Shell Chipping?

TONYTORT

Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2021
Messages
17
Location (City and/or State)
Wilmington
Hi friends! We have a Russian Tortoise and recently noticed that a piece of the back part of his shell chipped off. He's pretty active now but he had a rough start when we rescued him a year ago (malnourished, didn't move legs, no UVB, etc.) so we attributed the chip to climbing or something. He was checked by a vet at that point and we were told nothing was wrong. Flash forward a year with the help of the forum- we've gotten him to the point of climbing and using those back legs. Overall we were feeling pretty good! That is until we noticed the other parts of his shell around that one beginning to go slightly opaque and then chipping off. I'll attach some pictures- let me know if you all think it could be attributed to environment or if he has shell rot.
Thanks!
TonyTort

IMG_7752.jpgIMG_7750.jpg
pp.s. please pardon the piece of hair that was on him when I took the pic, I think it fell off of my sleeve haha. Also the small white flecks are calcium particles. He had calcium with his food today and it got all over him!

Also when we got him he had those purple marks on his shell. We took him to the vet when we got him almost a year ago and they were not concerned about them.

Thanks!
 

zovick

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Joined
Nov 17, 2013
Messages
3,388
Hi friends! We have a Russian Tortoise and recently noticed that a piece of the back part of his shell chipped off. He's pretty active now but he had a rough start when we rescued him a year ago (malnourished, didn't move legs, no UVB, etc.) so we attributed the chip to climbing or something. He was checked by a vet at that point and we were told nothing was wrong. Flash forward a year with the help of the forum- we've gotten him to the point of climbing and using those back legs. Overall we were feeling pretty good! That is until we noticed the other parts of his shell around that one beginning to go slightly opaque and then chipping off. I'll attach some pictures- let me know if you all think it could be attributed to environment or if he has shell rot.
Thanks!
TonyTort

View attachment 339559View attachment 339560
pp.s. please pardon the piece of hair that was on him when I took the pic, I think it fell off of my sleeve haha. Also the small white flecks are calcium particles. He had calcium with his food today and it got all over him!

Also when we got him he had those purple marks on his shell. We took him to the vet when we got him almost a year ago and they were not concerned about them.

Thanks!
The tortoise does not have shell rot. The chipped areas might possibly be due to some old injury the tortoise had even before you got him, such as being dropped and hitting that corner of the shell on a hard surface.

Other than that, the shell appears to be quite dry. Do you soak the tortoise daily? If not, I would recommend soaking it daily in warm water for 15-20 minutes to help keep it hydrated and improve the condition of the shell.
 

TONYTORT

Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2021
Messages
17
Location (City and/or State)
Wilmington
The tortoise does not have shell rot. The chipped areas might possibly be due to some old injury the tortoise had even before you got him, such as being dropped and hitting that corner of the shell on a hard surface.

Other than that, the shell appears to be quite dry. Do you soak the tortoise daily? If not, I would recommend soaking it daily in warm water for 15-20 minutes to help keep it hydrated and improve the condition of the shell.
we soak him about every 3 days for 15-20 minutes, but we will switch to daily soaks! Thank you for the advice! Glad to hear it is not shell rot.
 

zolasmum

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
May 19, 2015
Messages
2,003
we soak him about every 3 days for 15-20 minutes, but we will switch to daily soaks! Thank you for the advice! Glad to hear it is not shell rot.
I wonder if the purple marks could be where his shell was marked with paint by a previous owner or breeder. Possibly a bit of gentle brushing with a toothbrush - and maybe some hand soap- would help get it off in time.
Angie (from Devon)
 

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