Rupert has a sore on his head on the right side and it concerns me!!!

[Bdelag7389]

Hello everyone! My baby Ivory Sulcata Rupert has an issue that is concerning me. He has a growth near his ear on the right side that in the past two weeks has changed. At first it was two yellowish spots and now it has turned blackish and has grown a little in size. Can anyone tell me what it may be. It looks to have possibly puss in side it but again I am not sure. He allows me to rub it and it does not to cause him discomfort please help Rupert and myself. I got Rupert (male) and Clair (female) in April of this year and since they seem to be very happy and have grown almost 3 times in size with no issues until I noticed the growth on Rupert. Please help with suggestions and advice. I was thinking about just allowing it to go through its stages what ever it may be and let Rupert's body fight it, but then I get very concerned that may be the wrong thing to do. I have attached pics for you all to see. Again thanks for being here and I am very happy to be part of this forum. Brent

 

[Melis]

Hello!

Perhaps @Yvonne G could be of assistance.

(And what distinguishes this little guy as ivory? From those pics, he looks like a normal colored Sulcata. And how do you know the sexes?)

 

[TriciaStringer]

It looks like an ear abscess. I think Yvonne will know. Put “ear abscess” in the search and some posts will come up.

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Hello!

Perhaps @Yvonne G could be of assistance.

(And what distinguishes this little guy as ivory? From those pics, he looks like a normal colored Sulcata. And how do you know the sexes?)

I was wondering the same thing about it being ivory. That looks like a normal Sulcata to me.

 

[Bdelag7389]

Hello!

Perhaps @Yvonne G could be of assistance.

(And what distinguishes this little guy as ivory? From those pics, he looks like a normal colored Sulcata. And how do you know the sexes?)

When I purchased the pair from Tortoise market place I asked for a HET Sulcata pair a male and female and they sent me these little ones. One was mark male and one female. As they have grown the one marked male is bigger than the female and the female seems a lot more cautious than the male and is shy as well.

 

[Bdelag7389]

When I purchased the pair from Tortoise market place I asked for a HET Sulcata pair a male and female and they sent me these little ones. One was mark male and one female. As they have grown the one marked male is bigger than the female and the female seems a lot more cautious than the male and is shy as well.

The Het's are also called Ivory Torts.

 

[Toddrickfl1]

Yikes those look like regular Sulcatas, and there's no way to sex a Sulcata that small even if they were temperature incubated that's not guaranteed. Also one growing faster than the other, and the female being more shy and cautious is a sign of bullying, tortoises shouldn't be kept in pairs.

 

[Bdelag7389]

Hello!

Perhaps @Yvonne G could be of assistance.

(And what distinguishes this little guy as ivory? From those pics, he looks like a normal colored Sulcata. And how do you know the sexes?)

It looks like an ear abscess. I think Yvonne will know. Put “ear abscess” in the search and some posts will come up.

When I purchased them from the Tortoise market place I asked for Het/Ivory Sulcata Torts one male and one female. They sent me the two you see in the pics marked male and female. The male has grown larger than the female and the female is catious and shy nothing like the male. The male eats much more than the female. As they have grown they have changed shell color yet their skin heads and necks are still very ivory in color when u see them in their home...

Yikes those look like regular Sulcatas, and there's no way to sex a Sulcata that small even if they were temperature incubated that's not guaranteed. Also one growing faster than the other, and the female being more shy and cautious is a sign of bullying, tortoises shouldn't be kept in pairs.

They get along great and each feed with no problem. They share food and are observed each and every time they eat. We see no bullying going on. They each eat at the same time and when finished they wonder off to do their own thing...Neither is wanting for more food. There are feeding stations throughout their home and each go to the one they like. it is all good thanks for the concern....

 

[TriciaStringer]

How is his head looking this morning?

 

[Melis]

Did you have to pay more for the “ivory” or for a certain sex?

The things you stated and referenced by toddrick are a serious concern. People think of bullying as physical, but a lot could be going on mentally that you can’t see.
How large is their enclosure? If you would like some help with their setup, posting a full pic could help us give you some tips. Some things noticed from those pics that could help:
It appears to be an open aired enclosure; if so, you should really have it enclosed to maintain humidity for healthy growth.
Those temp/humidity gauges can be very inaccurate; something digital should be used.
The water dish should be shallow and sunk down into the substrate. Many recommend a terra-cotta plant saucer.

This should also give your thread a bump so someone more experienced can help with his sore.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings. Moving along to the sore. I’m curious how often you are soaking your lil guys? It’s possible the humidity isnt maintained high enough, coupled with perhaps not daily, long soaks? So the neck/sore is very dry, flaking skin patches.

Good luck... theres lots of info here in the Forum that suggests to not keep two together. I always figure, why reinvent the wheel..

Happy Torting!