jjaymeza
Active Member
Do tortoises with extra or split scutes produce extra or split scute babies?
No. It appears to not be genetic at all. Perhaps there may be a slight propensity for split scutes genetically, but the cause of split scutes seems to be in the environment of the incubation of the eggs. High heat has some influence. Ph and/or alkalinity exposure at very early development stages may also.Do tortoises with extra or split scutes produce extra or split scute babies?
This is unknown and debatable.Do tortoises with extra or split scutes produce extra or split scute babies?
I have two with aberrant scutes that are definitely male.FYI...due to the high heat influence split scute tortoises are usually female...
This is unknown and debatable.
Usually? Lol. Mine is definitely female. We should do a survey....I have two with aberrant scutes that are definitely male.
Do tortoises with extra or split scutes produce extra or split scute babies?
Hahaha. On the flip side...my daughter has crooked pinky fingers...like her dad and most of his family.... : )I knew a lady once that had an extra little nubby thumb, grew right out below her regular thumb...super creepy...but not one of her kids have the nubby thumb...so maybe just a thing that randomly happens....I could not help but look at her nub when ever she used her hands while explaining things....lol....sorry to anyone offended or anyone who may also sport a thumb nub...not bad, just different
Do tortoises with extra or split scutes produce extra or split scute babies?
Yes, they also produce 'normal' ones.
Whether it is hereditary or not, I do not know.
Just want to share what we have observed with the Aldabra tortoises:
Incubation at room temperatures (not using incubator) of 26-30°C/78.8-86°F (let's call this Incubation1) produced 36% babies with aberrant scutes.
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Incubation at room temperatures (not using incubator) of 27-34°C/80.6-93.2°F (let's call this Incubation2) produced 50% babies with aberrant scutes.
'Normal' female produced 29% (all using Incubation1) with aberrant scutes.
Female with extra scutes produced 47% with aberrant scutes. (Incubation1= 43% with aberrant scutes. Incubation2=50% with aberrant scutes.)
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This year we got some incubators, if anyone is interested we can share the results in a few months.
Concerning dads, 1 mature male has aberrant scutes. The other 2 are 'normal'.
These results are based on last year's babies only, so might be skewed.
Just got a Redfoot hatchling with 7 vertebral scutes in a zigzag pattern. Normal is 5 in-line. 6 eggs in this batch, this one and 5 normal. All hatched at 120 to 130 days at 85 degrees and 90% humidity. I usually get about 50 to 60 hatchlings per year from my 3 females. About 5 years ago I had one with a split scute but this is my first multi-zigzag scute pattern in about 18 years.
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My multishute tortoise with zigzag....View attachment 240072
A perfect place for me to climb on my high horse (and I really have one) I am a dog trainer for obedience and I used to show too. I love training it's so rewarding, I am not a dog breeder. Why am I not a dog breeder because even as you can imagine how much dog knowledge I must have with my training and showing background? Answer: I still do not feel that I am in the position to breed dogs. This is why, I think all creatures that are bred by man should be bred by professionals prepared for anything that may happen. Iv'e witnessed a professional horse breeder with a mare trying to foal. The baby was stuck. Why because there were 2 of them. In horses, if the foal is an albino it is almost always delivered stillborn and the mare will need help from a human. ( who must be there or the mare could die) this time it was twins! Also, another oddity in horses so we had 2 stillborn foals trying to be delivered. After a professional did all they knew they could do, then they called the vet out. Yes, the mother was saved. That was with a professional breeder. Imagine if she did not know any of what to do and why its happening and that the mare needed help at all? Just wanted to have a foal for no particular reason. Not safe. I also don't believe in breeding a backyard dog for the sole purpose of 1, the dog needs to have puppies once, WRONG, or they needed money WRONG people told them they wanted a puppy from your dog because they wanted a puppy from that particular dog, purebred or not. More dogs end up homeless if they live. Dog breeders only breed the best of the breed, show champions, to produce more perfect standards for the breed. Or trying to improve the breed. Pretty much that's how I feel about amateurs breeding anything. Leave the breeding to the professional breeders. I'm sorry if I have offended any backyard breeders but this is my experience and my feelings only, I am not trying to lecture anyone or put anyone down for breeding a creature. I just pray for them they have no complications before or after birth/hatching.
You can imagine the happiness I got when I had the wildlife person pick up the two Gophers I found as babies to go into the repopulation program. Gophers are on the endangered list. I experienced so much self-satisfaction knowing I helped in a small way by being honest and doing the right thing with these torts. Again my breeding story was not meant to hurt anyone it's just my opinion.