Egg teeth

[tortoises101]

I've heard on a thread regarding sullies that certain species can hold them for months. How long does an egg tooth last? (I would prefer an answer for each species like redfoots, sullies, hermann's, etc)

 

[ALDABRAMAN]

We have had aldabras retain it for over 90 days!

 

[Kristina]

There is no real answer to your question. It all depends on the individual, the diet, the environment - there are just a ton of factors.

Just to be clear - they don't fall off. They reabsorb back into the body.

 

[Tom]

Are you sure about that? I did not know this. I never paid that much attention to it. I "seems" to me like one day its there and one day its not. I never noticed one gradually receding.

 

[Kristina]

In tortoises it is a hard little protrusion of the beak. There isn't a line of attachment, it is actually part of the beak. When you look at a chick, you can see that the egg tooth is actually a separate piece.

For example - here is Katie's Nelson as a baby

And here is a newborn chick

You can actually see that it is a separate piece.

It kind of depends on who you talk to. I have observed it shrinking and absorbing with all of my babies. I tend to go with what my own observations show me.

 

[cdmay]

Kristina is right. The egg 'teeth' on tortoises are different than those of aquatic turtles or snakes.
On tortoises the protrusion just gradually disappears as the upper jaw grows. So really, the upper jaw on tortoises is modified into a point at the time of hatching. It isn't a separate and temporary object that sheds off.

 

[tortoises101]

Thanks, this is pretty interesting.

 

[Mao Senpai]

Yeah it can all depend. Of my 2 earlier leopard hatchlings.. one went away really quick in like say a month or two, and my other leopard took nearly 6 months for it to go away.

 

[african cake queen]

HI, I JUST LEARNED ANOTHER THING. THANKS