Head coloring

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Faery

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So after looking through everyone's photos of their redfoots on here (so much fun!) I've begun to notice that the older animals seem to have less discrete color patches; their red spots seem more diffuse. Is this a normal aging pattern in this species?
 

Faery

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Still hoping for an answer to this... do the color patches on their heads lose their distinct shapes/edges as the torts age? Or do some just start out with less distinct color patches?
 

ewam

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I don't know about heads but that's what shells do, maybe with new skin growth then the coloring might spread apart.
 

Madkins007

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In almost all animal species, coloration fades or blurs as it grows older.
 

N2TORTS

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Faery said:
Still hoping for an answer to this... do the color patches on their heads lose their distinct shapes/edges as the torts age? Or do some just start out with less distinct color patches?

Well thats sort of a two edged questioned.....#1 coloration is a genetic trait , and not all torts are created equal ( sorta speak)in coloring and patterns, and as Mark stated markings will fade "SOME" with age ...but then again I have animals that are 16 + years with tons of color ~
JD~:)
 

Tropical Torts

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Here is an exception to the "colors fade with age".
IMG_1170.jpg


This is my largest male (for now) :D he is about 13 inches long and as you can see he still has vivid head coloration.
Now it is the case that color does fade with age but some redfoots dont fade quite as quickly as others!
 

N2TORTS

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Here is another example of a "old timer" still with color . This is Oscar' my ALpha male cherry ......who is 12+"~
a932.jpg




JD~:)
 

Faery

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Thanks for the input, everyone! John, that is an exceptionally striking redfoot, the red and yellow are so vibrant! And JD, I love all the pictures of your herd, it doesn't appear any of your torts lost their color! I was just curious what to expect as my little one ages.
 

Tropical Torts

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Thanks! Every tortoise is different and part of being a tortoise keeper is finding out what they are like as they age. :)
 
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