Growths on chin --Desert Tortoise

animateash

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Noticed these growths on my male desert tortoise's jaw today. Symmetrically placed, though one is larger than the other. Where the skin is bulging the scales are parted away. Not sure how long they've been there exactly because we open his house and leave straight for work, and he often puts himself away at night. We only get to hang with him on weekends. Didn't notice these when i was feeding him treats last weekend.

Bug bite? Injury? Allergic reaction? Tumors?

Would love to know what these are and if they require medical treatment.
 

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mark1

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i'd imagine those are chin glands , they do enlarge , like any gland they can become blocked and or infected ......
 

animateash

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i'd imagine those are chin glands , they do enlarge , like any gland they can become blocked and or infected ......
Ok..if we're talking blocked on infected gland, is there anything I can do for him or is this a vet appt. situation? We've only had him 2 yrs and haven't had to field this before. Can probably get an appointment with my reptile vet this week if he needs it.
 

mark1

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I couldn't tell you what normal is , there has to be someone here with experience with this , probably Yvonne ………. I believe it has something to do with sexual maturity /hormones ……...
 

SweetGreekTorts

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Your male tortoise has enlarged chin glands because it's breeding season.

Chin glands on a desert tortoise are not active until sexual maturity. They serve as chemical and visual signals to other tortoises. Dominant males have chin glands that are larger than other males’ and contain more testosterone.
 

animateash

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Your male tortoise has enlarged chin glands because it's breeding season.

Chin glands on a desert tortoise are not active until sexual maturity. They serve as chemical and visual signals to other tortoises. Dominant males have chin glands that are larger than other males’ and contain more testosterone.
Ok thank you for confirming! Im glad this is not something to worry about. Spiders often like his house and i was worried this was a bite or something. I guess he's just got his summer mojo going.
 

Gijoux

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Your male tortoise has enlarged chin glands because it's breeding season.

Chin glands on a desert tortoise are not active until sexual maturity. They serve as chemical and visual signals to other tortoises. Dominant males have chin glands that are larger than other males’ and contain more testosterone.
Thanks for posting this. Very helpful information.
 
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