Soft shell

[nahsf]

Hello

I noticed one of my greek tortoises have a soft Shell.
He is smaller, and flatter than the other one, and has a really soft shell (the plastron is like rubber)
They get UV-B (15.0 desert) and a lot of calcium since i noticed this in September, however the small one does not seem to react to the “treatment”.
What can I do in this case ? How long will he live if this continues?
The other one seems to grow and thrive, became harder to the touch since i started giving UV-B.

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Hello

I noticed one of my greek tortoises have a soft Shell.
He is smaller, and flatter than the other one, and has a really soft shell (the plastron is like rubber)
They get UV-B (15.0 desert) and a lot of calcium since i noticed this in September, however the small one does not seem to react to the “treatment”.
What can I do in this case ? How long will he live if this continues?
The other one seems to grow and thrive, became harder to the touch since i started giving UV-B.

How old is the tortoise? Do the tortoises live as a pair?

 

[wellington]

Sounds like you have one of the bulbs that shouldn't be used and gives out poor UV . If it has a bend in the bulb, it's wrong. Only straight tube flourescent should be used for uvb.
Second, if you are housing them as a pair, seperate them ASAP. Tortoises should never be housed in pairs
Get both changes made ASAP.
What else do you have for lighting and heat?
Substrate?
Temps, basking? All over day? Night?
Humidity?
Diet?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Sounds like you have one of the bulbs that shouldn't be used and gives out poor UV . If it has a bend in the bulb, it's wrong. Only straight tube flourescent should be used for uvb.
Second, if you are housing them as a pair, seperate them ASAP. Tortoises should never be housed in pairs
Get both changes made ASAP.
What else do you have for lighting and heat?
Substrate?
Temps, basking? All over day? Night?
Humidity?
Diet?

If you could answer these questions that would be great! It does sound like lighting needs amending and if a pair, they need separating, tortoise of any species should NEVER be housed in pairs under any circumstances, they’re incredibly territorial, behaviours that look cute to us really aren’t, following one another and sleeping huddled up is all bullying the the tortoise world, you’ll eventually see more extreme signs of aggression. Anyone who tells you pairs are fine, have no idea what they’re talking about.
Small groups are ok when there’s lots of land and the correct male to female ratio.

They also need to be housed in their own closed chamber to keep humidity 80+, this is important for hatchlings.

I think hopefully you might find this indoor housing thread I made useful, it covers equipment, levels, importance of a closed chamber for younger tortoises(only way to maintain the humidity you need), appropriately maintaining the humidity, substrates, there’s lots of visual examples for everything and a really handy diet link to check out! If going with a greenhouse, the lower the ceiling height, whilst still allowing for recommended bulb height, the better! I know it says ‘Herman&Russians’ but care is similar

Housing young Russian/Herman

Hello there! In this thread, I’m going to include some information on an effective way to tackle a starter set up/a way you can build a bigger size once your baby is an adult. I know it looks a lot to go over, I like to make sure all bases are covered, I’m happy to break down any information...

tortoiseforum.org

This includes some other closed chamber options

Visual inspiration

Hi guys! I’ve had some lovely messages complimenting me on my care sheets I made for all the visuals they include! That makes me so happy because as a visual learner myself, that was my goal🥰 I’ve recently had some requests for some more visual inspiration for set ups that can house babies/...

tortoiseforum.org

Lastly, probably the most important, this one is also really good to familiarise yourself with, it’ll help you avoid the wrong bulbs, substrates, housing etc, I always encourage double checking purchases on the forum too before buying

Common keeping errors

Hello everyone! I’d been a long time lurker on this site long before joining just under a year ago now, over that time I’ve seen these husbandry issues come up time and time again, sometimes with dire consequences☹️ I thought this thread might serve as a good visual guide for these common...

tortoiseforum.org

I hope they help! And I sure hope your baby gets better!

 

[nahsf]

Oh thank you all for the quick responses
Yes i keep them as a pair as they were sold to me as is, the breeder told me it is fine (i also own a robo hamster which is territorial, never would keep two of them together..)
However based on the responses they should be separated by the weekend. I did not see any agression aside from sleeping next to each other which isnt neccesarily aggression, and maybe climbing on top of each other to walk from point A to point B. Thought this is completely normal as no bites no hissing etc.
UV-B bulb is like a LED bulb(?) im not really good with telling what is it called.
For the enclosure: how could i keep humidity & temps under control? Should i seal it and just leave little part on top open? Or is there a method to?
Also, for h eating i use a 100W bulb, not all day just 1-2 hour a day. When it is sunny i keep them in the sunshine ex. The Window or Where ever the sunrays cover my room.

 

[wellington]

Oh thank you all for the quick responses
Yes i keep them as a pair as they were sold to me as is, the breeder told me it is fine (i also own a robo hamster which is territorial, never would keep two of them together..)
However based on the responses they should be separated by the weekend. I did not see any agression aside from sleeping next to each other which isnt neccesarily aggression, and maybe climbing on top of each other to walk from point A to point B. Thought this is completely normal as no bites no hissing etc.
UV-B bulb is like a LED bulb(?) im not really good with telling what is it called.
For the enclosure: how could i keep humidity & temps under control? Should i seal it and just leave little part on top open? Or is there a method to?
Also, for h eating i use a 100W bulb, not all day just 1-2 hour a day. When it is sunny i keep them in the sunshine ex. The Window or Where ever the sunrays cover my room.

The breeder was wrong, never pairs
To keep humidity and heat where it needs to be, a closed chamber is needed, see the threads by littleredfootbifredheart.
The straight tube flourescent bulb for uvb is needed. If it's not a straight tube uvb bulb then it's the wrong bulb.
You need to control the heat with incandescent flood basking bulb and ceramic heat emitter, to control the temps and know exactly what they are with a thermometer. Not depending on sun from a window.
They need heat all day 80F with basking area of 95-100 night temps around 70.
80% humidity.
The uvb bulb can be left on for 4 hours and then turned off, but not the heating bulbs.

 

[nahsf]

Okay, thank you all.
I have a safety related question before I start providing the right humidity.
I read no mist, So only real way is to spray in some water and close the lid.
How long should I keep the lid closed ?

 

[Littleredfootbigredheart]

Okay, thank you all.
I have a safety related question before I start providing the right humidity.
I read no mist, So only real way is to spray in some water and close the lid.
How long should I keep the lid closed ?

Lukewarm water pours tend to be the most effective, just try not to put too much in, the enclosure needs to remain a closed chamber 24/7 with all heating elements inside, which is why some adaptions are going to be needed

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

How long should I keep the lid closed ?

Are you worried that your tortoise won't get enough air? Opening the enclosure once a day should be enough.

 

[nahsf]

Sure, sure. I was worried maybe they wont get enough air and So I asked because I dont want them to drown. So they dont need that much air like other animals. Sorry I seem So dumb, but there were no sources to look up on this!

 

[The_Four_Toed_Edward]

Sure, sure. I was worried maybe they wont get enough air and So I asked because I dont want them to drown. So they dont need that much air like other animals. Sorry I seem So dumb, but there were no sources to look up on this!

Don't worry, it is a common question!