White and black spots on tortoise hind legs

Post your pictures and any questions here of European tortoises e.g. Ibera Spur Thigh, Ibera Graeca, Marginated, Hermanns, Kleinmanni and we include the Horsfield tortoise. Also, do add pictures of Mediterranean tortoises you have seen in the wild.
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Lucre
Posts: 56
Joined: 14 Oct 2019, 22:12

White and black spots on tortoise hind legs

Post by Lucre » 03 Mar 2021, 17:03

Hello again, I wish everyone here is good!

I was away for some time and I gave my two tortoises to my mom to take care of them while I was away.

Today I returned home and I changed the whole enclosure, putting new soil because mom told me she didn’t do it and it started to stink a bit. Since I was changing everything, I took them out of the enclosure to give them a quick soak. I wanted to give them a scrub with my brush and I noticed something off. On one of my tortoises, I saw that the black patches I thought were dirt, did not went away. I took a closer look and I saw that in the middle of this black patches on the butt and hind legs, there are a few white spots.

So my question is: is it something dangerous or it’s just normal coloration changes and patterns in the tortoise? Do I need to take her to the vet, since the other one has a more uniform color while this one changes so much?

Thank you!
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lin
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Joined: 16 Mar 2017, 11:27

Re: White and black spots on tortoise hind legs

Post by lin » 03 Mar 2021, 17:58

Hi Lucre,
Great to hear from you, and it's good to hear that your little tortoises have come through the winter OK. And who knows they might be joined by Jeff if he reappears when the temperatures get warmer in the Springtime!
Thanks for the photos. One of them especially is a bit blurry, but we think we see what you are talking about. Lin has put circles around the areas that we think you are referring to as white spots. Are these the ones you mean? If so then we really aren't sure at all. I thought the large white area, just to the right of the tail in the blurry photo (bottom photo) might be new skin that is revealed as the old skin is shed. Can you tell if the dark skin that is bordering that large white area is maybe old skin peeling off? On the sharper photo the white area in the circle on the left leg, and also on the right leg is a mystery to us, and we are wondering if maybe a vet should see it -- but maybe we are misinterpreting what we are seeing, or not identifying correctly the white spots you are referring to. Are these the white spots you mean? Is it possible to take another photo of just what you think is the worst of them?

Nina and Lin
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Lucre
Posts: 56
Joined: 14 Oct 2019, 22:12

Re: White and black spots on tortoise hind legs

Post by Lucre » 03 Mar 2021, 20:16

Yes, those are the spots. I will wait until tomorrow since now they are burrowed somewhere in their enclosure.

I’ll try to contact their vet if it turns out that it’s not shedding skin.

I’m a bit worried because i could imagine that if it’s not shed, it could be an infection from a kind of fungi, but I hope that it’s just old and new skin.

I will send more detailed pictures tomorrow, though. She was a bit wiggly as she doesn’t like to bathe and being handled.

I’ll go burrow in my bed now, hope she will turn out ok
Sorry for my bad English but I’m so worried for her.

Thanks,
Lucre

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Lucre
Posts: 56
Joined: 14 Oct 2019, 22:12

Re: White and black spots on tortoise hind legs

Post by Lucre » 04 Mar 2021, 08:03

Hello and good morning to everyone!

Here are some other pictures and a close up of one of the white spots.

She is running around, eating, she pooped when she was soaking and it looked ok.

I see today that the black patches on the butt and tail are the scales, while the white parts (on the butt, tail and hind legs) are the smoother skin that stretches to make them move.
The problem is then on the foot. It doesn’t seem like a scar from something, more like a discolouration of the skin (?) possibly.

What do you think?

Thanks!
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