Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Here are some photos of the new girl and her shell. You can see some old injuries that seem fine to me (healed), but the black crud along the back/sides is something I am unfamilair with. I'm sure someone here knows what it is and how to deal with it properly:

does the black stuff chip off? my only guess is she's shedding the scutes and dirt got under them as they peeled..

as for the scratches in the shell, thats normal, all 3 of mine have scratches and what not on their carapace, no one really knows the cause but pretty much all adult boxies show such wear.
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1.2.1 Terrapene Carolina Triunguis
0.1 Nymphicus hollandicus
1.1 Melopsittacus undulatus
1.0 American Cocker Spaniels
1.0 American Short Hair? Cat
1.1 Rouen Ducks

I wonder too if it will come off. In one photo it looks like it might just pop off if you used a fingernail on it. It might wash off with enough soaks in fresh water too.
I'd keep an eye on it because if dirt could get under a scute so could infection.
I wouldn't worry too much right now though, it doesn't look like anything serious to me it's just that I'd want to keep an eye on it to see if it increases or diminishes.

I'm cautious about things but on the other hand the first year we had our tortoise the vet we used then was very worried about her black colored beak.. until I told him it's just recently turned black because of her grazing and eating the gooey cactus. That black on her beak did wash off with enough soaks.
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PHRatz

Thanks - glad it isn't some well-known really horrible thing! Good to know her shell looks pretty normal, even with those holey spots.

Yes, it dose look like caked on mud or poop or something, but it is pretty hardened on there and I don't want to stress her out by messing with it too much right now - she's already got to be somewhat stressed out with moving to a new home. I have soaked her a few times, but haven't scrubbed or tried to flick it off yet - might come off pretty easily (I hope), we'll see.

Now, if only I can get her to eat significant amounts of things other than strawberries! She was very interested/attentive to, but didn't eat, the Silkworms (a big-time favorite with both Mishima and Martha - they can down 8-10 big ones in a sitting), but she did eat a few Waxworms (which no one else here likes, but I got a few of every kind of live food the pet store sells to see what she'd eat). She ate a few earthworms today with cuttlebone sprinkled on top, but she hasn't touched the greens or other veggies (well, she's walked on the, but not eaten them). She did eat a bit of the canned Box Turtle food - which I never actually buy, but thought I'd pick up a can just to make sure I had enough things in stock to try out on her.

Maybe I shouldn't worry just yet and be glad she is eating good quantities (and having normal looking poops), even if it's not the wide variety I like to see them eating - she IS adjusting to a lot of new stuff right now.

They have this routine right now, where they both wake up and go to the Plexiglas barrier to calmly (longingly?) gaze at one another (like looking into a mirror) for a few hours before eating breakfast and taking a bath. They aren't crawling or digging or pacing at the barrier anymore at all, and usually just hang out looking at one another a few times during the day.

Kasie

>>the vet we used then was very worried about her black colored beak.. until I told him it's just recently turned black because of her grazing and eating the gooey cactus
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
1.0.0 Yellow belly slider
0.1.0 Red belly cooter
0.1.0 Australian shepard
1.9.0 chickens
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband

hummmm...don't know why that didn't post correctly!

anyway...

>>the vet we used then was very worried about her black colored beak.. until I told him it's just recently turned black because of her grazing and eating the gooey cactus
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
1.0.0 Yellow belly slider
0.1.0 Red belly cooter
0.1.0 Australian shepard
1.9.0 chickens
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband

I give up!!

We had a bumper crop of mulberries this year. My two boxies have perpetual purple mmoustaches from eating them! lol!
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0.1.0 ornate box turtle
1.0.0 eastern box turtle
1.0.0 Yellow belly slider
0.1.0 Red belly cooter
0.1.0 Australian shepard
1.9.0 chickens
3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
1.0.0 husband

>>I give up!!
>>
>>We had a bumper crop of mulberries this year. My two boxies have perpetual purple mmoustaches from eating them! lol!
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>>0.1.0 ornate box turtle
>>1.0.0 eastern box turtle
>>1.0.0 Yellow belly slider
>>0.1.0 Red belly cooter
>>0.1.0 Australian shepard
>>1.9.0 chickens
>>3.2.0 children (do I still count the married ones?)
>>1.0.0 husband
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PHRatz

>>>>I give up!!

LOL I don't blame ya.

>>>>We had a bumper crop of mulberries this year. My two boxies have perpetual purple mmoustaches from eating them! lol!

I ENVY you so much. We had a bumper crop last year, this year nothing! Just as the mulberry trees were about to go to fruit this year we had a freeze that killed off the newly forming berries & that was it for the year. Zero berries!
I was so disappointed but.. yeah I know what you mean about the stains on the box turtle beaks. Last year when we picked cactus berries I was calling them vampiturtles. That cactus berry juice is the messiest. I cut up & peel the berries for them, I look like I've just murdered someone when I'm done with that.
LOL
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PHRatz