new to younger tortoises

[KaitlinKeefe_]

hey guys,

I got my second Russian male Gordon about a week ago. I have been caring for my older Russian male Randall for over 5 years and have had no problems thanks to this forum. temps are good, humidities good, new enclosure is bigger and better. both of the boys are eating daily now and both get soaked daily. I noticed that Gordon's shell is bumpy in the middle towards the back. it also has larger spacing between scutes. is this normal? he is also a lot lighter then Randall. I could just be an over worried mother but I'd rather be safe then sorry.


another question I had is how do I age them?


just let me know what you guys need and I'll post pics

 

[JoesMum]

Hi there

You cannot tell the age of a tortoise unless you know its hatch date as they all grow at different rates.

Please could you post a photo of the shell so we can take a look?

It sounds like an abnormality that my Joe has which is, I think, probably caused by dietary problems when he was young. It's probably nothing to worry about now, but a photo would confirm.

 

[Gillian M]

Pictures would be very helpful here.

As @JoesMum mentioned one cannot tell the age of a tort.

 

[KaitlinKeefe_]

 

[Clunk]

My Clunk has something similar - he's had it since I rescued him 7 years ago. It probably is the result of some dietary deficiency but hasn't seem to affected him health-wise.

As for color he seems fine but the lighter color could be due to lack of UV. When I first got Clunk he looked like he was dipped in bleach - the previous owner took him on knowing nothing about caring for him. He began gradually darkening with exposure to UV light and natural sunlight.

 

[KaitlinKeefe_]

thank you so much for your response I really appreciate it!

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Russians are fighters and most often wild collected.
One without scars would be pretty rare.

 

[Tom]

hey guys,

I got my second Russian male Gordon about a week ago. I have been caring for my older Russian male Randall for over 5 years and have had no problems thanks to this forum. temps are good, humidities good, new enclosure is bigger and better. both of the boys are eating daily now and both get soaked daily. I noticed that Gordon's shell is bumpy in the middle towards the back. it also has larger spacing between scutes. is this normal? he is also a lot lighter then Randall. I could just be an over worried mother but I'd rather be safe then sorry.


another question I had is how do I age them?


just let me know what you guys need and I'll post pics

You are housing them separately, right?

 

[KaitlinKeefe_]

yes of course!