Whats wrong with my guys shell?

Richsandwich

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Call me oblivious but tonight after weighing Chet(105g now) I noticed something funky. Not sure if its from growing so fast or what but it doesnt look right. Here are some pics. Some spots are raised like bumps and then there are others that appear to be indents

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Yvonne G

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Those little spots that have you worried look to me like precursors to shell rot. Time to get him on a dryer substrate. It's ok for the substrate to be wet underneath, but let the top layer dry out a bit more. Temporarily you need to keep his plastron dry...say, for about a week. It wouldn't hurt to dab on a bit of athlete's foot cream too.
 

nate.mann

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its suggested to have a layer of coco coir, and a layer of sphagnum moss on top of that. keeping the coir damp for humidity, and the moss keeps the torts shell from being wet all the time.


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Richsandwich

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Ok thanks ill give that a shot. He likes to dig down in the dirt and bury himself in it. Maybe its a little to damp in his little holes.

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kanalomele

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The "pebble-y" looking areas are the way the shell appears on very young/hatchling russians. The growth looks nice and smooth. Sometimes the ripples and indentations will appear on torts kept of a very soft substrate. It makes the shell appear rumpled-almost wrinkled even in some cases. It is not a dangerous sign typically. Future growth and a firmer substrate smooth those out quite readily in youngsters.. I dont see any areas of rot or anything particularly unhealthy here.
 

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