Here's another tid-bit I discovered while tossing the stuff in my filing cabinet. It's quite old, but still a very good one:
Soft shell (From The San Diego Turtle & Tortoise Society)
This problem usually occurs in hatchlings, but does also occur in adults. The plastron (bottom shell), is usually the first to get soft and then the upper shell. There are two known problems that cause this. One is a vitamin and mineral deficiency, which is easily remedied. The other is a urinary malfunction. The bladder becomes plugged up with uric acid, overfills with urine, expands and finally ruptures, causing death. The soft shell is caused by resorption of urine into the bone and from pressure of the extended bladder. Whenever you notice a soft shell (except in newly hatched tortoises whose shells are soft for several months) you should separate the tortoise from any other tortoises and keep it under conditions where you can see if it is eliminating urine and feces. Proper nutrition is essential with tortoises at all times, but especially important when they are confined and under observation. If, after 1-2 weeks (Yvonne’s note: I don’t recommend you wait that long) of observation, little or no elimination has taken place, suspect a urinary problem and consult a veterinarian right away. If regular elimination is taking place, then the problem is probably lack of proper nutrition. Correct with proper diet, additional vitamins and multi-minerals and plenty of unobstructed sunlight. If it comes through a glass window it is useless as the glass filters out the rays the tortoises need. We have noticed a very high death rate from soft shell in those tortoises that did not receive a generous amount of daily ultra-violet rays. This can be accomplished easily by installing a Vita Lite over the tortoises’ habitat and used daily for 8-10 hours a day.
Obviously this was from the days before we had access to UVB bulbs. Its older than the internet. But puts it into regular words and easily understandable. To be honest, I never knew about the bladder issue associated with soft shell. This is really good to know.
Yvonne
Soft shell (From The San Diego Turtle & Tortoise Society)
This problem usually occurs in hatchlings, but does also occur in adults. The plastron (bottom shell), is usually the first to get soft and then the upper shell. There are two known problems that cause this. One is a vitamin and mineral deficiency, which is easily remedied. The other is a urinary malfunction. The bladder becomes plugged up with uric acid, overfills with urine, expands and finally ruptures, causing death. The soft shell is caused by resorption of urine into the bone and from pressure of the extended bladder. Whenever you notice a soft shell (except in newly hatched tortoises whose shells are soft for several months) you should separate the tortoise from any other tortoises and keep it under conditions where you can see if it is eliminating urine and feces. Proper nutrition is essential with tortoises at all times, but especially important when they are confined and under observation. If, after 1-2 weeks (Yvonne’s note: I don’t recommend you wait that long) of observation, little or no elimination has taken place, suspect a urinary problem and consult a veterinarian right away. If regular elimination is taking place, then the problem is probably lack of proper nutrition. Correct with proper diet, additional vitamins and multi-minerals and plenty of unobstructed sunlight. If it comes through a glass window it is useless as the glass filters out the rays the tortoises need. We have noticed a very high death rate from soft shell in those tortoises that did not receive a generous amount of daily ultra-violet rays. This can be accomplished easily by installing a Vita Lite over the tortoises’ habitat and used daily for 8-10 hours a day.
Obviously this was from the days before we had access to UVB bulbs. Its older than the internet. But puts it into regular words and easily understandable. To be honest, I never knew about the bladder issue associated with soft shell. This is really good to know.
Yvonne
Candy
