Deformed shell

[leigti]

I don't think the top shelf will ever catch up with the bottom one. I am hoping that if there is more growth on a slower pace that maybe the effects won't be as drastic. Like I said this came on in a 4 to 6 week. Very drastically. so she must of had a Quick growth spurt, maybe too extreme.I really don't know though, I plan on keeping her on a nice steady diet all winter and into the spring.she will never be hungry I guarantee it.

 

[leigti]

How did the title of this thread change in my notification section?

 

[Abdulla6169]

How did the title of this thread change in my notification section?

The mods did it because the I see pyramiding thread was getting off topic...m

 

[leigti]

The mods did it because the I see pyramiding thread was getting off topic...m

Well that makes sense I guess but maybe they should've made the title something that describes what we're really talking about. That's okay I think was pretty much beat this dead horse anyway.

 

[ascott]

Don't worry she's not starving, I would never let that happen

This was my observation of your pics...and the information you shared that you and the vets and school vets speculated....I only meant that overfeeding would present fat meaty parts of the tort and not only a shell deformity.....

 

[leigti]

This was my observation of your pics...and the information you shared that you and the vets and school vets speculated....I only meant that overfeeding would present fat meaty parts of the tort and not only a shell deformity.....

Oh okay I understand what you mean now, sorry I'm a little thick sometimes she definitely doesn't look fat. I truly am not 100% sure what caused this, and I don't think the vets are either, it was just The most logical conclusion we could come up with. And I thought it was important to put it out there in case it could prevent someone else's toward us from having these problems. I am a little gun shy about starting anything again though. I guess it was just too much of an odd case to go on a general discussion. Oh well live and learn.

 

[ascott]

Oh okay I understand what you mean now, sorry I'm a little thick sometimes she definitely doesn't look fat. I truly am not 100% sure what caused this, and I don't think the vets are either, it was just The most logical conclusion we could come up with. And I thought it was important to put it out there in case it could prevent someone else's toward us from having these problems. I am a little gun shy about starting anything again though. I guess it was just too much of an odd case to go on a general discussion. Oh well live and learn.

I understand....and I would not let some of the pissy comments stop you from inquiring in the future or sharing things....you have just as much right as the next person....

 

[domalle]

Oh okay I understand what you mean now, sorry I'm a little thick sometimes she definitely doesn't look fat. I truly am not 100% sure what caused this, and I don't think the vets are either, it was just The most logical conclusion we could come up with. And I thought it was important to put it out there in case it could prevent someone else's toward us from having these problems. I am a little gun shy about starting anything again though. I guess it was just too much of an odd case to go on a general discussion. Oh well live and learn.

The humanity, love and care you have demonstrated for your little turtle is palpable. He is lucky to have you.

 

[leigti]

The humanity, love and care you have demonstrated for your little turtle is palpable. He is lucky to have you.

Thank you. I try to do the best for my animals. they are all I have.

 

[domalle]

You see? This is the sort of post that makes me crazy. How many russians have you raised and cared for over the years? How many have you free fed (too much according to you) and how many have you intentionally under fed? From what I have seen you have one russian tortoise and you have a few months of tortoise experience. Please correct me if I am wrong. You certainly have something going on there, but to blame it on an excess of high fiber weedy food and to be so certain about it, makes no sense. Now you are here posting this info as if it is fact and trying to teach people a lesson. I have raised and cared for dozens of russians over the last few decades. I currently have 20. I have always free fed every single one of them, and currently free feed mine now, as well as letting them graze as much as they want daily, and I have never experienced the problem you are having. In fact my young russians were in 60x18" indoor enclosures, so even smaller than your enclosure, and not a single one out of 20 is experiencing the problem that yours is having.

When I say they can't be overfed the right stuff, I base it on more than 3 decades of russian experience with dozens of animals housed in a wide variety of circumstances. When you say they can be overfed, you base in on a few months with one tortoise. Do you see why this would make someone want to comment? Now people will say that I've been too harsh and I'm going to scare you away, but this sort of thing needs to be pointed out. It needs to be dealt with. I just cannot leave misinformation hanging out there for people to read and say nothing about it.

Leigti, I think you know by now that I like you and appreciate your contributions to the forum. You've been around a while, so I don't think a post like this will scare you off, but what is a person to do when they see erroneous info reported as fact and given in the form of advice to others. What is a person to do when they know the person asserting such things does not have the background to back up there assertions? I mean you no disrespect and do not intend to hurt your feelings. My contention is with the tortoise advise you are dispensing and what it is based upon. This is like Ascott (who I like very much) dispensing info on how to raise sulcatas even though she has never raised a single one in any fashion. Drives me batty. How does a person know that an animal should be raised one way or another, when they have not done it in any way at all?

