Any Deformed Sulcatas out there?

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Katherine

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Recently adopted a badly deformed Sulcata who seems otherwise healthy, eats, drinks and moves around fine. S/he was hatched out deformed among a clutch of healthy tortoises. Trying to give the benefit of the doubt in all situations here and without faulting anyone it appears this tortoise was offered for sale, purchased by someone who didn't realize the scope of its deformity, and was later deemed undesirable. Despite this chain of events the now tiny yearling has received exceptional care its entire first year ( UV bulbs, outside time, natural diet supplemented with mazuri, humid warm environment) from people with good intentions and has shown no improvements in its physical appearance. Anyways I am very curious if anyone on the forum has an older juv or adult tortoise who has or had a severe shell deformity and how it progressed with age. Advice welcome, no idea what the distant future holds for this little one but the immediate future holds a field of grass, a lot of love and some sweet southern sunshine : )
 

Jacqui

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You are going to post pictures showing us this tortoise's problems, right? Please. :D
 

Tom

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That seems to be a case of split scutes. Most of the time they don't grow out like that, but sometimes they do. Most of the time split scutes are just cosmetic and on the surface, but that guy appears to have something going on inside too. Higher incubation temps are often associated with split scutes, but they do occasionally happen at low temps too. Its just something that happens sometimes. Nobody necessarily did anything wrong. I have produced a total of four split scuted hatchlings. Three of the four just hatched in my last two clutches. The other one was months ago.
 

Lulu

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Poor little guy. I don't know why he wouldn't be ok long term. He'll just be a little funny looking ... or unique, depending on how you see it. I suppose there may be some internal deformities you can't see, but why not hope for the best? Has the vet weighed in with any opinions?

Tom, did you look at the third and fourth pictures? The carapace is malformed. I'll agree that the first picture looks like split scutes, but there's more going on in the next pics.
 

herpgirl24

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Give him good care and lots of soaking! My sulcata was in rough shape when I got him at 4 weeks. The underside of the shell was very deformed. For nearly a year he barely grew at all, then within the last three months he has nearly doubled in weight and smoothed out considerably!

It is amazing what they can pull through
 

Katherine

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Thanks all. He definitely has split scutes but that isn't really a concern for me; I am definitely a bit worried about the huge drop off in his carapace. The PO said that as he grows the posterior portion of his shell does not seem to grow at all; but the bulbous anterior part of his shell increases in size. Should be really interesting to watch this sweet little tortoise age, I am crossing my fingers s/he will not face any further complications from this unique body s/he's living in! Very curious tortoise so far; and dug a sleeping burrow the moment it got in the dirt outside : ) I needed another tortoise like a hole in the head but couldn't resist taking this baby home to see if some proper sunshine could help; you are right- s/he's beautiful!
 

Lulu

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Do you have a really good tortoise oriented vet? Mine seems willing to try all kinds of things to try to make it work. Maybe some kind of shell surgery, if it really is true that the posterior portion does not grow, and it's not just a matter of perception.

Good luck. I don't think I would be able to resist either.
 

Weda737

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Awww the poor baby, that sure is troubling that there is no growth rings around those split scutes. Maybe you're right and it isn't growing. Can there be a solution to this? Oh I'd be so worried.... I am worried and it's not even mine lol. Best of luck to you, keep us posted please.
 
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