Russian hatchling...possible soft shell???

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Dec 13, 2019
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Omaha, Nebraska
I recently soaked my Russian hatchlings and I weighed them at the same time. Over the last month, one of my hatchlings has lost weight, about 2 grams.

This had me concerned, so I checked him out and didn't see any signs of illness or injuries; however, when I checked his shell by VERY gently squeezing him on the sides and then again on the top and bottom, I noticed his shell has a lot more "give" to it compared to the other two.

Obviously, I didn't apply a lot of pressure because I certainly didn't want to hurt, but there was a noticeable difference in how "flexible" his shell was compared to the other two.

I see him eat every day and I have the necessary UVB and heat lights for them. I also use a calcium supplement with D3 on their food 2-3 times per week.

Does anyone know if this is something I should be concerned about? His shell is hard to the touch if I just pet him on the top shell and it feels the same as the other two.

Maybe I'm worried about nothing, but his weight loss is a little concerning as well. I feed them dark leafy greens and rotate between, mustard greens, turnip greens, collard greens, kale, and dandelion greens. We also give them Mazuri Small Tortoise Diet LS 1-2 times per week.

Does he need a vet visit or am I doing something wrong that I need to fix? He used to be the most active of all three hatchlings and it seems recently that he has become the least active now. I'm really worried about the little guy...
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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The plastron (bottom) will be soft for a while. But it would be unusual if you have multiple tortoises and only one is different.
Are you certain that your UV light is performing correctly?
What type is it?
 
Joined
Dec 13, 2019
Messages
34
Location (City and/or State)
Omaha, Nebraska
The plastron (bottom) will be soft for a while. But it would be unusual if you have multiple tortoises and only one is different.
Are you certain that your UV light is performing correctly?
What type is it?

I have a Reptisun T5 High Output fluorescent bulb and the Zoo Med Powersun MVB 100W bulb. Both bulbs are brand new. They are approximately two weeks old, so I assume they are working, but I don't have a UV Meter to be able guarantee that.
 

ZEROPILOT

REDFOOT WRANGLER
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I have a Reptisun T5 High Output fluorescent bulb and the Zoo Med Powersun MVB 100W bulb. Both bulbs are brand new. They are approximately two weeks old, so I assume they are working, but I don't have a UV Meter to be able guarantee that.
The T5 alone is probably sufficient.
Hopefully someone will be along with another theory
 

Quadro

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I’m not an expert by no means just had a thought about kale though doesn’t it have something in it that binds the calcium and makes it unusable in tortoises if they eat it ? I’m pretty sure that is what someone from zoo med told us when we had kale in our reptile dishes said to really limit it so I barely feed it to any of my torts or beardy . Maybe someone with more knowledge than me can chime in on this ? let the learning begin !
 

Toddrickfl1

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I’m not an expert by no means just had a thought about kale though doesn’t it have something in it that binds the calcium and makes it unusable in tortoises if they eat it ? I’m pretty sure that is what someone from zoo med told us when we had kale in our reptile dishes said to really limit it so I barely feed it to any of my torts or beardy . Maybe someone with more knowledge than me can chime in on this ? let the learning begin !
Kale is fine in moderation just not everyday.
 

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