Russian torotise scute flaking

[Timmythetort8]

One of the scutes on my Russian tortoise's shell is flaking a bit, is this normal shedding? It looks like there is a new scute underneath is it just shedding the top layer like scale shedding or this an indication of a health issue? It is the scute circled in the photo.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Probably an old injury, let's see what @zovick and @Tom think.

 

[zovick]

One of the scutes on my Russian tortoise's shell is flaking a bit, is this normal shedding? It looks like there is a new scute underneath is it just shedding the top layer like scale shedding or this an indication of a health issue? It is the scute circled in the photo.

It doesn't look like anything to worry about. There may well be a new scute forming under that flaked area.

That flaked spot may have been damaged from being too close to a heat lamp at some time or it may be from another type of old injury to that scute.

The shell appears to be very dry overall. I would recommend soaking that tortoise at least 3X per week to help hydrate the shell. You could also rub the shell with cold pressed coconut oil to "lubricate" it and make it look healthier.

 

[Timmythetort8]

It doesn't look like anything to worry about. There may well be a new scute forming under that flaked area.

That flaked spot may have been damaged from being too close to a heat lamp at some time or it may be from another type of old injury to that scute.

The shell appears to be very dry overall. I would recommend soaking that tortoise at least 3X per week to help hydrate the shell. You could also rub the shell with cold pressed coconut oil to "lubricate" it and make it look healthier.

Yeah, I see a new scute underneath. He is very rough on his shell so it's probably an old injury, I will soak him multiple times for the next couple weeks to hydrate his shell. Thank you so much!

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

One of the scutes on my Russian tortoise's shell is flaking a bit, is this normal shedding? It looks like there is a new scute underneath is it just shedding the top layer like scale shedding or this an indication of a health issue? It is the scute circled in the photo.

I’ve seen a lot of older wilder caught Russians that have older injuries that eventually start to flake a little like this, I can see other parts of his shell that look like it might do the same thing, it seems to usually be a bit of a ‘looks worse before it gets better’ situation, I’ll see if I can find some pics. As zovick said, doesn’t look anything of major concern, it’ll all smooth out over time, I agree to up soaks for a bit

 

[Tom]

One of the scutes on my Russian tortoise's shell is flaking a bit, is this normal shedding? It looks like there is a new scute underneath is it just shedding the top layer like scale shedding or this an indication of a health issue? It is the scute circled in the photo.

Tortoises don't shed their scutes like aquatic species do. Russians tend to have pretty rough shells in general, and it this was a wild caught, something might have happened to it a long time ago.

Nothing to do about it, other than keep an eye on it. Like Zovick mentioned, make sure your basking bulb isn't too hot. You should be using a regular incandescent flood bulb. No spot bulbs, no halogens, and no mercury vapor bulbs. Check the temperature by laying a digital thermometer on its back directly under the bulb and letting it cook for an hour or more. Adjust the bulb up or down, or use a different wattage, as needed.