soft shell in russian tortoise?

Question

I bought a baby russian tort in september last year. on the underside, the shell was hard, but not thick, as they get thicker on the bottom as they age. This is ONE picky eating tort. It is SO HARD for me to get him to eat a varied diet.

Anyways, today, I noticed the underside of his shell was soft (you know where the tort is connected to the egg, how that part is soft when first born, but then it firms up? well he WAS firmed up there just fine. But now that area is soft)
I gently gently pushed in on that area, and it sunk in a bit, but went back to normal position as soon as I let up.
What causes this? to much humidity? or calcium deficinecy?
What can I do to help this baby? I had been wanting to sell him. I feel I am not a good owner cause even though I buy varied foods, he wont eat well for me! But I can find no one who is knowledgeable around here in tort care.
P.S. the info I was told was to keep his substrate damp and moist to touch, but not soggy wet. that is what I did

Answer 1

Soft shells can be caused by a lack of proper lighting. Do you have a UVB light for him? Also what is his temperature?

Plant eaters are "programmed" in nature to eat earlier in the day - this way they can bask and soak up enough warmth to properly digest their food. You can try feeding him in the morning, to see if this helps. The UVB in sunlight helps them to produce vitamin D, so they can utilize calcium from their diets - without sunlight, you need to provide the UVB from an artificial source.

What are you feeding him? They are plant eaters, so a variety of leafy greens, including dandelion, are good for starters. You can add some common supermarket veggies too, but some (spinach, iceberg lettuce) you should only give rarely or avoid altogether. They don't get much moisture from their natural diet so too much fresh foods can cause them some problems. I always add about 50% dried grasses to their meals. And they shouldn't get fruit, other than a small bit of apple as an occassional treat. Dust their food with a pinch of calcium powder and vitamin powder each week.

See this website for good info on turtle and tortoise medical info and a care sheet for your Russian: http://www.austinsturtlepage.com/

Answer 2

It is common for the plastron of a young tortoise, properly raised, to stay soft for about year or even 18 months. This makes a certain sense- if the plastron was rigid it would be harder to 'reshape' as it grew during the early, rapid growth period.

You need to check the basic cares to make sure there is no problem- diet, vitamins, temps, humidity, and lighting- but if things are OK and it is acting OK, then don't sweat it!

The damp substrate MAY be a problem- forest tortoises are used to be wet most of the time, but grasslands tortoises, like the Russian, like humid hiding holes but otherwise are pretty dry.

While my Redfoots are on a completely damp substrate at 80F temps, I would not do that for Russians. For these guys, I would have a very damp end or hide box, and a dryer end.

Answer 3

GET YOUR TURTLE TO A VET! Please, he deserves to be examined by a doctor!

I am a turtle hobbyist, I have 8 turtles and have kept turtles my entire life.

1) Russians do not like damp and moist soil. They like desert-like conditions.

2) Metabolic bone disease can cause soft shells and bones. Turtles need UVA/UVB lamps such as "Powersun" or "Active UV". These are the lamps the professionals use... otherwise you don't know what you are getting. This light helps them convert Vit. D into its active form, which is necessary for strong bones.

3) All tortoises need a heat lamp, or they will not eat. They cannot make their own heat like people, so they need to regulate their heat using "the sun". Without the heat, they will not eat.

4) It may be a calcium deficiency, but probably not if you are feeding dark-leafy greens like you should be. Also, no matter how much calcium you feed if the turtle does not have a UVA/UVB lamp he or she will not have strong bones.

5) I am not a vet. Even I have to make minor adjustments to my turtles based on a vet's professional knowledge. On my last vet visit I had to feed one of my turtles a little more protein, and another one a little less, even though they are NOT sick and look the same to me, the vet could tell from their skin what is wrong with their diets. Please take your turtle to a vet.

Answer 4

Make sure it is getting direct sunlight, this is a must is keeping turtles and tortoises. Without it they do not get vitamin D3, without D3 they can't absorb calcium. The UV lights you can buy only work if you have them 6"-12" above the reptile, and they only put out the full UV spectrum for a 6 months, even though they still light up like normal. So give it calcium powder with it's food, and direct sunlight everyday. Be sure it has a place to get out of the sun if it choices, like a small cave, etc... BTW, glass is a filter, it filters out various parts of the spectrum, put the tortoise outside, but safe from predators.

Answer 5

It could be lack of UV light. A UV light is MEGA expensive(running 20-50$!!!) I reccomend going to the pet store(not petco or petsmart) and getting a UV light. I have noticed that petco is almost always cheaper than petsmart, but little ma&pa shops sell them for about 10$ less. I would bring him to the vet if you're really worried. I had to bring my female to the vet when I first got her because the previous owner let her get dehydrated. A vet check-up can be anywhere from 20-70$ depending on what has to be done.

If you are thinking of getting rid of him, please email me. I am always looking for new russians. I love the little guys, they are adorable! my email is [e-mail]

Take care of the lil guy, it'll pay off in the end!

Answer 6

It could be because it needs the correct vitamins and minerals to keep its shell hard