White spot on nose

Nico7

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My one and a half year old Russian tortoise has a white spot on her nose, I think it is because of shedding but I’m not positive, on a different note, could I plant chia in her habitat? Thanks for the help. IMG_0699.jpg
 

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Moozillion

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I don't know about the white spot, but chia is supposed to be a good food for tortoises. The only problem I ran into with planting it inside my tort's enclosure is that as soon as the little seedlings start to sprout, she plows through and nips off the first little green leaves, basically killing the plant. And whatever she doesn't eat gets stepped on and crushed. o_O So now I grow things OUTSIDE her enclosure and harvest them to feed her. Another thing (which I'm trying this year) is to block off part of her enclosure and plant seeds in it. When they've had a chance to sprout and get to a decent size, then let her back in that section of her enclosure. :D
 

TammyJ

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The white spot looks to me like a rubbed off section of skin. Maybe she needs to see a vet. Can we see some more pictures including her eyes?
And some pics of the enclosure, and what is that she is sitting on?
All information about temperatures, humidity, diet etc. would be a great help to us so the experts here can advise you!
 

Nico7

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I took her out of her enclosure for the picture, so that is why it looked weird, she has a uvb light and a basking light, recently I put a humidifier next to her enclosure because it was looking dry, she gets a mix if kale lettuce, dandelion, colored greens. I also have a piece of cuttle bone in her enclosure, but she does not use it. Let me know if you need more information thanks
 

TammyJ

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It looks dry to me. Changes are needed.
If you are willing to take the time, and if you are willing and can provide our experts here with the exact temperatures and humidity level in the enclosure at this time, I promise you that you will get all the help possible to resolve your issues.
 

Moozillion

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I don't have a Russian, but i'm pretty sure 64* is too low for her. I think her minimum temperature should be at least 75*.
Hopefully some more Russian owners will pop in soon! :)
 

Nico7

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Thanks, for that info Moozillion, the thing is if I put the light closer the humidity will go down a lot, it’s hard to find a good balance of humidity and heat, but I Will keep trying.
 

TammyJ

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I don't know much about these tortoises but I hope an expert will come on here and offer some advice.
I know that the enclosure needs to be mostly covered to maintain the humidity and that 64 degrees is too cold by far.
Also could you explain what kind of light you are using?
 

Nico7

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I have not tried covering her enclosure but I will try that, as for the light I use a 150 wt reptile basking light about a foot away from her basking spot, I will move it closer to make sure that it is 85-95 degrees in her basking spot. What is the ideal humidity for a RT? Thanks
 

Moozillion

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I have not tried covering her enclosure but I will try that, as for the light I use a 150 wt reptile basking light about a foot away from her basking spot, I will move it closer to make sure that it is 85-95 degrees in her basking spot. What is the ideal humidity for a RT? Thanks

If you put the light TOO close, you can actually burn her shell, so a foot may be too close. A CHE (Ceramic Heat Emitter) might help. But I haven’t used one, so other people will need to give their advice before you spend the money for one.
I think most of us cover our indoor enclosures at least partly. I’ve seen people use plastic shower curtains as inexpensive covers, just DON’T put it where the heat light is!!!!
I’m not sure if the best humidity for a Russian, sorry. I have a Hermann’s.
 

Moozillion

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If you go to the section on Species Specific, click on Mediterranean Tortoises, and then on Russian. You will see several posts at the top of that section that were moved there to help people. There’s one on Russian Tortoise Care Sheet, and one on Baby Russian Tortoise Care Sheet. Check those out, and see if they help give you any ideas! [emoji2][emoji106]
@Nico7
 

Cheryl Hills

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Cover the enclosure, wet the soil and mix it up, let it dry on the top. Use a che for overall heat at at least 75 during the day. The basking should be 95 to 100. You can cover the lights and heat but make sure the cover is above them and not touching. This should help with heat and humidity. I believe the humidity should be around 59%. Temps should be allowed to drop at night to in the 60 s. It should be dark at night. I hope this helps some.
 
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