Marbling question

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Zik

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Hi guys,

Just want to ask something regarding the marbling of the shell. I just acquired a Brazilian RF today and was fascinated with its very minor marblings. I'm just curious, does the marbling increase/spread as the tortoise and its shell grow? Due to my fascination and appreciation of how the marbling looks like on their shells, I am hoping that the marbling effect would spread more when my tortoise grows bigger/older. Thanks in advance for the inputs. :)

20130811_164856_zpsaabd300a.jpg


20130811_165727_zpsaa644e88.jpg
 

N2TORTS

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It’s really hard to say . For the most part the marbling will increase in area as well as turn to a more Ivory type coloring if kept outside ( dirt plays a factor too) . Although I have had hatchlings and Jr.s mature with high hopes and early indication of marbling but when mature “ not so pronounced”
Here is an example …with about a 4 year difference same subject. You can see the changes thru-out the years.






Here are some “ high marbled examples” sub adults …..


Some Adults ............


JD~:)
 

Zik

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Very nice marblings, JD. :D So you mean to say that housing them outdoors will be a contributing factor for the marbling? He will be staying at our patio that has tiles on the ground, but I will be setting up a garden fence at one spot that is to be his outdoor enclosure. And coco peat will be spread along the floor to be his/her substrate. Any proven contributing factors that can help us enhance their marbling besides housing them outdoors? :) Would love to try out suggestions, tips and techniques from you JD. Really want to have maintain and enhance(if this is possible) the marbling. :)

And btw, the RF that was featured on the first 3 photos. Does he have an adult photo or is that his most updated photo? Want to see how its marbling turned out. And hatchling/yearling photos of the high marbled sub-adults that you've shared (4th photo). Sorry if I am too much into this, JD. Was only seeing marbled shells on the internet before and always wanted to have one. Now that I have luckily managed to bring home one with a little bit of marbling, would do my very best to maintain or enhance it since we barely see Brazilians here in our country that has marblings on the shell.
 

N2TORTS

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Zik ....
It’s more genetic inheritance….there is no “ ways to produce marbling” nor to enhance it. I might have thrown you off by the outdoor comment … what I ment by that is, “torts kept in a captive indoor cage type environment , stay much cleaner ( depending on your substrate and one’s house keeping) than say a tortoise that has free roam of a yard with dirt, plant material , watering holes ect…Hence the marbling appears “ whiter”
( oh no here we go again …. :p ) Now from my past experience with marbling and even the hypos …outdoors the color “ white” will subdue to more of an Ivory color. Sunlight , dirt all play factors in this colorful/white world . I think a HUGE misconception is that with outdoor animals “ they will always bleach out from the sun” …I disagree with this theory . As with the living tissue and melanin produced at the microscopic level, melanocytes (cells that make pigment) and the Epidermal dendritic pigment cells which control long-term morphological color changes by alteration in their number or in the amount of pigment they produce are stored in the pigment containing organelles called melanosomes , this protects the living tissue from being burned by the sun . We (humans) call this a suntan……we “darken up” to protect the new forming skin cells beneath. A little off the marbling subject …but more of how the “white” changes hue……not the amount produced.
There are several very experienced tortoise keepers in here, as well as some very smart science nuts. Overall a very intelligent group ….So take everyone’s experience ( notice I didn’t say opinion) and knowledge blend it together and find what works best for you. There are way to many unknown variables to follow in each keepers’ situation and the part of the world they reside in to set one Standard or Guide Line.
Great LQQKING Cherry By the way ! :)

JD~
 

N2TORTS

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the first 3 pics are the same tort ...not really the best side by side shots .. but as you can see in the early 2nd pic marbling was most pronounced.... it does not show as much in the 3rd and most recent picture.
 

Zik

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Oh okay, I was thrown off by the outdoor statement but entirely my fault for misunderstanding it, JD. :D I clearly understand what you said about the white areas that it can change its hues depending if it's housed indoors or outdoors but the amount of whiteness does not increase due to environmental factors but only to its genetics. Regardless of what color hue I would like it to have(white vs. ivory), I would still house him/her outdoors.

Regarding the first 3 photos of your one cherry. Yep, the marbling was really prominent in the second photo but was noticeably less prominent in the third photo. Thank you so much for your inputs, JD. I couldn't have asked for a better answer on this one. Thank you very much. :)
 

N2TORTS

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No problem .... glad I could have some input~:)
 
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