Are tortoise shells supposed to be rock hard? ?

Question

i got me a little baby redfoot, he's i think... guessing... four or five months old?

his shell kinda... gives a little when i squish it a bit. his undershell gives if i push in, and i can slightly bend his top shell if i squezze his sides (i don't make a habbit of this, i just noticed it today when i picked him up)

is it supposed to be this way, or am i doing something horribly wrong?? he eats every day, a lot... (and poos while he does it, yuck) and i calcium his food about once a week (he doesn't seem to like the calcium, he doesnt eat when it's powdered) and i have a uv bulb on him. he's also got a cuttlebone thing in his tank for him to chew on, but i've never seen him chew on it, cept the first time, but that seemed to be a 'what the heck is this' chew

Answer 1

um it seems like your doing things right, keep on adding the calcium in any form you can... and also give him kale, mustard greens, collards, dandelions, they are all rich in calcium. Also make sure you replace that uvb light after 6-8 month's just to be sure, since they do get weaker w time. Good job!- And oh yeah if your tortie is inside, take him outside for sunlight 3-4 hours a day to strengthen his shell, it'll happen over time.  

Answer 2

it tends to harden with age.

My sulcata used to be like that as well.

Answer 3

if its a glass cage take I'm out of it Glass cages are horrible for your tor tie and you might consider taking hi to the vet 1 for the shell and 2 because all tor tie usually have pin worms which will kill them and infect you or then can have high doses of salmonella which is found in every 9 out of 10 tor tie with can kill you but the vet can fix all of that

Answer 4

yes because that is the only real protection they have under that shell there is a weak vulnerable tortise

Answer 5

the shell is supposed to be hard but your tortoise is still a baby and his shell has not hardened up yet but if you feed him calcium and have a uv bulb it will harden up, baby tortoises should be fed calcium twice a week and reduced to once a week when they reach a year old, a good tip with the calcium supplement if to prepare the food the night before, sprinkle the supplement on the food and put it in the fridge, the calcium by the morning will have soaked in to the food or dissolved so your tortoise is still getting the goodness but it is not laying on the top of the food and they eat it with out any fuss, a good source of calcium is dandelions tortoises usually love them and they are packed full of calcium, also get a prickly pear cactus, it is good for calcium and a tortoise will love it as a natural treat, but don't worry too much your tortoises shell will harden up with time and should do by the time it is a year old