Russian Tortoise Shell Peeling

[Sallie&Toby]

Hi I've had my Russian tortoise Toby for about 2 and a half years now (I think he's probably aged between 3/4 he was quite young when I got him) and in the last few months I've noticed that one side of his shell has started to get a yellow discolouration and recently I've noticed some parts of his scutes on the side have started to peel slightly.

His substrate is a mix between sand and loam soil but it gets dry very easily. I have a Mercury vapour UVA/UVB/heat bulb for him but also bark hide for him to get away from the light and heat. I sprinkle his food (Russian tort friendly leaves & weeds) with calcium 2/3 times a week. He has access to his water bowl every day but he rarely goes near it. I have only had a chance to soak him around once a week for an hour for the last few months also(because I've been doing exams, which I have finished now)

Is his shell problem because of dehydration? Or is it something much worse?

I've attached some photos that I took of his shell today-

 

[Yellow Turtle01]

Hello
I can't help you with his shell, but it certainly looks like he's grown rather quickly! It also looks like he's got a little bit of pyramiding going on, his sand just stays too dry.
Please get rid of that sand, there are multiple problems that can stem from that! If you haven't read it-
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/
Your diet sounds great, weeds are delicious Calcium only needs to be fed eve just once a week
Great bulb, too...
Could we have an enclosure picture?

 

[WillTort2]

From your description, I see two things that could be problems.

I would replace the substrate with coco-coir to hold moisture and to avoid sand causing impaction.

Also, put in a 18" or longer tube light 10.0 UV to give better UV. The mercury vapor lights only put out uv for the first few months after that it's just a heat source. As we all agree the best uv source is sunlight, so outdoor time would be ideal.

The shell looks a little pyramided. Raise the humidity in the enclosure and soak your tortoise at least twice a week when humidity is under 40% indoors.

Good luck.

PS: might try some TNT from Carolina Tortoise Supply as a supplement.

 

[Sallie&Toby]

Thank you both! I'll try and buy new substrate for him tomorrow hopefully that will help as well as soaking him more often!

I'm planning on getting him a bigger enclosure soon but here's a picture of it at the moment -

The yellow is his waterbowl he can fit into it now but I'll probably need to buy a bigger one soon!

 

[Sallie&Toby]

He goes out into his outdoor run usually around 4 times a week (if the weather is nice) and as you can see from the picture ^ his enclosure is right beside my window