Sulcata

[whitt00]

Hi all, im new here and was looking for some help and advise.

Just some info

I have a sulcata (talula) a very friendly member of the family. We were told it was a girl when we got it 4 1/2 years ago. After a trip to a vet for a check up it turns out talula is a boy lol. He seems to respond to his name so we didnt change it.

He lives in my converted shed and is well insulated and heated and he comes out most days and wanders around the garden and house, he loves it.

Now for the advise we have noticed his shell looking a bit different and wondered if this was normal or should we take a trip to the vet.
Iv taken a pic so i look forward to and advise

Thank you in advance

Dave

 

[Tom]

Where are you Dave. Looks like someone told you that this is a desert species. Looks like he's had a pretty dry life. The dark area between the scutes is new growth.

 

[whitt00]

Cheers Tom im in the uk. He has a water area in his shed (used to be mine lol) and he has a bath every 3-4 days. Do you think im doing something wrong?

 

[whitt00]

I have read some forums and we used to oil his shell and we read that this isnt good so we stopped. His shell used to look great when oiled

 

[whitt00]

As seen in pictures

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi Dave:

Does he get much sun? What kind of lighting do you have inside the shed? I don't know why the shell has turned so dark unless it's just dirt sticking to the oil. But the bumpiness is what we call pyramiding. They are supposed to have smooth shells, with no bumps, however, what your tortoise is showing is not life threatening. It just means he was raised dry, like what Tom said in his post. Soaking is fine, but he really needed a humid atmosphere during the first couple years of his life in order to grow smoothly.

Put him in a tub of warm water and give him a good scrubbing with some baby shampoo and a brush and see if the color doesn't lighten up a bit.