a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered...

tortoiseforum.org

This covers some different closed chamber options, the most effective being smart enclosures and vivs

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

This one can help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

Ultimately the best you can do for both of them is set them up individually with the correct lighting etc, and make sure temperatures aren’t dropping below 80f anywhere day or night. Keep up with daily soaks too

 

[Calliope_TortKeeper]

Do I understand correctly that you have more than two tortoises?

How is their appetite? Are they pooping and peeing normally?

Yes I have more, their appetite is good. I see them eating and active. I've seen them poop the other day but I don't normally see them pee because I dont see it in their substrate.

 

[Calliope_TortKeeper]

Here are the tortoises
The 1st 3 Pictures are Tortoise A's
and the last 3 Pictures are Tortoise B's