Shell health

[Walter21]

I want to know if there is anything else I should be doing to get my tortoises shell healthier. When I first got him about 6 months ago his shell was extremely dry and the vet recommended daily soaks. I soak him just about every day or every other day accompanied by a light scrubbing with a tooth brush. This has definitely helped and it is look way better, he even has a little flare on his back end! I’ll attach some photos of what it looks like now. I’ve seen people talk about using oils on their shells is that something that is recommended or should I be doing anything else to help the process?

 

[Markw84]

You have a nice looking, older adult tortoise. That is the wear and tear of age! Since tortoises do not shed their scutes at all, what they are born with, stays with them their whole life. A wild tortoise, or breeding female will start getting considerable wear over time. Yours is a great example of a nice looking adult Russian (Horsefield) tortoise. Looks like under your care it is starting to put on a nice growth spurt too!