flaky neck

Question
Hi,
I have two young toroises (about one year old), which I've been keeping in a tortoise table with UV lamp since I got them 3 months ago. They're horsefields and were roughly the same size and weight to begin with. However whilst one of them is really thriving and getting larger (from 120g to 190g since I got them), the other isn't growing at the same rate (from 115g to 150g in the same time). The smaller one also has a very flaky neck. This has become more noticeable over the past fortnight. I've been feeding them a mixture of fresh veg, including kale, broccoli, weeds, chichkory, spring greens, and dandelions, with a sprinkling of extra calcium on alternate days. I also bathe them in warm water once every two days. Is it worrying that one of the tortoises is growing faster than the other? And that one has a flaky neck whilst the other doesn't?

Answer
Hi Rachel,

Tortoises do shed their skin, so as long as there isn't any redness, oozing, or odor where the flaking is, it's perfectly normal.  They also may grow at different rates, so the difference in weight gain isn't necessarily unusual.  As long as they're active, eating, and growing, I wouldn't worry.  However, I would be a little concerned that both of them are gaining weight too rapidly, especially the larger one.  Usually the greatest weight gain is in the first year, and then it slows down after that.  A 70g gain in three months is a lot.  Slow and steady growth is better.  To avoid shell malformations, they need adequate food but not too much, plenty of exercise, and adequate humidity.  Tortoises over a year old really don't need to eat every day, or if you do feed them daily, cut down on the quantity so they don't overeat.  If you can build an outdoor enclosure for the summer months, you can plant that with weeds and tortoise-friendly plants, and they can forage on their own, which will help stabilize their weight gain, too.

The diet in general looks good, but don't feed any vegetables (broccoli).  Leafy greens and weeds are fine--in addition to the chicory and dandelion, you can also give mallow, plantain, chickweed, clover, sow thistle, hawkbit, etc.  Rather than using a calcium supplement, just put a cuttlebone in the enclosure so they can nibble on it for extra calcium when they need it.  It's possible to overdose calcium, so it's best to leave it up to the tortoise to decide how much it needs.

If you have any other questions, please post back!