Tort scraping shell

[LaLaP]

My problem child, Pops the Russian tort is causing me more grief. He has taken to burrowing under anything and everything in his outdoor enclosure which would be fine but he's doing a lot of damage to the top of his shell by scraping it on the rocks, concrete blocks and large chunks of wood that he likes to hide and sleep under. He has lots of other hides and plenty of deep shade but he prefers these shallow burrows. Is there something I can put on his shell to prevent further damage? I'm thinking about epoxy maybe. Could this become a health hazard if it continues? Will he eventually do real harm? It's hard to tell from the photo but there is a pretty deep gouge.

 

[Tom]

Wood should not damage the shell. You can cover the ceilings of each of these areas with some plywood cut to size and glued with GE Silicone 1. Other than that, some wear and tear is normal.

Definitely don't cover the shell with epoxy. That would be bad. Cover the offending abrasive surfaces in the enclosure instead.

 

[Ben02]

Imagine tortoises in the wild, their shells get very battered and scraped.

 

[LaLaP]

Wood should not damage the shell. You can cover the ceilings of each of these areas with some plywood cut to size and glued with GE Silicone 1. Other than that, some wear and tear is normal.

Definitely don't cover the shell with epoxy. That would be bad. Cover the offending abrasive surfaces in the enclosure instead.

Sounds like a solid plan. Thank you!

 

[Yvonne G]

I had the prettiest female russian - medium sized, perfect shape and shell in excellent condition. After living in my Russian yard (in the wild) for several weeks she is no longer pristine. I guess the only way to keep them perfect-looking is indoors in climate controlled and smooth conditions.

 

[LaLaP]

I don't mind him looking rough and tumble. It fits his personality anyway. Just as long as I'm not dealing with open wounds down the road!
I did as Tom suggested and he has inspected and approves
Thanks all!

 

[nuphonemonteverde]

any updates or insights on this issue? Would love to keep tortoise shell looking pristine indoors, but the outdoors are better for the tortoise overall. Does the shell "grow back" so to speak and recover?

 

[wellington]

any updates or insights on this issue? Would love to keep tortoise shell looking pristine indoors, but the outdoors are better for the tortoise overall. Does the shell "grow back" so to speak and recover?

Better letting them live outside when possible. But you can do as the OP in this thread was recommended to do it even glue some felt on the underside of things they like to go under. You can also just remove all things hard to go under and give regular hides as the only option.

 

[nuphonemonteverde]

Better letting them live outside when possible. But you can do as the OP in this thread was recommended to do it even glue some felt on the underside of things they like to go under. You can also just remove all things hard to go under and give regular hides as the only option.

So I take it that the damage to the shell is more or less permanent?

 

[wellington]

So I take it that the damage to the shell is more or less permanent?

It may repair itself in time, they recover slowly. However, this may depend on the damage being done.

 

[Yvonne G]

any updates or insights on this issue? Would love to keep tortoise shell looking pristine indoors, but the outdoors are better for the tortoise overall. Does the shell "grow back" so to speak and recover?

This is a pretty old thread. The original poster (OP) isn't around anymore.