Red lines on tortoise shell

[Boberstop]

I have a 5 month old (I believe) sulcata. I’m seeing mixed messages about red lines. Are they new growth or is something wrong? His bottom shell is soft, but Toto gets calcium and has the proper lighting and heat.

 

[harrythetortoise]

Look like growth lines!

 

[Tom]

I have a 5 month old (I believe) sulcata. I’m seeing mixed messages about red lines. Are they new growth or is something wrong? His bottom shell is soft, but Toto gets calcium and has the proper lighting and heat.

That plastron looks fine, but most of the care info given for this species is wrong. Few breeders or sellers start them correctly.

Read this if you want your baby to thrive and be healthy:

The Best Way To Raise A Sulcata, Leopard, Or Star Tortoise

I chose the title of this care sheet very carefully. Are there other ways to raise babies? Yes. Yes there are, but those ways are not as good. What follows is the BEST way, according to 30 years of research and experimentation with hundreds of babies of many species. Babies hatch during the...

tortoiseforum.org

 

[KarenSoCal]

As long as the pink follows the growth lines it's fine. The pink is increased blood flow to the area to support the new growth.

If the pink is generalized over the whole plastron, that is serious. But that is also accompanied by severe illness.