Conclusions are good, but may I request that we don't jump to them based on hardly any info, or in contrast to a whole lotta contradictory info?

The suggestion that only direct firsthand experience with a given species qualifies one to comment, express an opinion or offer advice is faulty. Expertise based on years of experience with many different animals is invaluable. But we shouldn't discount insight and knowledge generated through others' experience even if more limited in scope. It may actually bring fresh insight, less bias, and more help to the questioner in deciding on a course of action to help their pet.
"You don't have to be able to lay a rotten egg to be able to smell one."

 

[johnsonnboswell]

This is not a fat tortoise. A fat tortoise will have a normal shell, but be too fat to fold up all the way inside. It won't have wrinkles in its legs or neck, it will be filled out. This is not a tortoise that is too big for its shell, it's an animal with a shell that's too small, an abnormal shell that didn't grow properly. Whatever caused the shell growth imbalance, be it injury or whatever, I would not limit its food now. I think its best chance at any semblance of recovery is a good diet and good all around husbandry.

The vet is guessing, and is off base.

Shell problems can occur in an animal after starvation. What I've seen, however, involves carapace deformities.

The bottom shell outgrowing the top shell- that's a combination of carapace not growing and plastron growing. How is that not a case of MBD? It can manifest in different ways. It's either the top or the bottom or both that is the problem.

The best thing you can do is offer good care, not try to restrict growth.

 

[leigti]

I am not trying to restrict growth, I was trying to prevent further very fast growth.The top she'll grew differently possibly because of the past crushing injury the tortoise had before I ever got her.I KNOW The tortoise is not too fat for it show, the moderators read named this thread after they deleted it from a Nother thread. It's the misleading title that has nothing to do with the problem.nobody ever said it was too big for it shell and I'm actually a little pissed off that they named it this because it makes us all look like idiots when we are not talking about it okay I'm better now. How do you get the title changed anyway? I can never be accused of underfeeding any of my animals including this one, never have and never will. But I did way over feed her in the spring of this year and I will not do it this coming spring.I know Michelle will never go back to normal and I know that she will probably continue to grow but I just have to try to make it in a steady pace.

 

[leigti]

Hello moderators, can somebody please change the title of this thread? Maybe to something like shell Deformation discussion, or something along those lines. The title is misleading because all of us that have been discussing this know that the tortoises not too fat for the shell. Thank you.

 

[ascott]

Hello moderators, can somebody please change the title of this thread? Maybe to something like shell Deformation discussion, or something along those lines. The title is misleading because all of us that have been discussing this know that the tortoises not too fat for the shell. Thank you.

And this is the hazard of having your thread fluffed.....when you tear something down that is is motion --and then try to piece it back together, it creates flaws that make no sense....the fluffing seemed to stop for a bit, but apparently not gone....good luck...

 

[leigti]

I don't mind it being separated out because it was definitely getting off topic of the original thread. And the title wouldn't even bug me so much because I thought the topic was pretty much dead. But if we're going to discuss it it might as well have a title that represents what we are trying to talk about. there of been a lot of disagreements on this issue but I think we all agree the tortoises not too fat

 

[ascott]

I don't mind it being separated out because it was definitely getting off topic of the original thread. And the title wouldn't even bug me so much because I thought the topic was pretty much dead. But if we're going to discuss it it might as well have a title that represents what we are trying to talk about. there of been a lot of disagreements on this issue but I think we all agree the tortoises not too fat

Agree, you do not have a fatty....lol

 

[leigti]

Thank you moderators!

 

[WillTort2]

I've seen several pictures of Russian torts that have a pattern of uneven growth lines with a zig zag look to the lines between the scutes. I've suspected that this is caused by over eating but perhaps it could be caused by an injury or a nutrient imbalance.

This situation seems very similar to the situation facing "leigti". Does anyone have experience or knowledge regarding this type of shell development.

 

[leigti]

I've seen several pictures of Russian torts that have a pattern of uneven growth lines with a zig zag look to the lines between the scutes. I've suspected that this is caused by over eating but perhaps it could be caused by an injury or a nutrient imbalance.

This situation seems very similar to the situation facing "leigti". Does anyone have experience or knowledge regarding this type of shell development.

Hello, this is Leigti's tortoise. if seen from above there is a slight zigzag pattern which showed up about a month before the fast growth.there has been a great deal of disagreement, but I think it has been a combination of sudden over eating and the past injuries.The moderators separated this thread out from the original because we got off topic and I think because it got pretty heated Anthony P and Benjamin have both said that they have seen this but pretty much everybody else has shot it down as baloney. Oh well. That's okay there is always room for disagreement. And some things just don't fit in A proper category.so I am going to let everybody else hash it out.