Sallie&Toby
New Member
Hi my Russian tort Toby is 5/6 years old and in the last year or so I've noticed his shell has started to become discoloured and flaky. (Could this just be dirt and snagging his shell on things outside that has caused this?) Now I am worried it might be shell rot? I have also noticed some pyramiding with his shell. Please can someone tell me if I can fix this? Thank you.
The pictures I have uploaded are a comparison between his shell last year and now.
More background on Toby- when I first got him (I was quite young) I really didn't know how to care for a tortoise so his substrate was sand for a long time and also he had a heat mat instead of a lamp.
In the last few years though I have gotten rid of those completely now I realise how harmful they were and his substrate is now coco coir (or sometimes soil) I have a UVB/heat lamp for him and also his diet has been improved with leafy greens and calcium powder occasionally. I'm worried the damage that happened when I first got him as quite a young tortoise (perhaps 1/2 years old) has caused these problems?
