Shell Crack!!

_emf

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Hello! Shelly was getting her soak today when i noticed some weird marks on her shell. It looks like her skin is showing, sorry I don’t know how else to describe it. If anyone can please help me figure out what this is or if its hurting her, how can i help her? She has been growing a lot for the past couple of months. Is this normal?
I’ve attached pictures of her (in general) and the marks.
 

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zolasmum

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I think they might just be growth lines, especially since you say she is growing. That's the way tortoises shells expand as they grow. Her shell looks nice and smooth otherwise.
Angie
 

Thomas tortoise

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I think they might just be growth lines, especially since you say she is growing. That's the way tortoises shells expand as they grow. Her shell looks nice and smooth otherwise.
Angie
There looks like blood. I dont think growth lines bleed. @Tom ?
Hello! Shelly was getting her soak today when i noticed some weird marks on her shell. It looks like her skin is showing, sorry I don’t know how else to describe it. If anyone can please help me figure out what this is or if its hurting her, how can i help her? She has been growing a lot for the past couple of months. Is this normal?
I’ve attached pictures of her (in general) and the marks.
Is there anything in the enclosure that would scratch her shell?
 

_emf

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Apr 20, 2021
Messages
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Location (City and/or State)
CA
Hello! Shelly was getting her soak today when i noticed some weird marks on her shell. It looks like her skin is showing, sorry I don’t know how else to describe it. If anyone can please help me figure out what this is or if its hurting her, how can i help her? She has been growing a lot for the past couple of months. Is this normal?
I’ve attached pictures of her (in general) and the marks.
Updated pictures after her soak.
 

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Maro2Bear

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I would say it’s a combination of two things - brand new growth between scutes is tender & it looks like this area is then being rubbed against an enclosure/nightbox entrance or against a rock or rock.

We had this happen to our Sully years ago. A tender area between scutes got rubbed on a wooden gate - it then appeared to ooze a bit. We put neosporin on for a few days & it was all better. (And i fixed the gate).
 

_emf

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I think they might just be growth lines, especially since you say she is growing. That's the way tortoises shells expand as they grow. Her shell looks nice and smooth otherwise.
Angie
There looks like blood. I dont think growth lines bleed. @Tom ?

Is there anything in the enclosure that would scratch her shell?
There looks like blood. I dont think growth lines bleed. @Tom ?

Is there anything in the enclosure that would scratch her shell?

No, nothing in her enclosure that can scratch her shell. But this did spark a thought, she has been digging under a planter. Perhaps thats it? I’ll remove the planter just incase
 

_emf

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I would say it’s a combination of two things - brand new growth between scutes is tender & it looks like this area is then being rubbed against an enclosure/nightbox entrance or against a rock or rock.

We had this happen to our Sully years ago. A tender area between scutes got rubbed on a wooden gate - it then appeared to ooze a bit. We put neosporin on for a few days & it was all better. (And i fixed the gate).
She has been digging under a planter that’s pretty solid, thats the only thing i can think of. She doesn’t have anything in her inclosure that can scratch her.
Thank you! I’ll begin to put Neosporin on it.
 

TammyJ

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No, nothing in her enclosure that can scratch her shell. But this did spark a thought, she has been digging under a planter. Perhaps thats it? I’ll remove the planter just incase
Your tortoise is absolutely beautiful. If you move the planter, does she have an alternative hide or burrow? Can we see some pictures of her enclosure?
 

Tom

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Hello! Shelly was getting her soak today when i noticed some weird marks on her shell. It looks like her skin is showing, sorry I don’t know how else to describe it. If anyone can please help me figure out what this is or if its hurting her, how can i help her? She has been growing a lot for the past couple of months. Is this normal?
I’ve attached pictures of her (in general) and the marks.
That is typical of how the growth looks in dry SoCal. Soak often and do your best to keep humidity high in the night box. Keep the ground damp when possible and use sprinklers and misters in hotter weather frequently.
 

_emf

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Your tortoise is absolutely beautiful. If you move the planter, does she have an alternative hide or burrow? Can we see some pictures of her enclosure?

Thank you. We bought our house 2 years ago and are still in the process of updating the yard. She just digs under the planter. Here are come pictures of the enclosure. We put something over it since it rained a couple days ago. The lamp also doesn’t hang that low, when I open it it dropped.
 

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_emf

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That is typical of how the growth looks in dry SoCal. Soak often and do your best to keep humidity high in the night box. Keep the ground damp when possible and use sprinklers and misters in hotter weather frequently.

Thank you Tom.
 

Tom

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Thank you. We bought our house 2 years ago and are still in the process of updating the yard. She just digs under the planter. Here are come pictures of the enclosure. We put something over it since it rained a couple days ago. The lamp also doesn’t hang that low, when I open it it dropped.
My first attempts at night boxes were similar looking to yours. Time to learn and improve. Heat lamps are ineffective for large tortoises. If you keep using them, you will do damage to the carapace. Also, the night box needs to be sealed and insulted for your heating elements to work effectively. Here are two examples of night boxes for you, with two different heating strategies:


 

_emf

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My first attempts at night boxes were similar looking to yours. Time to learn and improve. Heat lamps are ineffective for large tortoises. If you keep using them, you will do damage to the carapace. Also, the night box needs to be sealed and insulted for your heating elements to work effectively. Here are two examples of night boxes for you, with two different heating strategies:



Thank you Tom! I sent the links to my husband, we’ll definitely be working on a new enclosure this weekend!
 

Tom

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Thank you Tom! I sent the links to my husband, we’ll definitely be working on a new enclosure this weekend!
Questions are welcome. Here are two additional threads that should help with the build:

 

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