Your tortoise’s carapace is jacked up because of the food you give her. The little lips at the edge are signs of a lack of calcium. Kale, lettuce, and other cruciferous veggies/brassicas are SO BAD. Feed dandelions and calcium. Please. For her.
Hi Anon,
Thanks for writing! I’m not sure which tortoise you’re talking about. Zoya pants gets a very healthy diet (russiantortoise.net I follow that sites guide) and calcium through TNT supplement (A natural supplement designed for tortoises that you can purchase at Carolina Pet Supply.. its great! Tasty! and doesn’t risk the D3 overload that some of the calcium powders you buy at the pet store can) She came to me with shell issues and worms but she’s been doing well. I keep a close eye on her all the time. I still worry all the time and appreciate the concern! Her wellbeing is my priority.
I’m guessing you’re worried about another tortoise you’ve seen here. We do see a lot of poor care or visible health issues on tumblr. we try not to share those pics unless there’s a reason. When we do, we don’t keep quiet. I promise. We definitely contact the owner and share proper care info. We always try to do it in a kind way, not assuming they’re neglect, as a lot of torts on here are rescues. We have found, over the years, that starting a private conversation and sharing suggestions in the kindest way possible is the most impactful. If you start attacking someone, especially in public, telling them they’re abusers etc, you’re far more likely to get blown off and ignored. That’s no good for the shell in question, which defeats the purpose of all this, right? I’ve gotten good responses from folks that way and received messages with pics of new enclosures, torts eating new food, etc.
So, I’d guess I’ve messaged or communicated with the owner of that tort and expressed my concern. I’m also sure many of my awesome followers, like you!, have also commented/shared. Folks around here are very good about that. If you want to come off Anon and talk to me specifically I’d love to chat! Thanks for caring about our shell friends! it means a lot to me and to all the torts out there!
~Tort-Time