Good luck !
Thank you, that was great! We are hoping for surgical correction if possible at the direction of our vets. We are very optimistic and he is doing great, just needs to grow longer and get bigger.Livingstone said:For all the TFO members who are interested, I can explain what is going on with this young aldabra.
When Tuff was born the center seam of the plastron at his tail was not properly developed, it never fused where the two opposing plates meet. So the seam that runs down the middle of his plastron is not joined at the last 4cm before the tail, the gap is probably about .5cm wide.
The Organs that are in that location have nothing to protect them and from what I understang from Greg, occasionally the organs herniate through the opening. To make matters more complicated Tuff has an exposed penis, it is not sheathed within the tail. From the Photos posted none of this is visible giving Tuff the appearance of a normal tortoise.
Its a good thing for Tuff, as we have all said, that he was born into Greg's herd so there is no question about the quality of life that this tortoise will have.
Thank you Greg for allowing me to share this and quell the curiousity.
Love the last pic! Looks like a very happy little tort. Must be something to do with the owner!ALDABRAMAN said:A couple new pictures of TUFF.