Shell Issue

[Sue Andreski]

I adopted this Sulcata tortoise about eight months ago. Age unknown: I’ve been told anywhere between two years and 10 years. He’s almost a foot long. With a better diet and probably general care and space he is growing at an amazing rate and the pyramiding appears to have leveled out. My question is it looks like the area between the hard scoots may have a pinhole in it (I cannot see a hole) and clear yellowish fluid is slowly leaching out from the body to the shell. The fluid dries to a little crust similar to what happens with salt. Before I get him to a vet does anyone have suggestions on what could be going on? Thanks

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Sue and welcome to the Forum!

It looks like there's been a slight injury to the new growth between the scutes. Is that up on top of the tortoise? Could it be possible that your light/heat is too close to the shell and it has burned the new growth?

You can wash that off and apply Neosporin to the area, but try to figure out why it happened.

 

[Sue Andreski]

Hi Sue and welcome to the Forum!

It looks like there's been a slight injury to the new growth between the scutes. Is that up on top of the tortoise? Could it be possible that your light/heat is too close to the shell and it has burned the new growth?

You can wash that off and apply Neosporin to the area, but try to figure out why it happened.

Thank you and YES, it's not dead center on the shell but directly under the light where he hangs out and burning is a definite possibility! I have used heat mats in the past but this is the first time using a light. I will go with the Neosporin and have already moved the light.

 

[Sue Andreski]

As an update on this, I met a tortoise and turtle breeder and introduced her to Bull regarding the shell injury. It just didn't seem to be healing as expected. She told me she did not think it was heat lamp damage but a fungal infection that she has seen in the past. She recommended applying vasaline on the affected areas. Now, a few weeks later the growth areas have healed nicely and his shell looks normal.