I know that marbeling isn't serious, but what causes it? Rapid growth? I've seen some tortoises with marbeling that looked beautiful. Does it ever fade? 
Marbeling
- Thread starter MysticCaribou
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Marbelling is a great thing as far as I'm concerned.
It's almost always associated with Cherry heads. I see from the spurs that yours likely IS a cherry.
It will at some point stop and start to fade. But looks very good. IMO
@Pearly has one that is just strikingly beautiful.
It's almost always associated with Cherry heads. I see from the spurs that yours likely IS a cherry.
It will at some point stop and start to fade. But looks very good. IMO
@Pearly has one that is just strikingly beautiful.
If anything, marbling seems to be a very desirable thing among cherryhead keepers
congratulations!
congratulations!
Thanks, Ed! He WAS "strikingly beautiful"....
we are in that "fading phase" now
this is now, most new growth is dark but his plastron is still pretty
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I'm very envious
Don't be, you have a great herd and awesome set up! I can't wait to meet you guys in personI'm very envious
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We are also looking forward to it.Don't be, you have a great herd and awesome set up! I can't wait to meet you guys in person
Thanks, Ed! He WAS "strikingly beautiful"....View attachment 210355View attachment 210352we are in that "fading phase" now
That looks so cool! How long did it take once it started to spread that far?
It had started very early in first few wks of his life. I didn't know about marbling and at first trying to scrub it with soft tooth brush thinking it was hard water or calcium (back then I was still trying to supplement, before I quit bcs Tucker would eat anything with calcium powder in it) then was freaking out about him getting some shell disease.... bfr finally realizing that my "problem tort child" was just growing different color shell... he was growing those streaks or all white up until about 18 months of age. Now he is 2 and growing mostly dark and all that used to be bright white has faded and little Tac-tack from distance looks now almost like his reg RF "house-sister". But that's ok, it's been a very cool experience with this "marbling thing"
It had started very early in first few wks of his life. I didn't know about marbling and at first trying to scrub it with soft tooth brush thinking it was hard water or calcium (back then I was still trying to supplement, before I quit bcs Tucker would eat anything with calcium powder in it) then was freaking out about him getting some shell disease.... bfr finally realizing that my "problem tort child" was just growing different color shell... he was growing those streaks or all white up until about 18 months of age. Now he is 2 and growing mostly dark and all that used to be bright white has faded and little Tac-tack from distance looks now almost like his reg RF "house-sister". But that's ok, it's been a very cool experience with this "marbling thing"
Thanks! I was just surprised because I thought it started at a few months of age and while still young, is already 1. Thanks for taking the time to reply. It's appreciated. I'll post more pictures as the marbling spreads - which hopefully it will.
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/index.php?threads/Pearly's-cherryhead-marbling-story.144600/ here is a link to the thread I had started on Tucker once realized he was marbling
I remember it and enjoyed seeing it again. That's how I knew Juliet was okay and what it was. I'm looking forward to it's spread.
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I have a two month old cherryhead and it looks to me it's starting to marble. I'll post pics this weekend so you folks can help me confirm!
Yea but you know what? The black pigment has been ... infiltrating those white fields and almost completely obliterating the white in some areas!
see??!! Almost all if the white on the sides is gone! But the pigment came later! After the previously white growth rings were already there! I used to think that the new growth came in with its color...
see that???!!! Crazy stuff! It's like black ink "bleeding" into the porous paper! This last pic is an earlier one to show you how much white there used to be there
I see what you mean and I still like it!
All of mine are marbling (not to the extent of yours) and in every case they get pigmented after the white growth has come in. I don't know how shell growth works so I can't comment on why.
All of mine are marbling (not to the extent of yours) and in every case they get pigmented after the white growth has come in. I don't know how shell growth works so I can't comment on why.
While I vastly prefer all black shells the pattern of yours is actually attractive
. Could it be that it just "seems" to bleed in because as the scutes get bigger so much more area is growing in dark around the edges?
No idea! And thank you... But you know what? This is actually very interesting! I wonder if @Anyfoot or @cdmay know how that pigmentation in shell growth works RFsWhile I vastly prefer all black shells the pattern of yours is actually attractive
I have no idea.
I've heard all-sorts of theories, is it to do with diet, indoor UVB, sunlight or age. I keep looking back at yours from time to time pearly and how it's grown trying to think of a logical answers, for everything I think of there is someone else's that counteracts that thought process.
It's the same mystery as to why some Brazilians have a patterned plastron and some are just black like mine.
Does anyone know if the marbling happens naturally in the wild or is it just something that happens with farm bred or captive bred Brazilians. If it does then I ask myself is it a locality thing, do they camaflauge whilst young with the marble pattern, or maybe it's the opposite and they stand out so survival chance is lower.
Also is it like when a humans hair grows darker with age, only difference is our hair grows out, a tortoises previous growth is there for life.
I have 2 with no marbling what so ever.
I've heard all-sorts of theories, is it to do with diet, indoor UVB, sunlight or age. I keep looking back at yours from time to time pearly and how it's grown trying to think of a logical answers, for everything I think of there is someone else's that counteracts that thought process.
It's the same mystery as to why some Brazilians have a patterned plastron and some are just black like mine.
Does anyone know if the marbling happens naturally in the wild or is it just something that happens with farm bred or captive bred Brazilians. If it does then I ask myself is it a locality thing, do they camaflauge whilst young with the marble pattern, or maybe it's the opposite and they stand out so survival chance is lower.
Also is it like when a humans hair grows darker with age, only difference is our hair grows out, a tortoises previous growth is there for life.
I have 2 with no marbling what so ever.
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