Russian Tortoise Shell

[Cristin]

This may seem strange but Ive had my Russian Tortoise Simon for over 3 years and I often worry about his shell as in if he appears healthy. He gets 12 hours UVB bulb a day and has an outdoor enclosure during the summer. He eats mainly dandelion, clover, plantain, hawksbit, sowthistle etc and gets calcium on them a few times a week. His substrate is loam soil mixed with some play sand. Im going to attach photos of his shell so you can see. Would love to hear opinions. Thank you!

 

[Cristin]

before I got him he lived in a pet shop for years on sand and a heatmat and was only fed tomato, cabbage and lettuce so Im sure that had an ill affect on him

 

[JoesMum]

His shell is looking pretty smooth and in pretty good shape. I am guessing he is wild caught and that shell is consistent with that.

Play sand, even mixed with other substrate, tends to stick to food and is easily eaten by accident and can become imlacted in the gut. Coco Coir or Orchid bark make better substrates as they hold moisture and help keep humidity levels higher.

Please read the following for best advice on how to care for your Russian
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/

 

[Yvonne G]

Looks just about perfect to me! (...and Welcome to the Forum!)

If you're worried about those new growth lines, you can dab on a bit of coconut oil and rub it into the lines. But polish it all off with an absorbent cloth so dirt doesn't stick to it.