Eastern Hermann - Ridge on his stomach?

[Toriblu132]

Hello! I've had my little guy Stannis, the one true tortoise king since June. I think he's about 6 months old and he is 1.6 oz. I've been charting his growth and it seems pretty steady.

Today when I was soaking him, I noticed a ridge on his stomach, right down the center. His shell seems pretty smooth except for this ridge which I think is pretty new. Is this a sign of pyramiding? Right now he eats a lot of mixed greens and sometimes some cactus. He's had a cherry tomato twice, but doesn't seem to like them much. He also has a cuddle bone in his house which he does appear to nibble on.

I've attached some pictures to try to show, particularly what his stomach looks like vs the rest of his shell, but he's so tiny it may be hard to tell. Any thoughts are welcome. I've been trying to figure out correct feeding, but it seems like everyone has an opinion on what's ok and what's not.

Thanks!

 

[Maria Ohlson]

Its normal for small tortoise to have seams or ridges on their belly

 

[ZEROPILOT]

Welcome.
I agree that it looks normal. Are you sure that this JUST appeared? Because that would be odd.
Very often a baby tortoises carapace can look misshapen and kind of wrinkly. But this goes away over time as they get a little larger and the shell hardens.

 

[JoesMum]

Hello and welcome to TFO You have a gorgeous looking Hermann's there

Hello! I've had my little guy Stannis, the one true tortoise king since June. I think he's about 6 months old and he is 1.6 oz. I've been charting his growth and it seems pretty steady.

Today when I was soaking him, I noticed a ridge on his stomach, right down the center. His shell seems pretty smooth except for this ridge which I think is pretty new. Is this a sign of pyramiding?

Pyramidding happens on the shell, not the plastron. Stannis looks just fine

Right now he eats a lot of mixed greens and sometimes some cactus. He's had a cherry tomato twice, but doesn't seem to like them much.

Good news about the tomato. Hermann's diet is leafy greens. They can't digest sugars properly- they cause digestive and kidney problems- so fruit, tomato, bell pepper and carrot should only be fed very sparingly and very occasionally.

He also has a cuddle bone in his house which he does appear to nibble on.

Some tortoises love Cuttlebone; some ignore it. Leave it in your enclosure as it will do no harm and helps with beak maintenance.

You should sprinkle a very tiny pinch of calcium powder on food three times a week to ensure your tort gets enough calcium. Don't do it more often - you can give too much. Your tort will only take the cuttlebone if it wants and needs too.

Have you read the TFO guudes? They're written by species experts working hard to correct the outdated information widely available on the internet and from pet stores and, sadly, from some vets and breeders too.

Beginner Mistakes
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/beginner-mistakes.45180/

Baby Testudo Care (includes Hermann's)
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/thread...or-other-herbivorous-tortoise-species.107734/

Hermann's Care
http://www.tortoiseforum.org/threads/sticky-hermanns-tortoise-care-sheet-updated.101410/

 

[Toriblu132]

Welcome.
I agree that it looks normal. Are you sure that this JUST appeared? Because that would be odd.
Very often a baby tortoises carapace can look misshapen and kind of wrinkly. But this goes away over time as they get a little larger and the shell hardens.

To be honest I'm not 100% sure it just appeared. I try to handle him minimally so he doesn't get too stressed out. But thank you for the advice!

 

[Toriblu132]

Its normal for small tortoise to have seams or ridges on their belly

Thanks!