Need feedback about shell please...

[dwright27]

Good afternoon everyone,

So I posted these photos on FB back in July and was told that the shell is abnormal.

He has not seen a vet, because I'm worried that she's going to tell me that I have to empty his tank and put him on paper towels while I treat him for parasites (he had them as a baby) and he is on a bioactive substrate which was a lot of work and UGH. Perhaps I'm just a horrible tort owner. If you guys think it warrants a vet visit, I'll do it. But I don't know what I'll do if I have to re-do an entire bioactive setup.

Oh, and I should tag @AnimalLady because she wanted to see more pics of him lol.

The main weird thing is the scutes near his/her tail. One is pointed and one is flat. :-/
If someone could also verify whether he's actually a Cherryhead or not, that would be fab too. Not that it really matters, I just want to be prepared for the potential size difference. His shell is about 6" long right now.

 

[AnimalLady]

What a gorgeous tort! I'm not experienced enough to comment on the shell, i personally dont think its anything that warrants a vet visit....but i'm not sure!

I also think he is a very good looking tort! Beautiful shell and colors!!!!

Lets tag @N2TORTS for some proper cherry/red foot identification, hope he sees this and chimes in.

 

[TerrapinStation]

I think he looks very nice. Eyes,color and skin look very healthy

I will let the experts confirm, but the dark spot is completely natural coloration. As far as the curved shell by the tail, also a natural imperfection?

 

[dwright27]

Thanks Lady. You're making me feel a bit better. I've been feeling rather down today about my husbandry.

 

[AnimalLady]

Dont feel down! You got yourself a good lookin tort! The fact that you're on here and care enough to figure things out says lots! Turn that frown upside downnnn!

 

[dwright27]

I'm just dreading having to start all over again with the bioactive setup I have him on.

 

[Redfoot NERD]

I'm seeing a female redfoot from Venezuela with a [ not to worry ] growth defect that happened during incubation. It has nothing to do with her health or anything else! [ FYI I quit counting hathlings ( 200 ) some 4 years ago ]

I'm suggesting 3 things = 1) DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING YOU ARE DOING - 2) Don't listen to ANYBODY that tells you need to change anything AND 3) DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING YOU ARE DOING. Got it?!?

You are the MODEL of caring for a redfoot!!!

 

[smwboxer]

She looks amazing to me. You are doing a great job.

 

[dwright27]

I'm seeing a female redfoot from Venezuela with a [ not to worry ] growth defect that happened during incubation. It has nothing to do with her health or anything else! [ FYI I quit counting hathlings ( 200 ) some 4 years ago ]

I'm suggesting 3 things = 1) DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING YOU ARE DOING - 2) Don't listen to ANYBODY that tells you need to change anything AND 3) DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING YOU ARE DOING. Got it?!?

You are the MODEL of caring for a redfoot!!!

OMG Terry you're too much lol!
I thought s/he would be too young to tell the sex...?

To be fair, I DO need to get him/her into a larger enclosure; it just might not happen until next fall (at least for the build I want..). It's also too cool in there at night.. so I'll be buying another lamp stand for the CHE for now. But I think his/her diet is decent, s/he eats baby greens/spring mix as her staple, bell peppers, tomatoes, pumpkin, berries, cucumber, zucchini, apple, banana (sparingly, since it's basically crack), and Exo Terra Forest Tortoise diet, moistened (this is very occasionally, i.e. when we run out of veggies and haven't made it to the store in time).

Dried mealworms once a week for protein, not very many. I opted for the freeze-dried mealies because I don't need enough to warrant a colony of them. Plus those little bastards stink lol

S/he FINALLY nibbles on cuttle bone. I've been putting it in the tank almost the whole time I've had him/her and s/he has only started to nibble on it since the summer.

What else.. oh, s/he had a cricket as a companion for about 4 months before I was finally able to catch the damn thing and put it outside. It would NOT. SHUT. UP. I think it came in with some moss I got from outside. Otherwise, I have NO idea how it got in there lol. Actually, I saw another one last week but it's still small and not chirping yet.

S/he is on a bioactive substrate: lava rock drainage layer, weed mat barrier, organic topsoil mixed with coco coir, moss on top. I've been raising isopods over the summer and they've got a booming population now. I had found a few worms, but not very many. I bought some red wigglers from the pet store and they are still thriving as well. (Although, I'm sure they're a bit miffed at me for stirring the dirt the other day, lol)

BTW, welcome to the forum!!

 

[dwright27]

She looks amazing to me. You are doing a great job.

Thank you, I appreciate that very much. I love my little dude(tte). I'm just always so paranoid that I'm not doing enough.

 

[SarahChelonoidis]

Shell looks fantastic to me. I'd say you've done a wonderful job raising him/her.

 

[dwright27]

Thanks Sarah! Oh hey I just noticed you're in Toronto. I'm in Whitby!

 

[Rutibegga]

Cute tort, and s/he appears quite healthy to me, though I'm no expert (I've been obsessed for years, but have only had a tortoise for a few months.) Your guy doesn't look like a cherryhead, but you've already heard that from someone who seems way more knowledgable than me!

 

[MPRC]

I think she looks fantastic to me. And I think she looks like a she (but I'm only guessing). Does the missing notch by her tail turn upward or anything that could cause an obstruction later in her growth? If not I wouldn't worry.

 

[Yvonne G]

That's a beautiful RF tortoise. Don't listen to those nutz on FB

(...and Terry has been a member here for many years, but he forgot his password and made a new account)

 

[Redfoot NERD]

Yvonne I even forgot who I was!

I think I'm suffering from amnesia and De''ja vu at the same time... I think I've forgotten this before.

It was RedfootNERD .. and how many times did Josh reset my password for me??? [ maybe I can figure out how to LOGIN with that?.. this new software!!! ]

Actually I was contacted by an old friend of Jacqui's to jump-start the "Redfoot" category here - when Josh was just getting started and didn't even have the different species........

 

[dwright27]

I think she looks fantastic to me. And I think she looks like a she (but I'm only guessing). Does the missing notch by her tail turn upward or anything that could cause an obstruction later in her growth? If not I wouldn't worry.

Nope, it's flat. I suppose I'll start calling him a her then, unless someone says otherwise lol. There's a reason I chose a unisex name!

 

[dwright27]

Yvonne I even forgot who I was!

I think I'm suffering from amnesia and De''ja vu at the same time... I think I've forgotten this before.

It was RedfootNERD .. and how many times did Josh reset my password for me??? [ maybe I can figure out how to LOGIN with that?.. this new software!!! ]

Actually I was contacted by an old friend of Jacqui's to jump-start the "Redfoot" category here - when Josh was just getting started and didn't even have the different species........

OHHHH you're that Terry! I just figured you were a new Terry lol.

 

[dwright27]

Also, I highly recommend LastPass. Then you only have to remember one password and make all of the others as complicated as you like.

 

[Randi]

As mentioned above, your tort is just missing a piece above the tail. It was more then likely born like that. You have a beautiful and unique tort - nothing wrong at all. Continue with what you're doing!