tortoise's skin :s

[Susie1986]

Tillys skin seems really dry and flakey, is there anything i can do? is it an indicator that somethings not right? appart from it being flakey she seems happy, eats as much as i put in front of her most days, sleeps quite a bit but i think thats just her nature, thankyou in advance for any help or advice you might be able to offer im in the process of building her outside encosure too so ill post pics next week once iv finished Susie ~X~

 

[Stazz]

Hi there Susie.

Do you soak Tilly at all? She should be soaked about 3 or 4 times a week for 20mins or so at a time to keep hydrated. Have you got available water for her in her enclosure at all times? Whats the temperature like in her enclosure,warm side and cool side? What kind of substrate does she have? These kind of answers will help us help you in figuring out whats up. Nothing too serious I think, just think she may need to be hydrated more

 

[Susie1986]

Hi there Susie.

Do you soak Tilly at all? She should be soaked about 3 or 4 times a week for 20mins or so at a time to keep hydrated. Have you got available water for her in her enclosure at all times? Whats the temperature like in her enclosure,warm side and cool side? What kind of substrate does she have? These kind of answers will help us help you in figuring out whats up. Nothing too serious I think, just think she may need to be hydrated more

hiya, well i have been soaking her about twice a week so ill start doing that a bit more, thes got a substrate that i bought from a reptile shop that says its for tortoises but iv chucked out the bag and cant remember what its called, its like soil with some calcium thing in it, will be getting new stuff next week from a reptile shop the woman recomended something but again my mind has gone blank lol

she is curantly living at room tempreture (around 22 degrees) as the man i got her from has had her out in the garden for the last few months (in the day time with his other tortoises) as the weather has been getting a bit warmer..i live in england so its still not overly warm lol. do you think she would need a basking lamp even though she hasnt had one for the last 5 years? iv got one so its not a huge deal will just have to sort it out and she always has a bowl or water in with her thankyou xx

 

[Stazz]

Well I'm not too sure about the substrate you're talking about - havn't heard of it, but someone else may have! I just use organic soil in my Tallula's enclosure, it has no pesticides or anything in it, so its healthy for her. I spray the soil with a spray bottle to keep the humidity up. I think maybe wait to see what someone else has to say about the temps etc, I am still learning myself

 

[Susie1986]

its a minefield isnt it lol. iv heard so much different advice im trying to mainly go by Tilly and how shes used to being kept and stuff. if shes happy and doing well im happy but obviousely am open to advice too xx

 

[tortoisenerd]

Tortoises shed, especially while growing. Humidity and soaks will help, but this is a natural process. Please do explain more about your substrate though; enclosure pictures would be helpful. If you want a confirmation that this is natural shedding than feel free to post a picture of her!

That's about 72 degrees F room temperature. Are you saying you have no warmer area in the enclosure at all? You need a temperature gradient between the 70s and 90s F with a spot in the 90s to be used for basking. What do you do for UVB? Does she still get outside daily? Do you have any sort of heating or lighting in her indoor enclosure? Please explain. She needs heat and light in her indoor enclosure, and if she doesn't get outside daily she also needs a UVB lamp inside. A Mercury Vapor Bulb is a great option so look into those (Mega Ray, T-Rex Active Heat, and Powersun). Try www.uvguide.co.uk for info about UVB and reptileuv.com for the Mega Ray bulb.

Is she eating? Usually they will not eat unless they can warm their tummy into the 80s. If she is I am surprised! Maybe if she is used to less that is why.

I would slowly warm her up the the recommended temps and see how she reacts. You don't want to do it all at once if she is used to the cooler temperatures.

Also, whenever you are setting up any new heat and lighting in an enclosure the tort should not be in there until you test out all the temperatures after a few hours of everything heating up. I think the MVBs should be allowed to burn in for about a day without the tort under it (set it up on the lamp stand away from the enclosure and keep it on for 24 hours or whatever the instructions say).

Best wishes. Let us know how else we can help!