I think he's absolutely beautiful. This is a great post. Very informative - very interesting.
Pearly's cherryhead marbling story
- Thread starter Pearly
- Start date
The "showroom shine" made me giggle! Yes! Cold pressed organic coconut oil about once a week after bath is what some of us here are using. Thank you for your post and hope you you too had nice Christmas. Oh and one more thing, that "perfectly clean and lustrous" skin and shells won't last much longer. With little babies kept in closed chamber, pampered, watched over, exercised under supervision outside and bathed at least once a day it's easy to keep them nice a clean. This year they turn 2 in June and as soon as our daytime temps stop dropping below 80F they'll be spending daytime in their big tortoise garden, and probably bath before bedtime, at least every other day, but at the end of this summer I'm hoping to build their heated night box for them and once full time outside, I think that will be IT for "perfectly clean torts" which has never been my goal anyway. This was just a byproduct of my constant looking them over, checking for signs of illness, injury or substandard care. You see, I wasn't much trusting my baby tort rearing skills. Plus i still keep my 2 together, I still stick around watching them eat almost daily, i still spot check their temps all over their bedroom tank and their hides, their bath water, etc. little OCD here. I had never planned on keeping any reptiles. These babies belong to my now 12 yr old daughter who is now in new school and completely consumed by developing her social network now so being and old mom, I have more patience and decided to take over the babies for her as i know she would some day regret rehoming them. This way, I have had a new unexpected challenge, and she is free to do her thing now, and the torts stay in our family. Forever.I just discovered this thread, and am amazed by your gorgeous cheryhead. What a stunner! I really appreciate what you've done with the thread, and your pictures are phenomenal. I'm looking forward to the newest pics. I've got a little cherryhead of my own, I can only hope it blossoms like Tucker. Your torts shells and skin are always so lustrous. They're clearly pampered, but is there a particular product you use to give them that "showroom shine"?
Oh, and Merry Christmas, all!
I'm just throwing this in here to let you guys know that I don't necessarily advocate such pampering of your pet torts. Once they live outside, they will be dirty, but those first 2 yrs were important for me to give ours good start in life, let them build up strength to meet challenges (germs, other animals, potential injury, accidental suboptimal conditions) later in life head on. I'll continue this thread for Craig @Anyfoot for his special interest in my Tucker's growth/development
My Juliet, is pampered. It's good to know that I'm not the only one that is slightly obsessive. As I live in Chicagoland, she will never be an outdoor tort - except for the times in the spring and summer that it's warm enough to take her out for a stroll.
I love the expression 'showroom shine' as well. Very funny. I love this post too. I've reread it numerous times during the almost year that I've had my little girl. Thanks!
I love the expression 'showroom shine' as well. Very funny. I love this post too. I've reread it numerous times during the almost year that I've had my little girl. Thanks!
at the end of September of last yr I had noticed those black streaks "bleeding out" towards the growth rings. Mostly concentrated on front and rear
rest of carapace with just few specs of it
this pic was from the first week of October'16. Tucker had turned 12 months old in June of that year. 
second week of October'16 with his House Sister Shellie. I should say that around this time Tucker was begining to catch on the "eating thing" until then he had been my "picky eater". More pics to come, just have to check the dates. @Anyfoot, Craig I know this is important to you so trying to be as accurate and specific as i can
well, guess I was too preoccupied with other stuff that had gone on betw. Oct'16 and Jan'17 bcs there are no pictures from that time, but here Tucker is visibly getting more dark spots at the beginning of January'17 at about 1.5 yrs old
still pretty, just more of those black streaks on him
i find those growth lines to be so fantastically fascinating! Mother Nature's design! Just perfectly beautiful! 
again more concentration of dark on the both ends
and his head colors are getting brighter
I should also let you see the plastron over those few months. The above pic was taken in September'16 (Tucker about 15 months old)
and here about 1.5 yrs old- Jan'17
plastron also getting those streaks, just not quite as many
here dirty after spending warm day outside
but you can see a big influx of those black streaks over that month. These pics were taken on the 22nd of Feb about month after the ones previously posted
at this point it was becoming pretty clear that all that white color was only a brief transition. 
still pretty though 
difference between his and Shellie's growth rings
He's truly the most beautiful Cherryhead I ever saw. Lucky you!
