Abnormal growth lines?

[ernz]

Hello,

One of my babies seems to be growing abnormally. This all happened within the last month. She gained 11 grams this month. She lives with one sibling who gained 12 grams this month and does does not have the same problem. She is 4 months old. As far as I know the heat&humidity is correct and she eats daily.

Is this normal? I have several tortoises but I’ve never had babies before.

 

[Yvonne G]

Sometimes sections of shell grow at different rates, but the overall shape of the silhouette remains as it should look for the species. For some unknown reason this baby's rear portion is growing faster than the front. Who knows?? You can paint and massage the growth spaces on the front end with a Q-tip dipped in cold pressed coconut oil, but I really doubt there's much else you can do. Is it a yellowfoot baby?

 

[turtlesteve]

Some of the scutes are "stuck together" and are not growing apart properly.

Hard to say for certain why this happens, but I have seen it before, generally on hatchlings that I've bought versus ones I have hatched myself. I suspect this tortoise was not growing properly just after it was born, as it's undersized for being 4 months old. If it gained that growth in the past month, seems like it had zero growth for the first 2.5-3 months after hatching. That is not normal, and is probably related to the growth issue you are seeing now.

Fortunately they are clearly doing very well in your care. I am not sure if the issue will correct itself or not, and it is too soon to tell if it will lead to a more significant growth deformity. Usually it doesn't, and ends up just being a minor cosmetic issue.

Steve

 

[ernz]

Sometimes sections of shell grow at different rates, but the overall shape of the silhouette remains as it should look for the species. For some unknown reason this baby's rear portion is growing faster than the front. Who knows?? You can paint and massage the growth spaces on the front end with a Q-tip dipped in cold pressed coconut oil, but I really doubt there's much else you can do. Is it a yellowfoot baby?

Yes it is a yellowfoot! Thank you so much for answering, I’m glad I don’t need to worry about her health! Thank you 😊 🙏🏼

 

[ernz]

Some of the scutes are "stuck together" and are not growing apart properly.

Hard to say for certain why this happens, but I have seen it before, generally on hatchlings that I've bought versus ones I have hatched myself. I suspect this tortoise was not growing properly just after it was born, as it's undersized for being 4 months old. If it gained that growth in the past month, seems like it had zero growth for the first 2.5-3 months after hatching. That is not normal, and is probably related to the growth issue you are seeing now.

Fortunately they are clearly doing very well in your care. I am not sure if the issue will correct itself or not, and it is too soon to tell if it will lead to a more significant growth deformity. Usually it doesn't, and ends up just being a minor cosmetic issue.

Steve

When I took her home a month ago she was 3 months old and 45 grams. She’s probably growing faster with me, as long as it’s cosmetic that’s all we can hope for! I’ll keep an eye on her hopefully it starts to even out. Thank you so much for the response!!