Shell problems

[ethanshowman]

So i left my babys with my family for a month they have been primaliry fed grass and weeds from outside and some from what i grow. Over the month they have doubled in size and there shells underneath give a little when i push on it. They get natural sunlight every other day when i am home. They have a calcium block and a reptisun 10.0 uvb new with a basking spot. They got pyramiding on there shell last year and have been on a more natural diet for them since.

 

[JoesMum]

The give in their shells suggests something hasn't been right with diet and/or UVB in your absence.

Photos of the enclosure and lighting will give us a better idea if there are any problems now.

Have you read the TFO care sheets?

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

How to raise a healthy Sulcata
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/how-to-raise-a-healthy-sulcata-or-leopard-version-2-0.79895/

Pairs
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/pairs.34837/

 

[ethanshowman]

There in a 4foot long by 3 foot wide tortoise table with lighting 12 inches above. They get a hour of natural sunlight 1 to 2 hours a day 3 times a week they have 2 hides and are on cypress mulch bedding they have a warm spot that gets up to 100 on the high averages 95 degrees the cool end is around 70 to 75 debending on time of day. Ive stuck with a diet primarily of grasses i grow plus weeds and grasses from outside. I recenetly as of 4 months started adding calcium on what they eat 2x a week amd they have always had a calcium block since i have had them. I do not feed anything like fruits. They do get kale once every other week in small amounts mixed with grass and some collards and spring mix very rarely. bulk diet is grasses and weeds. They literally went from 180 grams to 249 in a month and there length also has gone from shell length of 3.2" to 3.6" it seems weird to me that a month ago they had hard bodies and everyrhing was fine other then there little bit of pyramiding from over a year ago too soft bellies and becoming way bigger. there about 2ish years old now. I have read up way before getting them about diet and eveything they need and had it ready

 

[ethanshowman]

I have a good records of growth over this year of jan and weight i try to keep tabs on it monthly make sure all is good. They are extremely active in the morning till mid day and at night and have no loss for appetitie

 

[Eduardo Hernandez]

Are you housing several in the same enclosure?

Also, as JoesMum said photos would be best.

 

[ethanshowman]

Yes 2 housed together but i dont see how 2 being housed together would cause issues. The lighting set up is taken off for cleaning its a uvb 18 ich 10.0 reptisun with a 65 watt floodlight at 12 inchs away

 

[JoesMum]

Read the threads I linked to earlier and compare with your setup.

These torts need a diet of weedy leafy greens; grass forms part but not all of their diet. I don't think they're getting enough variety in their diet. You're right to avoid fruit, but they must have leafy greens every day.

They need a tiny sprinkle of calcium on food three times a week.

They need a closed chamber, not an open table, to enable you to properly control humidity and temperatures

They need exposure to UVB through a lamp at this size. Their outdoor time should be limited until they get bigger.

Sulcatas, even at this size, are bullies and very territorial. Having two together can mean that they don't eat or rest properly. Bullying is not always physical. They are more likely to thrive when kept separately. They don't get lonely.

You will soon have 2 100lb bulldozers on your hands that will not cohabit nicely and must live outdoors. Sulcatas grow fast.

 

[Kasia]

Yes 2 housed together but i dont see how 2 being housed together would cause issues. The lighting set up is taken off for cleaning its a uvb 18 ich 10.0 reptisun with a 65 watt floodlight at 12 inchs away

It would. Search this forum and you will find many dramatic situations involving tortoise housed in pairs. One gets bullied, it's health starts declining, stops eating, gets beaten up, eye poked out etc. Better safe then sorry. Separate them for their well-being.

 

[ethanshowman]

Both have the shell issue where it gives a little on the bottom if pressed on and is not completely flat. i am concerned in the fact that they have a soft belly after a month and have grown extremely quick in size in such a short time. They have proper housing space heat lighting small amounts of sun every other day. My tortoises get fed Mainly grass and broad leaf weeds from outside but they get in the mixture all kinds of different greens like cactus pads flowers mazuri tortoise diet collards small amounts of kale. weeds like mallow dandelions. I literally go outside and pick things from a list of things that are edible and allowed for them to be eat and give them varriation i also bring them outside and place them in a area where they can roam around and graze for a bit while its still nice out so they don't overheat in the Arizona sun. they get a soaking 2-3x a week for 15mins. also i mist the enclosure down every day so they have humidity and one box has more bedding in it which stays moist so they have a humid area to go too. 5 months ago i had a issue with ones beak and made sure then to get proper lighting and made bigger changes with diet more varriety and adding the repti calcium with d3 few times a week on there food and making sure humidity was good and they have been thriving more since then and growing.

 

[JoesMum]

I'm sorry, but I find lots of words in one long paragraph very hard to read and cannot get a picture on my mind of your enclosure.

I have given you links that you need to read and compare with your setup.

The fact that their belly is soft suggests they are not getting the tight diet and/or UVB.

Without photos I don't think I can help further.

 

[ethanshowman]

i posted a photo of the enclosure if its not showing for ya ill post another but its showing for me

 

[ethanshowman]

i read on the links and basically from what i read i have everything how they talked about that is why i am confused the shell is not soft it kinda gives a little when i press on it some in the center the shell underneath is hard but is not completely flat like i see on my russian tortoises and lepoards the center piece sticks out a little more it use to be rounded. When i say give it is a little bit not a whole lot which is weird to me and the bottom looks weird

 

[Kasia]

i read on the links and basically from what i read i have everything how they talked about that is why i am confused the shell is not soft it kinda gives a little when i press on it some in the center the shell underneath is hard but is not completely flat like i see on my russian tortoises and lepoards the center piece sticks out a little more it use to be rounded. When i say give it is a little bit not a whole lot which is weird to me and the bottom looks weird

They are still small and growing so probably that's just what you feel when saying they give in. Your Russian is probably bit older and yes their undersides will be different. Irregularities and bumps are quite normal. Mine leo has similar stuff. I would be worried if the softness would progress. And still I would separate them. Stress can cause loads of issues including death.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Yes 2 housed together but i dont see how 2 being housed together would cause issues.

Here are two sulcata's I adopted into my place. Same age, same hatch date, same everything. The previous owners KNEW that the only difference between the re was that one grew faster than the other.
They thought they, "snuggled" under the UV light and that one just was faster to eat than the other. These two would have been in such worse shape had they not found someone willing to offer healthier care for them. Remember while looking a the picture, there was no, "fighting" ever observed between the two.
Again, they are naturally loners in the wild.