Russian tortoise shell help ?!?!?

jazmine.gomez02

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A02EB976-16E8-40BC-832D-C232D3AAD1F1.jpeg I have my Russian tortoise he’s about one years old maybe a little before one and he’s always had these little white spots but I always wondered what they are ? And how to make them better ? Before it turns into something serious if it is bad ? And other than that how is his shell looking ?
 

Jan A

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View attachment 319904 I have my Russian tortoise he’s about one years old maybe a little before one and he’s always had these little white spots but I always wondered what they are ? And how to make them better ? Before it turns into something serious if it is bad ? And other than that how is his shell looking ?
View attachment 319904 I have my Russian tortoise he’s about one years old maybe a little before one and he’s always had these little white spots but I always wondered what they are ? And how to make them better ? Before it turns into something serious if it is bad ? And other than that how is his shell looking ?
Hey Jasmine...Welcome to the forum. You have a cute tort, but your photo is blurry as to the white spots that you're concerned about. A better photo would help more informed tort owners see what you're concerned about. So try again with another photo, please.
 

Jan A

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Hey Jasmine...Welcome to the forum. You have a cute tort, but your photo is blurry as to the white spots that you're concerned about. A better photo would help more informed tort owners see what you're concerned about. So try again with another photo, please.
Oops, never mind. I see a better photo in one of the 2 rendtions now.
 

jazmine.gomez02

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Oops, never mind. I see a better photo in one of the 2 rendtions now.

sorry ! I’m trying to figure out how to use it still ! After seeing the second picture do you have any suggestion ? Or anything you see ?
 

jazmine.gomez02

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Lyn W

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Does it flake off?
I can't tell if it's some sort of rot or not
Or it could be that his shell has been dried and damaged by heat lamps being too close.

What basking and uvb lamps are you using?

This will help you make sure his enclosure is as safe as possible for him.

Someone who's seen this before will be along soon to help.
 

jazmine.gomez02

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Does it flake off?
I can't tell if it's some sort of rot or not
Or it could be that his shell has been dried and damaged by heat lamps being too close.

What basking and uvb lamps are you using?

This will help you make sure his enclosure is as safe as possible for him.

Someone who's seen this before will be along soon to help.


hiii ! It does not flake off ! And the enclosure I have for him is the zoomed terrarium enclosure I looked at the description and it says for the light bulb “Desert UVB & Heat Lighting Kit. Includes: Mini Combo Deep Dome Lamp Fixture, Repti Basking Spot Lamp (75 w) and ReptiSun 10.0 Mini Compact Fluorescent (13 w)”
 

Tom

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hiii ! It does not flake off ! And the enclosure I have for him is the zoomed terrarium enclosure I looked at the description and it says for the light bulb “Desert UVB & Heat Lighting Kit. Includes: Mini Combo Deep Dome Lamp Fixture, Repti Basking Spot Lamp (75 w) and ReptiSun 10.0 Mini Compact Fluorescent (13 w)”
I have to tell you what is going on, so you know what to fix. Don't be discouraged. Almost everyone starts out with the wrong info. Pets stores always seem to sell the wrong products and give terrible advice.

1. That is an adult. Its not one year old. The pet store is either ignorant or they lied.
2. That enclosure is way too small.
3. Those are the wrong bulbs for tortoises. CFL bulbs can burn their eyes and are not effective UV sources. Spot bulbs put too much carapace desiccating heat into too small of an area.
4. Your tortoise is wild caught. All sort of things happen to them in the wild and in transit, and there isn't much you can do about the carapace chipping. Just offer the best conditions and diet, and it will be what it is.

Follow the care info in the sheet that Lyn linked for you, and questions are welcome.
 

jazmine.gomez02

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I have to tell you what is going on, so you know what to fix. Don't be discouraged. Almost everyone starts out with the wrong info. Pets stores always seem to sell the wrong products and give terrible advice.

1. That is an adult. Its not one year old. The pet store is either ignorant or they lied.
2. That enclosure is way too small.
3. Those are the wrong bulbs for tortoises. CFL bulbs can burn their eyes and are not effective UV sources. Spot bulbs put too much carapace desiccating heat into too small of an area.
4. Your tortoise is wild caught. All sort of things happen to them in the wild and in transit, and there isn't much you can do about the carapace chipping. Just offer the best conditions and diet, and it will be what it is.

Follow the care info in the sheet that Lyn linked for you, and questions are welcome.
Hi Tom thank you for all the knowledge! I will definitely get started on helping my little guy out and getting him the proper stuff , what light bulbs do you recommend to use & is there a way for me to be able to tell how old he is exactly? And since he is an adult does that mean he won’t grow much bigger than he already is ? I wish pet stores could be better at information with these animals
 

Tom

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Hi Tom thank you for all the knowledge! I will definitely get started on helping my little guy out and getting him the proper stuff , what light bulbs do you recommend to use & is there a way for me to be able to tell how old he is exactly? And since he is an adult does that mean he won’t grow much bigger than he already is ? I wish pet stores could be better at information with these animals
There are four elements to heating and lighting:
Basking bulb. I use 65 watt incandescent floods from the hardware store. Some people will need bigger, or smaller wattage bulbs. Let your thermometer be your guide. I run them on a timer for about 12 hours and adjust the height to get the correct basking temp under them. I also like to use a flat rock of some sort directly under the bulb. You need to check the temp with a thermometer directly under the bulb and get it to around 95-100F (36-37C).
Ambient heat maintenance. I use ceramic heating elements or radiant heat panels set on thermostats to maintain ambient above 80 degrees day and night for tropical species like leopards.
Light. I use LEDs for this purpose. Something in the 5000-6500K color range will look the best. Most bulbs at the store are in the 2500K range and they look yellowish. Strip or screw-in bulb types are both fine.
UV. If you can get your tortoise outside for an hour 2 or 3 times a week, you won't need indoor UV. If you want it anyway, get one of the newer HO type fluorescent tubes. Which type will depend on mounting height. 5.0 bulbs make almost no UV. You need a meter to check this: https://www.solarmeter.com/model65.html

There is no way to tell the age if you don't know the hatch date.

He will probably not grow much more.

We all wish pet stores did a better job.
 

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