Shell Rot?

Makenna.jane

New Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2019
Messages
2
Location (City and/or State)
Utah
I have had George for about 4 months.
About a month ago I had a problem with his heating pad, and his shell got soft. I fixed the pad and soaked him more, and also used coconut oil and avocado oil on his shell and it seemed to help him heal nicely.
But he has this on his feet and I can’t quite figure out what it is. It doesn’t seem to bother him, and The steps I take to fix it are working, but I am curious what you think it is.
(Also an extra question, do you think female or male)

image.jpg image.jpg image.jpg
 

Makenna.jane

New Member
Joined
Feb 16, 2019
Messages
2
Location (City and/or State)
Utah
It's not fungus.
They might be burns.
Describe your heating pad and how you're using it.
Also, do you have a UVB light? A soft shell is not normal.

So During the winter I had used a heating pad under his enclosure. I am not currently using a heating pad now, it was just for nights when it would get Super cold. And his temp was super low.
Yes I have a UVB light, His shell was soft before I got the correct lighting setup, but is now hardening up nicely.
(and here in a month or so, he will be outside pretty much everyday)
 

Yvonne G

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What type of substrate do you have in his enclosure? To me it looks like what would be a skinned knee on a human - some sort of scrape from the rough floor of his enclosure.

Heating pads aren't a good option for baby tortoises. They aren't mentally sharp enough to realize they can move off of it when it gets too hot. If you have your baby set up in a closed enclosure, you can set the temperature to run at around 80-85F degrees all over the whole enclosure, day and night, and there is no need for a heating pad. The heat is provided by the light during the day and a CHE or RHP at night.

CHE = ceramic heat emitter (hanging from the ceiling of the enclosure)
RHP = Radiant Heat Panel (mounted on the side wall or ceiling of the enclosure)
 
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