Our tortoise is eating and drinking fine and seems active. But she has changed colour slightly with yellowing on her scales and also has a slightly dry face, she also has a small flake on shell.
I looked this up and it says a flake on shell is normal as a flaky face can be. What do tortoise experts think before we go to the vet?
Thank you!
Baby tortoise... does she look well?
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Godzillamumma
- Posts: 1
- Joined: 06 Mar 2025, 11:38
Baby tortoise... does she look well?
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Re: Baby tortoise... does she look well?
Hi, and welcome to The Tortoise Table,
What a sweet looking little tortoise! I think she is perfectly fine.
The slight yellowing on her scutes (those are the individual section of her shell) is normal and usually happens as they grow -- the new growth being lighter in colour.
A dry face is also completely natural, and as she grows you might see some small individual scales on her face dry and flake off, and also she will shed bits and pieces of skin on her legs. Unlike snakes, which shed their skins all in one piece as they grow, tortoises shed skin in bits and pieces, and sometimes they can look quite raggedy if they are having a growth spurt. Do try and monitor her growth though, because tortoises should grow very slowly (aim for a weight gain of between 1g = 3g per month), as if they grow quickly their shells can get deformed.
A flake on her shell is more unusual. Do you mean that a small part of her shell has flaked off (where did you read that this was usual)?. It would be good to see what this looks like. Could you send a close-up photo of the flake on her shell?
From what I can see from your photo, she looks like a Hermann's tortoise (but from that angle it was a bit hard to tell), and in case you don't already have one, here is a care sheet for Hermann's tortoises: https://www.tortoise-protection-group.o ... 014New.pdf
I doubt that she needs to see a vet, but it never hurts to have a good check-up with a vet. However, it's important that you see a vet with 'exotics' qualifications, and not an ordinary vet, because ordinary vets have very little training in the care and treatment of reptiles. We have a list of 'exotics' vets in the UK who have been recommended to us here: https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... s-by-area/ nd if you can't find one near you, let us know and we'll try and find one for you.
Nina
What a sweet looking little tortoise! I think she is perfectly fine.
The slight yellowing on her scutes (those are the individual section of her shell) is normal and usually happens as they grow -- the new growth being lighter in colour.
A dry face is also completely natural, and as she grows you might see some small individual scales on her face dry and flake off, and also she will shed bits and pieces of skin on her legs. Unlike snakes, which shed their skins all in one piece as they grow, tortoises shed skin in bits and pieces, and sometimes they can look quite raggedy if they are having a growth spurt. Do try and monitor her growth though, because tortoises should grow very slowly (aim for a weight gain of between 1g = 3g per month), as if they grow quickly their shells can get deformed.
A flake on her shell is more unusual. Do you mean that a small part of her shell has flaked off (where did you read that this was usual)?. It would be good to see what this looks like. Could you send a close-up photo of the flake on her shell?
From what I can see from your photo, she looks like a Hermann's tortoise (but from that angle it was a bit hard to tell), and in case you don't already have one, here is a care sheet for Hermann's tortoises: https://www.tortoise-protection-group.o ... 014New.pdf
I doubt that she needs to see a vet, but it never hurts to have a good check-up with a vet. However, it's important that you see a vet with 'exotics' qualifications, and not an ordinary vet, because ordinary vets have very little training in the care and treatment of reptiles. We have a list of 'exotics' vets in the UK who have been recommended to us here: https://www.thetortoisetable.org.uk/tor ... s-by-area/ nd if you can't find one near you, let us know and we'll try and find one for you.
Nina
Re: Baby tortoise... does she look well?
I have had a tortoise shell slightly flake a small amount before. I took mine to the vet and she looked at it and told me it was from a small area that was damaged that season from a bump or rubbing against something. She also told me it's more common than we think.
After a few years it was not noticeable as the tortoise in question had worn it smoothly when digging around in the sand to escape the heat in the summer months.
As long as its not shell rot or down to the skeleton it should be fine. As Nina point out a photo of the area would be good to see, and if your still worried about it a trip to the vet won't do any harm.
Kind regards Daniel.
After a few years it was not noticeable as the tortoise in question had worn it smoothly when digging around in the sand to escape the heat in the summer months.
As long as its not shell rot or down to the skeleton it should be fine. As Nina point out a photo of the area would be good to see, and if your still worried about it a trip to the vet won't do any harm.
Kind regards Daniel.
Re: Baby tortoise... does she look well?
Regarding the flake on her shell, it's not uncommon for tortoises to have minor shell imperfections, especially if they've bumped into something. As long as it's not deep or showing signs of infection, it's probably nothing to worry about.
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