and these are from about a week ago
clearly my little Tucker is getting darker, but ... still pretty
Glad you find it to be so
I didn't have a clue what I was getting, it was just pure blind luck. I'm sure his colors are decided mostly by his genes but who knows, maybe the food he eats has a role too?! At petstores I see the pet food labels talking about properties that enhance the natural coloration of the fish, birds... maybe same goes for our torts? And since I've been trying so many different brands and rotating them into the fresh food they get on daily bases... maybe, there is some of that?... i wouldn't be surprised. You know, like drinking too much carrot juice will turn your skin orange... I think it's possible, but I don't know enough about the science of nutrition to make any statements here. This is just hypothetical... just of the many possibilities. I wander though if anyone out there has heard of this being a correlation. My babies commercial food daily consumption is about 20-25% of what they eat.
Good work. That is just about as nice as you can possibly get.
I'm still not clear as to why (or how) certain individual S.E. Brazilian red-foots develop this pattern. Many will have a certain amount of marbling but they tend to grow out of it in time and become dark. But then there are the few examples (like yours) that are in a whole different league.
I've hatched a few neonates that looked absolutely normal coming out of the egg and then sold, or gave them away...then a few years later the person who obtained them showed me either photos of, or the actual animals and I was floored.
I know, right?! Tucker looked completely "normal" when we got him. In fact his house sister was much prettier as a baby. I have looked at some pics of marbled cherryheads and looks like the pattern my little Tucker follows is one that gets dark in the end. Very interesting to watch them grow. I'm loving it
Greta16
Active Member
He is so unique. I like that the little black triangles are growing, or bleeding into the white. He's gorgeous. Cherryheads are from the rain forest right? Would this camo work in nature?
Tucker is exceptional @Pearly
smooth and beautiful. Great job, you spoil them both rotten. I wish my husband would put as many flowers in my bathtub not as much other stuff though...
Okinawan
Member
Wow...just wow! This reminds me of people willing to adopt the unwanted dog at the shelter only to be rewarded with unspoken gratitude and loyalty and ends up turning into the best dog ever. That's one beeuuuteeful tortoise you got there and I have no doubt in my mind it's "talking" back and saying thank you for taking care of me!
What a sweet comment! Thank you! You are so right about those unwated shelter dogs. My friend adopted a 5 month old large breed homeless puppy with skin infections which made 25% of his skin to be not only bald but also swillen and dark putple color. He was really... hidious looking and shelter had him marked as not-adoptable. The vet told her that even if they could control the infections/possible allergies etc he wasn't sure if he'd ever regrow his hair on his chest, neck, pretty much most of the front of his body. See, this is what poverty does to animals, and to people alike! Uggghhhh! Well, my friend is like me- sucker for sick/weak and oppresed so she took that pup and started all kinds of tests including different biopsies of his skin, several different antibiotics. And I started cooking yeah I have a THING for "feeding the sick". Lots of meat, some bones, veggies, fuits, probiotics, organic goat milk with live cultures, vitamins... studied dog recipes every night for several months... The pup at first was woofing down his food but throwing it all up as soon as he'd finished eating.
here is Blossom now, what you see used to be naked wrinkled dark red/purple skin, now his coat is gorgeous and thick, weighs 105 lbs, is a size of a great dane and is the biggest lover boy and lap dog I've ever seen. My little Tucker was not abandoned, but he was one of thousands of baby animals bred for profit as beeing a little weaker or more delicate/sensitive one he was probably destined to die in his first few wks of life. It was just a match made in heaven: myself- perfectionist and pain in the butt about "making the sick and ailing better", and little tiny 2.5" baby Tucker, just hatched out... with his yolk sack scar still fresh. He should have been still in his incubator or transitioned to a perfect very warm/very humid chamber to allow him develop just a bit more and let him start and get down the eating thing, make sure he is a good eater before shipping him across the states in the cold box. I'm very happy we got him and i think his payback is in his looks and sweet personality and how he's been thriving after the initial 6-12 months. Again, thank you for your very kind comment. Always great to have one's hard work recognized by another animal lover
Okinawan
Member
Sometimes things work out perfectly in the end and your experience with Tucker I found very inspiring and was compelled to comment. This is a story book with a lesson or two for all of us, just love it!
Thank you❤️
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