My hermann tortoise has very dry skin but gets lots of water?

Question

I have two hermann tortoises. One has very dry and flakey skin. I bath them both three times a week. Only one of them has this. Does anyone know what I can do?

Answer 1

Are you bathing them with soap? Because I've heard that like humans, some tortoises can be allergic to some types of soap, personally, I would bath the one with dry flakey skin with no soap atall. Merry Christmas to you. Hope you tortoise gets much better. Thanks. =]

Answer 2

First- DO NOT use moisturizers made for human skin on reptile skin- reptile skin is designed to be waterproof, unlike permeable human skin. Moisturizers, lotions, oils, etc. are not to be used on reptiles, period.

Flaky skin is a sign of dehydration, and is common in our overly-dry homes, especially in winter when indoor humidity can range about 20-30%.

Grassland tortoises like the Hermann's like about 70% humidity, with some hiding places in the 90% range. They get some of their moisture from drinking, some from their food, a little from soaking... but most of it comes from humidity.

If you cannot humidify the entire habitat, try making a humid hide box- take a plastic tub with a lid and cut a tortoise-size hole in a side about an inch off the bottom.

Put an inch or so of moss or other absorbent material in there and get it very moist (but not drippingly wet). Put in in a warm part of the habitat or heat it separately to about 85F.

A ramp into it, and a curtain made of a piece of Zip-lock bag cut into long strips taped over the doorway makes it more effective.

There are a lot of reasons one may show it and the other not, from one hogging the good spaces to one just being at a different point in the process.

Try http://www.tortoisetrust.org for great info on this species.

Answer 3

Well, this could be of many reasons. All turtles do have very dry, scaly skin. As for the flaky skin it could be something your bathing him with or hes getting more heat than the other. It has to do something with its enviorment and habitat, allergic reaction to something. Bathing them three times a week could also be a problem. Make sure that when done they dry nicely as well that they have sensitive skin to things such as moisturizers, washes, or even rough washing. Lay off the bathing for him and just let him soak in warm water when bathing. Try this for a while and see if it works. It's probably just a reaction to something but if it continues it could be ( forget what its called) a illness. So take it to a professional. Hope this helped. Good luck. :)

Answer 4

ok - Tiny Pricy. i take advantage of Yardley soaps - oatmeal and almond - exfoliates and moisturizes slightly. Plus you will hit upon it at dollar Tree for a dollar a bar. it is likewise very solid cleansing soap for particularly mushy dermis. Lotion - After attempting many many, including home made creams, i've got settled on Vasoline in intensity Care Renewal. it style of feels to do the interest. Their hand lotion deals with age spots - purely place displaying my age is the back of my hands with those spots. additionally solid for mushy dermis, nevertheless a tiny bit expensive consistent with bottle. people nonetheless think of i'm mid 30s - and if I dyed my hair, that they had think of i replaced into youthful. What helped plenty - I stay in a dry climate - while i replaced into pregnant replaced into following the healthcare expert's suggestion and putting on lotion or infant oil precise after turning off the bathe without drying off. dermis replaced into nonetheless receptive to moisture precise away, saved me from great stretch marks - purely some low down on my abdomen.

Answer 5

Maybe it has eczema. It could also be to do with central heating drying out it's skin. possibly try a SMALL amount of a moisturiser for sensitive skin after bathing?

Answer 6

http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/WCT_Online_Turtle_and_Tortoise_Care/?yguid=71385997

That email group will be able to tell you exactly what you need to do to get your Hermmans back in shape...:-) It's a Yahoo group - and they're full of info!

Answer 7

try olive oil