Split scutes?

[Tort93]

Hi there, I'm new to this and this is my first post!
I'm a bit concerned about my little tort, I've had Tort around two/three months, s/he is a horsefield and was told by the seller that it is one year old. I've done everything I should, I give her a bath every day, dry her property before I put her back in her house, she has a Mercury vapour lamp on around 12 hours a day, and I try to give her a varied diet as possible (but she only seems to like dandelion leaves and rocket!) I noticed when I got her that her plastron was a bit bendy, but didn't think this was as issue as I read it can take up to 2 years to harden.

However, I've noticed recently that the abdominal and pectoral scute have separated, I.e when gently pushed the abdominal acute moves back and the pectoral does not. She's a picky eater and has never eaten a great deal everyday, but some days she could eat two big bowls, so I can't comment on whether her appetite has changed as it's never been constant! It's not a huge 'split' but as I have never seen it before I thought I should get some advice! Has this happened to anyone else? Any tips to fix it? Any home remedies? Or do I need to take her to a vet?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thank you!

 

[Gillian M]

A very warm welcome to the forum.

Don't panic: torts take a lot of time to adapt to a: new place, environment, owner, climate, enclosure and so on. But you could post pictures of your tort and its enclosure to get help. You could also read 'beginners' thread as well as different care sheets that are available.

Wishing you as well as your tort the best of luck.

 

[Tort93]

This is Little Tort she seems okay in herself I suppose, she still likes a scratch on the top of the head and swimming in her bath! I was just concerned as I've never seen this split before! I will keep an eye on her, I have ordered some cuttlefish bone so maybe this will help if there is a calcium problem! Thank you for your reply!

 

[Gillian M]

A gorgeous little tort - GOD bless.

Take good care of it.

 

[Careym13]

Welcome to TFO!! Is the photo of the plastron supposed to show the area you are concerned about? It looks like maybe you are talking about the bottom left (the torts left) area?

 

[Tort93]

Well I tried to show it but looking at it now I don't think I did a good job! The issue is basically in the middle of the shell, when I press the big scute (the abdominal?) it separates away from the scute above it, so they are not attached right in the middle I'm hoping increasing her calcium may help, do you have any other suggestions?

 

[Careym13]

So are you sure they are completely unattached? Could it just be flexible from an overall soft plastron? I do not keep this species, but I've copied Tom's care sheet for you to refer to: http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/russian-tortoise-care-sheet.80698/.

I would make sure the tort has access to a cuttlebone at all times and put a pinch or so of calcium on his food a couple of times a week. Does your tort get access to real sunshine and do you have a UV light in the enclosure?

 

[Tort93]

Yes there is uv in the enclosure and I try to take her out as much as I can, she loves a roam on the grass! With the help of my dad I have built a 4ft outdoor pen for her so I can't wait for a dry weekend when i can stay home and let her out in it! I ordered cuttlebone yesterday and hopefully will be here tomorrow! And I am going to give her calcium powder more often. I'm glad I'm going the right things to help her!, I will keep an eye on the plastron over the next few weeks and hopefully I will see an improvement!

 

[Careym13]

Yes there is uv in the enclosure and I try to take her out as much as I can, she loves a roam on the grass! With the help of my dad I have built a 4ft outdoor pen for her so I can't wait for a dry weekend when i can stay home and let her out in it! I ordered cuttlebone yesterday and hopefully will be here tomorrow! And I am going to give her calcium powder more often. I'm glad I'm going the right things to help her!, I will keep an eye on the plastron over the next few weeks and hopefully I will see an improvement!

Sounds like a good plan. What kind of UV light do you have, though? Is it one of those coil style ones?

 

[Tort93]

Nope, it's a big round thing haha, I've heard the coil ones can be bad so I avoided them

 

[Careym13]

Excellent! Alright well keep us posted on your little one's progress!

 

[Angel Carrion]

What's the humidity level in the enclosure? It looks like she/he is possibly starting to pyramid.
I could be wrong.

 

[Angel Carrion]

Also, what kind of wood chips are those?

 

[Lyn W]

Hi which part of the world are you in?

Think that substrate is to dry, but see what the care sheet says.

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

Are you able to take clearer and closer pictures, maybe with a camera?

 

[Carol S]

Welcome to the Forum.

Your little tort needs a substrate that can be moistened. You can use coconut coir, cypress mulch or orchid bark. For a 1 year old I like to mix coconut coir with cypress mulch. I keep the substrate moist. She also loves moist ZooMed Sphagnum moss which I keep in a large pile on the warm side of the enclosure. She loves to burrow into the moist warm moss. I also put the moss in the humid hide.

I use ZooMed Power Sun 100 watt for the UBV source.

 

[Tidgy's Dad]

Hello and a very warm welcome to Tortoise Forum.
i can't see anything wrong in the photographs, but it does sound a bit odd.
Only visit a recognized herp vet, if you decide to go that route, most vets will be worse than useless, sadly.

 

[Tort93]

It's just a wood chip I found in the reptile part of a pet shop. Many people have told me it's okay (some who keep tortoises) so I assumed it was, I'll see what else I can find. I did originally use saw dust, then her eyes started watering and I found out that's baaaad so I changed it and her eyes cleared up within a day and I haven't seen any problems since!

I'm in the UK, South Wales to be more precise. That's why it's so difficult to take her outside, the weather is very unpredictable, can he sunny one day and then tipping it down with rain the next, we've had some decent weather lately but when I'm home and can take her out its been cloudy again! I do take her out when I can....

I will post some more pictures later on today

 

[johnsonnboswell]

In afraid you've been given bad advice about the substrate and dryness before you got here. Wood chips just won't do at all. She also does not need to be dried after her bath. She should have a water dish she can get into and out of even with the soaks you provide. Her substrate needs to be damp enough to germinate seeds. Shell problems are common from lack if humidity.

Cold and damp is bad. Warm and damp is good.

Although they live in arid climates, they find and make microclimates with plenty of moisture.