Change in tail

[Sarah Ann]

Hello. I am hoping you can help me. In september of last year, my mother's tortoise went missing from her garden. We suspected she had been stolen but weren't sure. We contacted lots of relevant channels, including John Hayward. Yesterday I went to visit a tortoise which had been found about five miles away in a pile of rubbish. As soon as I saw the tortoise I immediately thought it was my mother's . However, when we got back, we realised that the 'tail' is different. Prior to 'her' going missing we were unsure of the gender. The tail was still fairly small and had not changed that much since she was a baby (she was about 16 when she disappeared). Now, on the found tortoise, there is a distinctive point on the end: I have tried to research it and it may be a 'horny pin'. Everything else looks exactly like Poppy: the face, the size is right, the shell formation: she has quite an unusual bumpy shell for a Hermann's tortoise, which is just the same.
We have informed John Hayward that we have found the tortoise and he has confirmed that no other tortoises are reported missing in the area, and s/he is not chipped (ours was not ). She was also fairly well advertised by the person who found her and no one else came forward. Of course, if it is not our tortoise, we do not want anyone else to go through the upset we have. We've also phoned shelters and told the police that we have her.
So we are puzzled about the tail - is it possible for it to change if s/he reached maturity in the eight months she was away? And if she hibernated, which would have been the first time, could this have effected it? I have read that Hermann's tortoises all have the 'horny pin'? Can you help?

 

[Yvonne G]

Hi, Sarah Ann, and welcome to the Forum!

Being gone that long, I would think there MIGHT be some changes, but at 16 years, I would think not. Tortoises reach their adult size within the first 10 years. My 'gut' feeling is that this probably isn't your tortoise, but really, you are the only one who can figure that out.

 

[Sarah Ann]

Thanks for the reply - but one of our others, who is the same age, grew over a cm last year...

 

[Tom]

Is it possible that in the years or months prior to losing her, you guys had not been paying much attention to the tail? I have a bunch of tortoises and I rarely check on their tail size statuses. Occasionally when I check out one of my juveniles I will be surprised to find out that their tail has "suddenly" grown a lot and I can tell they are male now, but it is not something I watch much.

 

[Sarah Ann]

Thanks for the replies! The tortoise is not actually mine - it is my mother's and you're right, she may not have been checking it regularly. It isn't the actual tail though - it's a sharp protrusion, from the top side of it - almost claw-like. Your comments are much appreciated!